HOME OF THE G&T

India is another country that has seen huge growth in the craft gin sector with many new gins coming to market.  Nao Spirits launched in 2018 with their Greater Than and Hapusa brands, but there are many other gin brands that are also fairly new to market.

Stranger & Sons from Third Eye Distillery followed Nao, then Jaisalmer and many others, some that are yet to reach UK shores:

Samsara - Spaceman & Company

Terai - a grain to glass from Rajasthan

Tickle Gin - from Adinco Distilleries in Goa

Pumori - using Himalayan juniper and produced by Fullarton Distilleries in Goa

GinGin - a single shot hemp gin 

Jin Jiji - the first gin to use cashew nuts and distilled in Goa using Himalayan juniper

Many of the new craft gin distilleries are being set up in Goa, which appears to be the hub for craft gin brands.  Indian tonic water is following the gin trend too, with many new local brands giving Schweppes a run for their money - eg Sepoy & Co, Bengal Bay, Svami, Jade Forest.

Despite the pandemic causing expansion plans to be halted by many brands, Nao Spirits co-founder Anand Virmani led the company through a $2m fundraising drive last year, which he plans to use to strengthen their position as a market leader in the Indian craft gin sector by expanding into newer markets and building a wider gin-drinking culture in India.  Expanding into different states in India is also challenging given they each have their own licencing systems and excise duty structures, some being as much as 300% duty upfront, but the investment is hoped to assist them in launching into 5 new states, as well as more international markets.  They have also just released their Juniper Bomb edition of Greater Than which is sure to please juniper lovers, having 3x more juniper than the original version.  

Hapusa is the Sanskrit name for juniper and they use Himalayan Juniper and botanicals sourced from all around country, which makes it uniquely Indian. Two of the key botanicals are turmeric and mango, but with the inclusion of botanicals from pine forests and spice farms, this makes for a bold and earthy gin which has a delicately smoked flavour.  Although perfect as a sipping gin, it can hold itself really well in cocktails such as a negroni (which the distillers recommend) or even a G&T topped with 15ml of coffee.

Whilst Greater Than pays tribute to the history of gin and is a classic juniper forward gin, Hapusa is all about India .... the country and the people and it screams premium and class. Great care has gone into the creation of both these brands and they came from the realisation that at the time despite there being many Indian themed gins worldwide, there were none produced in India.

I really don't think you can have one without the other in your collection, so I highly recommend you getting both - not just because they are excellent gins, but also for what they stand for. For me personally, knowing how and why a gin came about is hugely important and gives me a connection and understanding about what I'm tasting. There is clear passion in these bottles and an appreciation and pride in what they stand for. I was recommended both and to be honest, they more than exceeded my expectations.

My serve: a bone dry Hapusa martini, waved in the general direction of Italy and with a lemon peel rose.

8,849m

Well - you don't get higher than Everest, so I guess this one counts for today's #ginadaymay "high" prompt! The bottle hasn't actually travelled that far or high, but the gin is a tribute to George Mallory, who was born and raised in the village of Mobberley in Cheshire, where David and Ben set up Big Hill Distillery. 

The multi-awardwinning Spirit of George Gin uses Himalayan tea and ingredients sourced from Nepal and Big Hill Distillery also work with Fairtrade farmers to ensure a steady supply of their special ingredients.  I've loved this gin since I tried it over a year ago - simply served with a slice of orange and single star anise.  I've actually cheated on fresh orange and am using a freeze dried orange garnish which I won a while back in a giveaway.  The smell of these is amazing, so if you fancy trying them too, pop over and check out @fruitsfordrinks  The copa is the classic 1924 vintage shape and the tonic I've paired this with is 1724....it kind of all fits with the story, so read on!

As I've covered polar expeditions in this virtual tour, it's only fair I cover mountaineering too!  George Mallory was a British explorer who was part of the first three British expeditions to Mount Everest in the 1920s.  The first expedition in 1921 was a reccie and on the second in 1922 his team reached a record altitude of 8,225m without bottled oxygen. A third attempt had to be abandoned when an avalanche killed 7 Sherpas in the group.  Believing that at age 37 this could be his last attempt at Everest, he joined Gen. Charles Bruce's party in June 1924.  Unfortunately the attempt did not go as planned and it's unsure whether he and his partner Andrew Irvine actually made it to the top, as they were last seen on the north east ridge about 245m from the summit.  There are so many theories that I couldn't possibly list them here, but it appears there is no proof he made it to the top.  Mallory's body was discovered 75 years later by a party who set out to try and locate the climbers.  He remains on the mountain covered by a cairn and Irvine's body is yet to be located although may have been seen in the same area by a Chinese climber.  It's way to expensive and dangerous to remove bodies from the mountain and it's said that about half of the 300+ climbers who have perished remain preserved in the snow and ice on Everest, often serving as trail markers for new climbers trying their luck.

Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Everest 29 years after Mallory's attempt.  Some climbers will say that unless you return from the summit, it isn't acknowledged as a successful attempt - so whether or not they find more evidence that Mallory made it to the top, he didn't make it back, so it shouldn't count.  However, he was certainly one of the first who attempted the climb and you can't take that away from him.  Why you may ask would anyone want to climb Everest?  Because it's there, Mallory is claimed to have said.

STORYTELLING

It's time to open this beauty from Third Eye Distillery in Goa which was gin of the month last year with Craft Gin Club.  After yesterday's #ginadaymay high prompt, today is low. I've interpreted that as sea-level and Goa has around 66 miles of beautiful coastline along the Arabian Sea.

India has a long tradition of storytelling and each region follows its own style by either narrating, using puppets, masks or even music to tell their stories.  Katha is a style of religious storytelling in Hinduism and they are meant to instil moral values.  Folktales are often about kings and queens or mythical creatures, brave hunters or animals.  It's a way of preserving culture and beliefs and passing them down the generations. 

This is exactly what the founders of Stranger & Sons have done and through their name, they celebrate the wonderful strangeness and diversity of India and also pay homage to the many businesses in India and the entrepreneurial spirit which passes down from generation to generation.  Storytelling is in their genes and their story starts with a mythical two-tailed, three-eyed creature who found juniper berries hidden in a pocket of a sari blouse while roaming the Western Ghats.  She appeared to the founders in a dream and passed on to them the secret recipe of their gin, which was hidden in her third eye.  

Sakshi Saigal, her husband Rahul Mehra and cousin Vidur Gupta are the co-founders of Third Eye Distillery which they opened in Goa, where there is an abundance of spices and allows them to source their botanicals close to home.  Goa is known for it's beautiful beaches and history as a Portuguese colony which has given this part of India a European flavour. Many spirits companies choose to base their production in Goa due to the craft culture and liberal views towards alcohol, making it a more business friendly environment than other states.    

Their bottle is beautiful, incorporating their story of the mythical creature and the sun and moon, which represents the contrasts of this amazing country -  all come together in one incredible gin.  Two of my favourite serves are gimlets and gibsons - represented in their story by Dawn and Dusk.  I've gone with Dawn - a simple gimlet made with 4 parts gin and 1 part lime cordial.