E-Paper
World Gin Day: Raising A Glass To Made In India Craft Gins
Indian gin is gaining popularity as homegrown brands are offering unique flavours of the country in a bottle
Gin is one spirit that lets distillers, mixologists and tipplers get adventurous, thanks to its versatility. The distinctive taste to gin comes from juniper berries. In fact, for a spirit to be categorised as gin, juniper has to be the predominant flavour. And, after that the spirit can take any character that the distiller wants, by infusing varieties of botanicals. By using India’s unique flavours like khus (vetiver grass ), pepper, turmeric, gondhoraj lime, and more, local craft gin producers are creating some stunning spirits, disrupting the gin scene in India.
Anand Virmani, CEO and distiller at Nao Spirits & Beverages that launched Greater Than and Hapusa gin said, “Gin, is the one spirit with botanicals at its heart. It just so happens that India is the home of botanical and spice trade in the world. It only makes sense, that the best botanicals be showcased by gins coming out of India. Our distilleries and distillers are very much in their nascent stage but are quickly finding their feet to be counted among the best in the world – bringing flavours and techniques to the forefront that haven’t been a part of the global gin story before.” Hapusa, uses botanicals like Himalayan juniper berries, along with gondhoraj lime, turmeric, ginger, cardamom, almond and raw mango and coriander seeds.
Currently, craft brands in India are redefining the perception of premiumness. It is now much more about authenticity, craftsmanship, quality and embracing creativity. Indian craft gin, Stranger & Sons goes beyond the customary juniper and is led by a citrus peel mix of Indian bergamot, Nagpur oranges, gondhoraj limes and nimbu (Indian lime). This is rounded off with a robust blend of warm spices including black pepper, mace, nutmeg and coriander that give it a strong spiced middle. Liquorice, cassia bark and mace make the finishing flourish smooth, earthy and sweet. Sakshi Saigal, Co Founder, Stranger & Sons said, “ What makes us different is how we celebrate our diverse and complicated history while recognising India in its current context instead of the stereotypical version with just palaces, elephants, and so on. Embracing this wonderful strangeness inherent in the contemporary India we live in today through our gin allows consumers to connect with the story and the brand in a very organic manner.”
Gin has become more than just a drink with gin entrepreneurs selling Indian experiences in a bottle. Aditya Aggarwal, founder of Indian craft gin Saṃsāra, has curated the botanicals to reflect Indian celebrations. “It is a small batch, London Dry Gin. The botanicals that we use are khus, green cardamom, rose petals, oranges and more. These are ingredients that typically remind of you Indian celebrations. If you take one sniff of our gin, it kind of a transports you into a celebration like a wedding function. It’s like a breath of nostalgia. Even if you look at the signature garnish that we recommend with the gin, it’s gende ka phool (marigold flower).That encompasses the whole idea of a local celebration that we are trying to bring out with our gin. It’s a very delicate and floral gin,” said Aggarwal. Saṃsāra, recently launched Pink gin infused with four more botanicals like hibiscus and rose flowers, strawberries and mulberries.
Jaisalmer Indian Craft Gin is made in small batches in a ‘copper still’ at the Rampur Distillery, one of the oldest in the country. It’s a dry, aromatic style gin, with piney, minty, citric notes and a hint of coriander and anise on the palate. Amar Sinha, COO, Radico Khaitan said, “Retaining the classic gin flavour of juniper berries, a refreshing twist has been added with hand-picked Indian botanicals. Of the 11 botanicals used, seven have been sourced from India. Coriander and vetiver, complex spice with intriguing peppery notes, are grown in the fields around Jaisalmer in Northern India. The sweet orange peel, which complements the citrus and floral tones of the gin, comes from Central India. Cubeb berries and lemon grass from Southern India, Darjeeling green tea leaves from Eastern India and lemon peel from Western India.”
The new generation of ‘gin entrepreneurs’ is not holding back from experimenting, to create new flavours. GinGin, is promoted as “India’s first hemp craft gin”. While hemp is one of the nine botanicals used, GinGin is a non-citrus gin that uses ingredients like butterfly pea flower, coriander seeds, cinnamon, lavender, rosemary, caraway seeds and lemongrass. “We wanted to create a non-snobbish gin and hence everything had to be as clear as possible. Even the bottle does not have anything extra written on it, except for the name and basic excise information. It should not intimidate the new gin drinker,” said the founder, Shubham Khanna. The process used to make this gin is vapour infusion. “We heat the spirit, the vapours of the spirit passes through a basket of botanicals. So, it picks up all the intricate and subtle flavours. It goes beautifully with a negroni or a martini,” added Khanna.
The author tweets @Namyasinha.
For more such stories follow HT City High Spirits
