Category: Gin

Advent Gins, Day Two

AKMAGin / UncategorizedLeave a comment

Last night’s Advent Gin was Hoxton Tropical, which reviews give Marmite reviews. Some thought it wasn’t even gin; some thought it was exactly what they like about spirits.
I tend to disfavour flavoured gins, but it’s Advent and I approached Hoxton in a spirit of openness.
The reviews actually convey very aptly what I encountered. The sample led strongly with grapefruit (which I like) and coconut (which is not my favourite); if that’s what you’re after, this is the flavoured gin for you. The juniper spine to the gin, though, was so subtle as to be almost undetectable. I can see a definite niche for a gin with a lighter hand on the grapefruit/coconut ladle; I sometimes take my G&Ts with a grapefruit slice, & though I tend to dislike coconut, I see its appeal in such a drink. But for me, gin should be gin 1st and a flavoured drink 2nd. Hoxton’s Tropical is gin 2nd.

Advent Gins, Starting From One

AKMAGinLeave a comment

Margaret gave me a gin Advent calendar this year, and I’ve been posting what a more expert gin taster would call ‘tasting notes’ on Bluesky — but this is the sort of thing I should keep at hand here, with a new category of its own. I’ll add here the posts I’ve already written, doubling or tripling up in order to catch up. Here’s the first I wrote, more than two weeks ago.

Day One of the gin calendar is Silent Pool gin, of which the Gin Guild description is good. I noted the juniper right away, and thought I detected elderberry. Strong medicinals, clean and sharp straight-up gin. Strong approval.
In response to someone’s assent, I added: I was pleased — I thought it might favour a twist of lime in a G&T, or a bitter orange.