Ink Gin

WHAT DID PAUL MESSENGER DO WHILE HE WAITED FOR HIS RUM TO MATURE? INVENT A NEW GIN OF COURSE!

Paul Messenger in front of his hand beaten copper pot still. RETIRED GEOLOGIST AND professional explorer come distiller, Paul Messenger, had a long interest in brewing and distilling before following his dream to “make rum and surf”. That dream led him to establish the Husk Plantation Distillery on the north coast of NSW in 2012.

Paul’s dream was to create a spirit that would capture the Northern Rivers terroir with its fertile soil, pure water, pristine rainforests and world-class surf breaks. “To capture that provenance would require us to cultivate our soil, plant select cane varieties, nurture the cane, decide when to cut it, and then crush it on the same day to liberate the freshest cane juice as the base for our unique expression of rum. Of course, using fresh cane juice means that we can only produce our rum between July and November each year during the harvest season.”

So, with rum from the 2012 harvest gently maturing in oak, Paul and his team began the search for botanicals to create a gin. Always seeking to challenge convention, this was never going to be an ordinary gin.

Stumbling across a legume known as the butterfly pea, he found the allure of its unusual flower to be irresistible and set about building a recipe around it. His intention was to capture the essence of the flower in a gin and his recipe would blend traditional organic botanicals with locally grown natives.

The butterfly pea flower is found in a wide arc across equatorial Asia to the Torres Strait and has long been used in herbal teas and food colouring in Asia. The natural deep blue to purple floral ‘ink’ of the flower is pH sensitive and changes from blue to blush pink when mixed with anything acidic – such as lemon juice, lime juice or tonic water.

The challenge was to create a recipe around the flower with local and regional relevance and global appeal. Because of the pH sensitivity of the floral ink, it was critical that all ingredients be in balance with the flower. It would take more than three years to find the right mix and perfect the recipe.

The final recipe is a combination of 13 of these botanicals, with locally grown lemon myrtle and Tasmanian pepper berry together with organic juniper berries at the front of the flavour profile. Organic coriander and freshly sun-dried Australian organic orange peel then pave the way for a suite of minor ingredients that, like a pinch of spice, provide perfume, body and balance.

The floral ink itself contributes far more than just its stunning visual appeal. Its modest obscuration makes for smooth sipping neat while its subtle astringency leaves the palate crisp and clean allowing the dominant citrus and floral notes to carry through for a satisfying finish.

“Ink Gin is made in what must be the world’s smallest distillery,” says Paul, “a converted farm shed. It’s a labour of love with family forming the basis of the workforce, friends and neighbours often helping out. It doesn’t get more crafty than this – hand bottled, hand labeled, hand peeled oranges, the botanicals are prepared and measured by hand and added to the still individually.”

According to Paul, Ink Gin has grown faster than expected and as such 2016 is the year for exciting developments with a new distillery and cellar door in the pipeline.

“We’ve found that Ink is really a mixologist’s gin,” concludes Paul. ”It’s been mixed up, layered and presented in the most beautiful and theatrical ways at some of the best bars in the country.”

Keep a look out for new and exciting things from Husk Distillers and if you’re interested in a summer time drink, then grab yourself a bottle of Ink Gin - two parts tradition, one part innovation - perfect straight on ice, as a dry Martini or mixed in your favourite cocktail. ❧