Welcome To The Gin Ignite Podcast

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News

• Hello and Welcome to Episode 18.

Small Gin September - fourth week.

• Brainchild of Vanessa @nessejay91.
• We have had Anfield Gin, The Wandering Bartender, Lava Spirits and now Massingberd Mundy.
• Please get behind her and support this event. It has been really innovative from the distilleries so far and I think a lot of them would agree that this is down to Vanessa helping behind the scenes.
• I am really interested to see how this week progresses with Tristan and Massingberd Mundy (Episode 12)
• It has been really fun for the community and has really got people to engage with those behind the brands.

ProudBeerUK

• It is not really gin related but Vanessa @nessejay91 had a very frank conversation with Ethan and Sorren from Proud Beer. https://www.instagram.com/tv/CFXkck-pkIX/ It is a really interesting conversation and my key takeaway is learning more about rainbow brands but also learning about how much brands donate to what they representing. Ethan and Sorren really should be proud of their ethics and morale judgement and you should listen as it is a real eye opener

The City of Aberdeen Taste and Vote pack

• Only available till tomorrow.
• The gins are all sensational and I have picked my winner I think.
• One more taste today to confirm.
• Please get involved.
• Also they have revealed their secret project Make Your Own Gin. You have the opportunity to choose up to 10 botanicals from 100 to make your own gin but guided by the expert distillers.
• Definitely something I am considering doing. Sounds like so much fun.

Thirst Of All Podcast

• Rory Faiers @theginlord has a new podcast called Thirst Of All Podcast. Now drink, Then Drink point in their life, First Drink, Last Drink and Never Drink.

Weekly Gin Recommendation

• Whitley Neill Blackberry
• Always had Whitley Neill in my collection. I really enjoy the taste even though they are gradually getting replaced with some craft gins.
• Some are a bit niche such as Parma Violet and Pink Grapefruit gin but some are some great staples like the previous recommendations such as quince. They are also really nice in cocktails.
• They are cost effective as quite often they are on promotion in the supermarket.
• Nose - London dry with possibly a vague hint of blackberry. It is very vague.
• Flavour - Sweet taste then full blackberry flavour and juniper at the back end of the palette.
• I think if you are looking for a juniper led, dry taste then this probably is not the gin for you.
• I tested as I always do with Mediterranean and it creates in my opinion a lovely, fruit based G&T.
• I think that this would also work with another light tonic. I think it would work with Elderflower and I think you could probably even try blood orange as I think it would sweeten the flavour but you would probably lose a lot of the blackberry.
• It is too sweet in my opinion for a dry Martini but would work well in a cocktail possibly negating the need for sugar syrup.

Mixology

The Dark Arts Of Mixology

• So for the last few weeks inspired by Vanessa (episode 8)and The Wandering Bartender (episode 16) I have started moving from making cocktails into the dark art of mixology.
• I wanted to try and encourage you to do the same
• I know it can be quite daunting with some amazing cocktails coming out particularly from
• Vanessa @nessejay91 (Episode 8)
• Mark (@the_wanderingbartender) (Episode 15),
• Kerri @glassofgin_packetofseeds,
• Nikki Mendes @nikkimendesuk or @theonlywayisgin (Episode 7),
• Social Gin Girl @socialgingirl
• The queen of cocktails herself Tammy Jackson @forcocktailssake
• Until I talked to Vanessa I don’t think that I had the confidence to try.

Equipment

• Plus it is really not that expensive initially.
• You need shaker, ice, gin and ideally some sugar syrup. You will also need some alcohol and some citrus.
• I have got a standard cocktail shaker. I was encouraged by Vanessa and Mark to get a boston shaker. This is essentially two shaker tins which fit together. The idea is that the ice can flow a bit better in the greater area. I bought this and have not looked back.
• If you do decide to go down this route then you will also need a hawthorn strainer to catch ice (this is automatically caught in a standard cocktail shaker) and a fine strainer to catch stuff if you muddle and to catch fine ice crystals.

