Reshuffle your (drinks) cabinet · buying an artisanal gin. The best tonic is the one that works...

Sunday Times Magazine F/C 4-5 - 12/04/2017 05:47:33 PM - Plate:

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{ GIN }

Reshuffle your (drinks) cabinetWhat better use could there be for fynbos than to flavour a range of uniquely South African craft gins?

Be your own ratings agency and try them all. By Mart-Marié du Toit

IN his big cabinet reshuffle,President Jacob Zuma tookaction against those whohave been critical of him.Goodbye Pravin Gordhan,hello junk status. In light

of these momentousdevelopments, the time has comefor you to take a long, hard lookat your drinks cabinet and dosome reshuffling of your own.

The South African ginmovement has taken on a life ofits own. It’s a revolution in all itsfynbos-, rooibos-, clemengold- andspekboom-flavoured beauty.

A quick history lesson re ve a l sthat gin dates back to 17th-century Netherlands, althoughsome believe that the Italiansmade gin before that. In theNetherlands it was produced asmedicine to treat gout, gallstonesand stomach complaints. TheDutch started to flavour it withjuniper to make it more palatable.

British troops fighting in theLow Countries during the 30Ye a r s ’ War took these little bottlesof “Dutch courage” back toEngland, where gin q u i ck l ybecame a firm favourite of thep o o r.

Much has changed over thecenturies in terms of flavourprofiles, distillation methods and

price — it is more of a high-end consumer product than ap o o r - m a n’s helper. We nowspeak about gin using thesame vocabulary that weuse when tasting wine. . . but there is nosnobbery attached tothe drink, onlyfortified memories. AsTS Eliot once saidwhen asked about hisinspiration: “Gin anddrugs, dear lady, ginand drugs.”

The gin revolutionKurt Schlechter, barand beverageconsultant, says thegin revolution startedin Spain about 15years ago. “Thereason it came toSouth Africa startedwith local gins,Inverroche inparticular, with fynbos flavours,and it’s also part and parcel of thewhole craft movement in thewo r l d .”

In South Africa this movementstarted with artisanal coffee andcraft beer and continued on toother products like gin andartisanal tonics. Gin is a popular

drink because it is soversatile, appeals to bothmen and women and allowsfor flavour experimentation.

“In Spain, gin isserved in a large wineg l a s s ,” saysSchlechter. “It is atapas-style serve,which means that thecondiments are onthe bar counter —rosemary, thymecucumber, star anise,cardamom pods,mint, lemon peel,orange peel,grapefruit, and soforth. You would getyour gin and tonic— with a specialisedtonic — and you’llactually servey o u r s e l f .”

Distilling withheart

South Africa’s gin distillers aregoing at it with gusto. Accordingto most local distillers it allstarted with Lorna Scott fromInverroche in Stilbaai, who begandistilling gin after experimentingwith 150 different fynbosbotanicals for three years. Scottexplains her journey of

exploration: “I never set out tomake three gins, but whileexperimenting with the differentbotanicals and the gin flavourwheel, it was almost a naturalselection that took place — f l o ra l sfrom one place, citrus fromanother area, and woody flavoursfrom a third place. The gins madethemselves and knew I had astory to tell.”

Scott has never marketed hergin overseas, yet she exports tomany different locations: “Thepeople who come to Stilbaai onholiday effectively spread theword. Every single one of myexports have come from peoplereceiving my gin as a gift.”

It takes timeThe legendary distiller HelmutWilderer died last year but his sonChristian is keeping his legacyalive, making Wilderer spirits inthe Paarl region. “Worldwide, ginis most probably the biggest thingthat’s in fashion now. In Germany,they now have 225 gin producers.South Africa has about 20 at themoment. Spain and Belgium arethe biggest consumers of gin,”says Christian.

It took almost three years tolaunch Wilderer Fynbos Gin, withHelmut opening and emptying

every bottle to re-distill thecontents. The finished product,with 27 botanicals, has beenawarded gold at the MeiningerInternational Spirits Awards inG e r m a ny.

“We tried to compose a recipewith a very complex and widespectrum of flavours like Africanpotato, renosterbos, wild dagga,buchu, honeybush . . . A veryherbaceous flavour profile.”Wilderer is also South Africa’smost awarded craft distillery.

Andrew Rall, from Distillery031, says it took him about twoyears to get his commercialdistiller ’s licence, and his was thefirst craft distillery in KwaZulu-Natal. He distilled for home usefrom 2008, and perfected his craftover the years. Distillery 031 alsomade the first barrel-aged gin inthe country.

“South Africa is experiencing acraft spirits revolution and gin isthe first spirit to get mainstreama p p e a l ,” Rall says. “I predict thatin two to three years’ time othercraft spirits like rum, whisky andagave will also become verypopular. South Africa is an idealcountry for gin productionbecause we have an abundance ofnatural raw materials which allowdistillers to produce interesting

SHAKE IT UPA great G&T will make you forget about otherspirits. Gin can be the best clear spirit in yourdrinks cabinet — its herbal flavour lends itselfto refreshing cocktails like gimlets, smashes,martinis and punches.

An experiment by 200 mixologists (onbehalf of Miller’s gin) found the following:

The bartenders overwhelmingly chose icecubes over crushed ice, but they were moredivided on the question of the best tonic, with33% choosing Schweppes, 23% preferringSeagrams, 22% opting for Canada Dry and 5%going for Perrier.

When asked about proportions, 44% of thebartenders said the ideal drink is one-third gin to two-thirdstonic, with 24% opting for a stronger ratio of 40% gin to 60%tonic. And the perfect garnish? The slice of lemon (half a wheel)came out on top with 48%, followed by the lemon wedge (21%).

