ARRIBA, ARRIBA... ANDALE ANDALE!

Time to leave America and the next stop is a speakeasy on the Yucatan Peninsula!  We are entering Mezcal and Tequila territory, but more and more countries in Central and South America are now producing gin.  Hidden in the back of an old taqueria in Merida, you will find a secret door which will lead you into an underground jazz club, co-owned by Roberto Brinkman, who is also the distiller of Katún Gin.  Roberto is no stranger to the world of spirits, being a former co-owner of Bruxo Mezcal.  His family originated from Merida and when he left Bruxo, he decided to relocate there and together with friends, Augusto, Cristian, Raul and Javier they begin creating a unique and entirely Mexican gin, which would capture the essence of Yucatan and be the first of its kind.  Being passionate about Mexican spirits and all things Mexican, visitors to the speakeasy will find that the only spirits available there ,are all made in Mexico - of course, Katún Gin is also served there.

In 2017, after a year of researching, they started producing Katún Gin, operating out of the Conkal Distillery.  It includes 17 botanicals in the lineup - amongst which are common ingredients used in traditional local dishes.  These include 4 different varieties of chilli from the region, herbs, citrus and spices, which apart from juniper, are all sourced in Yucatan or from other parts of Mexico  These are macerated for 10 days and then distilled, rested for a month and then bottled offsite at 42% ,using cenote water.  Cenotes are natural sinkholes exposing limestone filtered water lakes or reservoirs and they offer the purest of waters, perfect for making gin.  Katún is rich and aromatic, with a little heat to remind you there are habaneros in the botanicals but enough sweetness to finish smooth, with a little tongue tingle!  Close your eyes when sipping this and its heady perfume will give you the sense of being in Merida's central market, where a number of the ingredients are sourced.  Juniper plays a back seat and allows the other botanicals to step forward and embrace you in silky blanket of Chilli, Citrus and Vanilla - the essence of Yucatan. 

There's lots of Mayan symbolism on the beautiful hand drawn label - a label that tells the story of the brand and gin through the botanicals, symbols and legends depicted. A Katún is a 20 year cyclic period in the Mayan calendar, 7200 days, but it also means the end of a period or stone that closes.  The main legends on the label, including the cardinal points, are the Dziu, a bird who risked its life to collect seeds, when the cornfields were burned by the God of Fire in order to fertilize the land with ashes;  The Sun God, who transformed into a jaguar so he could travel at night through the world of the dead; The Tolok or iguana, seen basking in the Sun all over Yucatan;  and The Sacred Ceiba tree - a symbol of the universe.  It's beautifully intricate and fitting for such a unique gin.

Roberto's favourite cocktail is a negroni, but the Bees Knees is increasingly popular in his bar - difficult choice - but the gin shines in a G&T!

MAGICAL REALISM

Frida Khalo is one of Mexico's most famous artists, known for her many self portraits.  She was inspired by nature and Mexican artifacts and she was often described as a surrealist or magical realist.  She told stories through her art but magic realism is also a style of fiction that blurs the lines between fantasy and reality.

I liken this to what I'm doing with this virtual gin tour!  I absolutely love the research and disappear down a rabbit hole, getting lost in the stories and sub-stories which unfold when I start writing about a brand.  Being a dreamer and always wanting to visit and discover new places, I do sometimes forget I'm not actually there!  I guess I have to thank lockdown and the inability to travel due to restrictions, for the inspiration to plan these virtual tours and write about what makes me happy.  

But back to Frida!  While I'm passing through Mexico on this gin tour, it would be amiss of me to not include her.  Ginarte may be an Italian Brand, but they are all about promoting artists and have done Frida proud with this edition of their gin.

Salud!

THE PEACEFUL SOUL OF CENTRAL AMERICA

I'm continuing my journey south through Central America and stopping in Costa Rica to revisit my bottle of Samara Gin.  It's the perfect gin to mark the end of the first quarter of my 80 day virtual tour.  

Magic happens when the sun dips low and disappears into the sea and every sunset is unique but there are some destinations where they are more beautiful than others.  In my head, I'm sipping this sundowner on a beautiful Samaran beach, contemplating my journey so far and all that is still before me!

This gin is UK distilled, but the owners, Eduardo Montero and his wife Ana, are Costa Rican.  Their gin is inspired by botanicals commonly found in Costa Rica, with a focus on florals.  These include hibiscus, rose, elderflower and rosehip, which are blended with honey, cardamom and orange peel.  In their words, their gin is a joyful way to transport yourself to the tropics of Costa Rica - I can't agree more!

THE SPICE ISLAND

Jim Jardine is a Canadian software developer who decided it was time to slow down his pace of life and together with his wife, moved to Grenada in 2010.  Here he found an island rich in spices and botanicals suitable for gin making, but initially set up juice factory, utilising the abundance of tropical fruits also found on the island.  He toyed with the idea of converting one of his fruit tanks into a still, but when he accidentally ended up with a batch of fermented orange juice, he decided that it was time to make gin.  It was around this time that he met and joined forces with an Australian Coastal Engineer, Aaron Salyer, who had turned to sailing and digital marketing.  

Together they launched Blue Light Caribbean Gin in 2018 and found the perfect home for their distillery in the grounds of the Le Phare Bleu eco-resort at Petite Calivigny Bay.  Both the hotel and gin take their name from the old blue (and red) lightship which is moored out on a jetty after being shipped there on a freighter from Stockholm. Both Jim and Aaron are passionate about protecting Grenada's reef and beautiful beaches and through sales of their colour-changing Blue Ocean Edition, they help fund beach cleanups and other projects which are dedicated to marine and coral reef protection.  You will usually find Jim pottering about the distillery, while Aaron tours the islands - he says it all marketing, but come on...I've seen the Insta stories!

Their small-batch gin is distilled using a base of cane spirit and is bursting with local botanicals, including nutmeg, cacao, star anise, cardamom and coriander, but also Seville orange, grapefruit and lime peels. They use around 15 botanicals - a combination of fresh and dried, as well as fresh island water.   It makes a very different G&T and I would expect no less from a distillery based on the Spice Island, where the air is scented with sweet spices, especially mace and nutmeg! In the 16th century nutmeg oil was used as an aphrodisiac and was dabbed you know where, or if you weren't into that, then tucking a nut into your left armpit was also said to attract admirers! I'll stick with Chanel No.5!

Grenada grows approximately 20% of the world's nutmeg and there are a number of classic island cocktails making use of it.  Distillers love using it as a botanical due to it lengthening the finish.  It gives this gin a dry but earthy sweetness and I thought I would play on this and instead of a G&T I have served up a beautifully smooth Classic Gin Sling.

Popular for over 100 years, Gin Slings are made from gin, a lump of sugar, ice and sometimes a bit of cold (or hot) water and are topped with grated nutmeg.  You can use several other spirits too, including whisky, rum or brandy.  Modern recipes add vermouth, lemon juice, sugar syrup, bitters and soda water and I'm sure you have already spotted a similarity between the Classic Sling and an Old Fashioned, which came about with the introduction of bitters.