Start Simple

• I would also concentrate on making some easy classics like dry martini, negroni, Tom Collins or Bronx. So you will need some vermouth and campari and some citrus fruit or juice.
• Then try and put your own take on it.
• So for example the Bronx is 50ml gin, 25ml orange juice, 12.5ml vermouth, 12.5ml sweet vermouth.
• Why don’t you use The Edge l’Orange gin instead of your normal gin.
• You could remove the vermouth completely and instead add 25ml of cointreu or keep the vermouth and still add the cointreu. That is going to enhance the orange and make the drink sweeter.
• I am not expert all I want to do is encourage you to give this a go. Some of the things I have learned are put the ice in the small shaker first and then move to the large shaker.

Merlollins Walk Through

• So lets say you are going to go a bit more fancy and make the Merlollins i.e. an amalgamation of Merlin and Tom Collins
• For this recipe you muddle which essentially means that you get a wooden or metal stick and you roughly crush up the basil in this case at the bottom of the shaker tin.
• Then add the ice from the larger shaker tin.
• Then add 85ml The Edge l’Orange gin
• 25ml freshly squeezed smooth orange juice
• 15ml sugar syrup.
• Shake that up and then putting the large shaker tin down on the table knock the smaller shaker tin until they part. Carefully lift that away ensuring that you pour its precious contents into the large shaker.
• Then using a hawthorn strainer and a fine strainer pour the liquid into a high ball glass.
• Top up the rest of it with soda water.
• What seems daunting suddenly is really amazing.

Who to Follow

• I have picked out a few people. There are many more that I follow but these are the key people.
• Now I am only an amateur. To get to the next stage of which I am nowhere near you have to start to develop an understanding of the botanicals in your gin and how they play together with other flavours.
• So Mark (@the_wanderingbartender) for example starts sniffing one item in his drink individually then will bring them together to see how they virtually taste.
• Kerri (@glassofgin_packetofseeds) is really good in that she comes up with some interesting cocktails with some amazing ingredients. For me her cocktails come alive with their design. She natively makes them stand out with something from the garden or she has foraged such as nettles, summer fruit, flowers etc.
• Nikki Mendes (@theonlywayisgin) is really good at the look of her cocktails and what she puts in them. I would say that generally her cocktails are fruit based or citrus based. The thing I really like is her easy to access flavours.
• Christine (@socialgingirl) is really good. She produces the most amazing looking cocktails. They just look stunning. Her attention to detail is phenomynal. She does use a lot of weird and wonderful ingredients so you may want to go with some more manageable ingredients
• Tammy (@forcocktailsake) is amazing inspiration. Like Social Gin Girl some of the stuff she uses maybe out of your budget but most of it you can interchange. She is where I aspire to be because she uses some amazing ingredients. She also takes syrups to the next level e.g. she did a Negroni where she infused each ingredient she used.
• Vanessa takes it to a whole new level by researching the brand, the region it is from, the botanicals and formulates a plan based on those elements to derive a cocktail. She also comes up with syrups which she makes from scratch. She is my Yoda of mixology and is always the one messaging me to say go on give it a go.

Instagram Community Shout Out

• My Instagram shoutout this week is Emma @an_elfs_ruin
• I got to know her in Juniper July mainly not I am ashamed to say that I participated but I heard so much of the community talk about it
• Really got the community together and doing something 
• Love her posts. Been enjoying those on the Gower Gin company especially her recent one using Dragon strength gin in negroni
• Also love her post Under Milk Wood for #gowerginpresents
• Loved her gin ban and then her post where she bought some Pembrokeshire gin !!
• I also like her home blackcurrant gin liquor. It was so vibrant
• I also loved her dressing of FlowerBomb gin.
• Thanks Emma for your support of the gin community and your excellent posts.

Get In Contact

• IM me at @ginignite Instagram or @ginignite on Twitter
• E-Mail me at [email protected]
• If you have ideas IM me or e-mail at [email protected]
• If you want to be on the show then IM me or e-mail me at [email protected]

Final Thought

• The thing that I like about the gin community that I have met so far is that no one judges anyone for what they believe, what they look like or who they choose to be.
• The world would be a better place if everyone took that view.
• Grab your drink, toast those you love, enjoy your weekend and whether your decide to party or stay in I will be with you in spirit !!!
• Seriously though enjoy your weekend and I look forward to joining you for another episode next Friday.
• Cheers