The Rise of Gin To

The history of Gin is quite antiquated indeed. A drink that initially started off as a medicinal drink made with Juniper Berries has now become the talk of the town. Gin traces it’s history to its precursor Genever in Antwerp where the British soldiers picked it up during the Eighty Years War and brought it to the British Isles where it became a rage under the rule of William the Orange. The popularity of the drink spread like wildfire as it loosened whiskey’s grip in many places.

The History

Although Gin may be a traditional British colonial drink, the Gin and Tonic is a quintessential Indian one. The tonic water available during the colonial times was basically made out of quinine for treating malaria. The quinine was dissolved in Soda water to make Tonic water. As it was extremely bitter, the soldiers of British East India use to mix it with Gin and Sugar syrup to make it palatable. Thus, Gin and Tonic was born, right here in India. Although the drink never picked outside of the Armed Forces, the recent resurgence in popularity is due to its varied character and layered flavours, Beverage Expert Ankur Chawla tells me.

New Berries, New Flavours

Today, the days of quinine may be over but a slew of Indian and International Gins & Tonic waters are stirring up the drinking scene with some brand new zingy Indian flavours. One of these is the recently launched Stranger & Sons. With a healthy mix of Mace, Pepper, Coriander, Cassia Bark and a number of Indian citrus peels like my favourite Gondhoraj Lebu from Kolkata. Made in a still that’s been made at the birthplace of Gin in Netherlands, this Gin has a spicy, citrusy note that will have you freshened up in no time.

One of the essential elements of Gin is the Juniper Berries. These are drawn from quite a few major areas of the world. Macedonia is one of the primary regions that produces the berries and it is used in both the Stranger & Son’s that I mentioned along with the Greater Than Gin from Nao Spirits. But Macedonia is not the only region from where these berries can be sourced from. Back home, the Himalayan region is home to small pockets of forests covered with these elusive berries. The Hapusa Gin from the same distillery makes use of these along with added flavours of Mango and Turmeric making it one of the few savory gins in the market. 

The different types of Gin

During the Gin rage of the mid 18th century, there was quite a bit of unscrupulous Gin being made in England. To combat this, the London Dry Gin was introduced which standardised the making of Gin. The Jodhpur Gin is one such type, drawing botanicals from along the ancient spice route. The multiple column still distillation makes for a smooth flow on the palate subtly interrupted by the citric notes that characterise it. The Star of Bombay is another London Dry Gin, from the house of Bombay Sapphire. Other than the twelve different handpicked botanicals that this liquor uses, there’s also the added effect of Bergamot Orange peel and Ambrette seeds giving it a spicy, zingy flavour. Two other London based Gins are also making their way to the market: No. 3 which combines 3 fruits(Juniper Berries, Orange Peel and Grapefruit) along with 3 spices(Angelica root, Coriander seeds and Cardamom) and the Turquoise coloured London No. 1 which gets it’s colour from the maceration of Gardenia flowers.

One of the newest variants is the Indian craft Gin that seems to be taking the world by storm. These include the Greater Than, Hapusa and the recently launched Jaisalmer Gin from the Rampur distillery. The Gin brings out the true royal flavours of Rajasthan with a Gin that incorporates coriander from fields around Jodhpur, sweet orange peel from Central India, Darjeeling Tea leaves from the East, Lemon peel from the West and Lemongrass from South India

Another style that’s found quite rarely is the Old Tom Gin. Slightly sweeter than the London Dry Gin, the Langley’s Old Tom Gin transports you back to Victorian England with a soft, creamy orange base to the base of Juniper. Although one of the commonest types of Gin found in India are the cold compound types which don’t undergo a distillation process and allows the addition of artificial flavours, India is now opening it’s doors to the most expensive of the lot, the Distilled Gins. The Gin Mare manages to bottle the flavours of the Mediterranean with hints of Olive, Thyme and Rosemary. The Monkey 47 is an unique distilled gin filled with citrusy, herby and peppery notes from it’s forty seven different ingredients along with some fuller flavours of their secret: Berries. The Chemistry-Lab styled bottle with a cork stopper just adds to the mystery of this one.

The story of Infusions

But flavours can’t only be limited to the Gin themselves. Juniper Bar at Andaz New Delhi is creating a bevy of infused Gins to expand the market even further. At Juniper, there are 39 different infusions with eccentric flavours such as Lavender, Cherry and even Celery. One of these is the Timur infusion. The Timur is a pepper from the forests of Uttarakhand and it bursts on your palate with a spicy yet herby flavour that stays for quite a long period.

Of Tonic Waters and Cocktails

Gin cannot be complete without it’s companion Tonic Water. Till a few years ago, there was a limited range of what kind of mixer we could use with our Gins but a host of new Tonic waters are hitting the Indian shores, some artisanal, some subtly flavoured. Bengal Bay sources it’s Quinine from Peru along with Oranges, Cardamom and Lime from India making it one Tonic water that can even be tried out without the Gin. Combine your Gin Mare with 1724, which pays homage to the Inca trail in South America where Quinine was first discovered. The trail is located at 1724 metres above sea level, thus deriving the name. The Yuzu variant from the New Zealand import East Imperial also makes for a potent G&T. The Quinine is imported from Congo while it’s 150 ml bottling makes for the perfect 1:3 ratio.

Let’s get on with some cocktails now. The Toast to Calcutta is one of Monkey Bar’s new signature Gin cocktails that combines the hugely popular Beefeater London Dry Gin with basil and Kolkata gondhoraj lemon house- made cordial. It brings together the unique aroma of the famed gondhoraj lemon, from Calcutta to create a light smoky gin-based concoction. The lemon is lightly smoked and infused with the famous jaggery nolen gur, and then blended with the gin to create this drink.

There you have it, the perfect makings of a Gin & Tonic that will have your afternoons and evenings totally occupied.