I know, I know, I’m behind on everything! This month has been heavily full of travel, training and work, and I’m kind of hoping April will be distinctly more chill.
So, while I play a little catch up, let’s do it over a gin – and specifically the new released from Batch Innovations, Garam Masala Gin.
Now that description makes me think of the little packet I keep in the cupboard at home for recipes, not immediately what I’d think of popping into a gin, but the more I thought, the more it made sense. The flavours aren’t distinctly ‘curry’. For me that distinction comes when you add curry powder, or curry leaves.
Garam Masala taken on it’s own, is more about warmth and spice. Whilst most blends are individual, the spices used in a Masala include peppercorns, clove, cinnamon, cardamom and coriander – warm, rich spices.
Taking that on board, Distiller Ollie has used juniper, coriander, angelica, fennel seed, cassia, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, chilli, mace, mustard, turmeric, tamarind, fenugreek, ginger, mango, mint, cumin and bay to create a gin based around this flavour profile. And it’s a little bit different. His inspiration was the annual curry after the shareholders AGM. Thankfully this is more about subtle spice than the heat of a Madras!
Let’s dive in. The gin on the nose gives very little away. Juniper, citrus, touch of sweetness. The palate however is warm and welcoming, changing a little sip to sip. Cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, all come through, soft warm – making my lips tingle. I suspect this would work rather well with ginger ale, but for consistency, let’s go with our usual tonic.
The nose on the G&T opens out beautifully. Big wafts of toasted coriander, cinnamon and citrus. And on the palate, this is a warm spiced style G&T, juniper backbone, lots of warm notes, the cinnamon and cassia, cardamom and pepper all play together.
Spiced style gins can be really tricky to get right – I can count on my fingers the number that do. This one gets it all just right.
