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BARREL AGED GIN No. 3 - Makar Oak and Mulberry Aged Gin - 43%
Glasgow, Scotland
It seems a common question, but how do you serve up aged gin? Are there rules or do you just treat it like whisky or bourbon, maybe even rum? Do you want to fuss with a cocktail or do you just want something simple?
Given I was kindly sent some Lixir mixers to try, I thought it would be a good opportunity to see how a barrel-aged gin holds up with ginger ale, and my bottles of Makar have been patiently waiting their turn to be featured in my barrel aged series!
Really simple, just pour and enjoy - garnish with a dehydrated orange wheel and voila! I did feel rather grown up drinking it and it did go down rather quickly, so I guess we can say that was a success. Good mixer, good gin - what more does one need?
In terms of any other serves, I do think that a cocktail should be driven by the characteristics of the gin and I'm sure we all scan our collection and choose the gin which best fits a recipe. The length it's aged will also affect the suitability in certain cocktails, but it appears that everything from an Aviation to a Bees Knees to an Old Fashioned to even a Martinez is possible. I've tried a few barrel aged gins with tonic and I wasn't won over, but that was before I understood what they were about, so I will be revisiting them and seeing if it is actually a perfect serve for me. It seems though that it's open season for cocktails using them, so I will definitely consider an aged gin as well now.
Makar suggest neat or a negroni for their oak aged gin and ginger ale or a dry martini for their mulberry aged. Of course I'm a rebel and chose the oak aged to have with the ginger ale and so it's pretty clear that there is no wrong or right - it's what works for you.
Both of these aged gins are exceptional. The oak aged is soft, sweet and a little peppery to finish. My immediate thought when tasting it was that this is a good gin for newcomers to the aged gin category. The Mulberry Wood is quite lemony on the nose and a bit heavier on the juniper and citrus lovers are probably going to love this one as the lemon carries through and finishes with pepper.
Where did our Christmas traditions start? This blogpost explores some of our favourite Christmas traditions, discovering where they came from, when they started and why we enjoy them year after year.
For the past few years I've set myself a 12 Days of Christmas challenge with a gin-twist! The theme is loosely based on the song "Twelve Days of Christmas" and it's a gin-terpretation (yes, a made up word!) of the song! I have posted brands and cocktails which relate to each of the 12 gifts and last year chose to use gins that had numbers in their branding. Whilst this is a personal challenge, it's open to everyone, so if you want to join in for a few or all of the days, then please do feel free - just tag me and I'll reshare!
Full Disclosure: All expenses paid press trip to Seville with Puerto de Indias and Hatch PR - October 2022
It's a bit early for clover but I did manage to find a few leaves poking out the ground and they were perfect to use for a post for St Patrick's Day. Other foliage or flowers work and even citrus peel, so if you aren't trying to theme your cocktails, then you can just pretty them up with something else. Sometimes condensation is enough to hold light objects onto the glass, but it wasn't working this time, so I had a trick up my sleeve!
Compiling a list of my top 10 gins is almost impossible, as what I feel like drinking will change daily depending on my mood. I enjoy gins that are different, but they may not be for everyone, so if you are looking to get into drinking gin or want to try something new, then this is a list of classic gins, which are excellent value for money and won't disappoint. All of these brands have a good range, including some flavoured gins, so there should be something for everyone in this list! Are there other brands on my shelf which are worthy of inclusion in a top 10 list? Yes of course and I may be a little biased as I've visited most of these distilleries and they all have something different to offer and make excellent spirits. However, they are all good starting points for those new to drinking gin and wanting to learn a little bit more about the history and how gin is made. Click on the links or photos to be taken to the brand websites or my reviews on Instagram .
Given this week is National Storytelling Week, I thought I would expand on my Top 10 favourite Gin Stories and share them again with you all in more detail. They are not in any particular order and although they are all good gins, it's impossible to make a list of my 10 favourite gins, as I have too many! If you want to read more of my gin stories, they are part of my Virtual Gin Tours which are either on my Instagram account or filed here on my website too for easy reading. Hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed researching and writing them all. Allison As seen in The Daily Mail