THE GREATTONIC DEBATECraft tonic waters are alsobooming in South Africa, butnot everyone is asenthusiastic about them asthe makers.

“I think there is a greatmarket opportunity for crafttonics, but they can andoften do overpower the gin.Tonic should always be thesupporting character,” saysLorna Scott from Inverroche.

Lucy Beard, from Hope onHopkins, agrees: “If you’respending so much money ona craft gin, make sure you getthe best tonic that goes withit, because some tonics aretoo flavoured.”

There is a range of tonics,

from commercial to artisanal,but make sure you buy anall-natural tonic that is madewith spring water —otherwise your mixer couldcontain too much sugar andartificial products, whichdefeats the purpose ofbuying an artisanal gin.

The best tonic is the onethat works for you. C r af ttonic brands available locallyinclude Swaan Tonic,Barker & Quin, Fitch &Leedes, Woodstock Tonic,Fever Tree, Socks Craft Tonicand 031 Tonic Cordial.

Not all of these craft tonicsare made in South Africa, socheck the label if you want atruly homegrown G&T.

and distinctive gins.”

Worldly knowledge and localloveLucy Beard distills gin, with herpartner Leigh Lisk, in two stillscalled Mildred and Maud — thefirst stills licensed by the City ofCape Town — at Hope onHopkins in Salt River. All theirgins have a smooth juniperflavour but with a punchy,increasingly aromatic nose.

Beard and Lisk, who were bothlawyers, saw the rise of craft ginin England and decided to make acareer change. They startedexperimenting with differentflavour profiles for their gins.Their Mediterranean Gin is salty

with hints of olive androsemary, while theirLondon Dry has hintsof citrus. The SaltRiver Gin is a SouthAfrican ambassadorwith juniper, hand-picked kapokbos andbuchu from a farm inthe WinterhoekMountains andorganic citrus peelfrom the Cederberg.

Drinking at yourdeskJohannes le Rouxmakes alcohol-freegin and tonic. Yes,you read that right, a

G&T you can enjoy at workwithout raising your colleagues’eyebrows. The Duchess is a pre-mixed virgin cocktail that is sugarfree, calorie-free and hangover-free. On a visit to the Netherlands,Le Roux noticed that there was amovement towards sugar- andalcohol-free drinks, and knew thatthis would be the next big thing.

He also noticed that everyrestaurant he visited had adedicated gin menu, and decidedto bring the two trends together.The Duchess doesn’t use artificialgin flavouring, but re-distilled

juniper berries and botanicallyinfused tonic water.

Le Roux feels gin is becomingincreasingly popular because“the taste profile suits thecurrent consumer very well”.

“It has moved from sweet tocomplex, and the

consumer now enjoys amore complex, bittert a s te .”

The various flavours ofginThe combination ofclimate, terroir andcreative distillers is atthe heart of SouthA f r i c a’s various flavoursof gin. From coastalfynbos to Karoobotanicals, we have it all.

Six Dogs Karoo Gingets its distinguishingbotanicals from theKaroo, handpicked and

grown on the farm near Worcesterwhere the distillery is based. ItsClassic Dry Gin is blended fromwater sourced high in the nearbymountains.

Black Horse Distillery uses localgrains, potatoes and pure springwater from the Magaliesberg tocreate a range of whiskies, ginsand vodkas.

Natural sun-ripened orangesfrom the Eastern Cape, as well asStellenbosch-grown organiclemons, lend their flavours toTriple Three’s Citrus Infusion Ginmade on the Blaauwklippen winee s t a te .

Spicy juniper, harvested in Paarlfrom South Africa’s only juniperplantation, is the cornerstone ofJ o r g e n s e n’s Gin, distilled inWe l l i n g to n .

Bloedlemoen Gin, made atHope on Hopkins, has a nose ofangelica root and blood orange —perfect for warm-weathersundowners.

Red Stone Craft Gin is anorchard-to-bottle gin, with applesharvested a stone’s throw fromthe distillery in Clarens in theFree State.

Pienaar & Son, near parliamentin Cape Town, makes its OrientGin from local mielies and infusesit with botanicals selected to payhomage to the Eastern spice tradethat influenced Cape Townculture and cuisine alike.

All in all, plenty of reason toexpand your cabinet to Zuma-esque proportions. LS

S A’S GIN CABINETKurt Schlechter, award-winning mixologist and creative drinks consultant, has weighed in with hischoices for South Africa’s Gin Cabinet.

“If I have to name three ministers to be part of my gin cabinet I would choose Wilderer as theminster of finance. It has a nice bold flavour, very strong, and very well made. The minister oftourism would have to be Inverroche, because they started the whole craft gin movement in SouthAfrica. And for the minister of home affairs I would definitely choose Hope on Hopkins, they areintegrated in the city of Cape Town, they are really trying to move with the people, and it is a reallywell-made gin. These three have three different attitudes, and will serve the people well.”w w w. c o c k t a i l k i n g s . c o . z a

Lorna Scott

Lucy Beard

GIN O’CLOCK:GET YOUR GIN FIX HERE

Mother’s Ruin City Bowl, Cape TownWorkshop 55 Parktown North,J o h a n n e s b u rgThe Gin Bar (behind HonestChocolate), City Bowl, Cape TownWiltshire and White Horse CompanyNoordhoek, BloemfonteinDaddy Cool City Bowl, Cape TownSocial on Main Bryanston,J o h a n n e s b u rgCarbon Bistro Brooklyn, Pretoria

{ REVOLUTION }

STEAM TECH: Pienaar & Son distillery in Cape Town Picture: SUPPLIED

Carbon Bistro