Mister Cocktail

Last February I had a chance to talk with Tony Conigliaro, one of the most creative and highly regarded people in the bartending industry, and far beyond. This year has turned out to be an extremely succesful year for him and his team: winning the award for World’s Best New Hotelbar at Tales of the Cocktail, where he also was in the final 4 in the category World’s Best Cocktailbar with 69 Colebrook Row. He runs the world’s most cutting edge laboratory, Drink Factory fully dedicated to spirits. And he is about to open a new place in Paris with Thierry Daniel, founder of the Paris-based Cocktails & Spirits. And he got married and today even is his birthday.
Seemed like the perfect opportunity to publish the interview today.

“The Drink Factory started as a blog, as a website, to communicate with people about what we  were doing and how we were doing that and to get feedback. It was bigger than just bartending, I was writing about it, but I was also asking questions about perfumery and all kinds of things. And slowly, slowly over the course of 5 years running, people started talking back, we started meeting new people and starting to set up new collaborations.

While Tony was setting up 69 Colebrook Row, he filled his house with all sorts of equipment. “The kitchen was kind of chock-a-block with stuff and after a while the lab got bigger than 69 Colebrook Row, so we moved to the current location in June 2011. That building is the old Pink Floyd recording studios, where they recorded The Wall. There’s still images of great bands covering the walls of the whole building. We fell in love with the history, with the location and realized it’s the perfect place to take all our creative ideas and push them to the max.”

When I had this interview in February of this year, they were still work in progress, but they had started working on the tasting area and to create an office space. It looked quite finished to me at that time already but fresh ingredients that were brought in made the place look like a forest-meets-lab: pine-branches were lined up at the walls, to be processed in their syrup for one of their signature drinks for The Zetter Town House. In the middle there is a long chest that holds numerous herbs, spices, roots, fruits and basically everything else that could possibly be used in a syrup, potion or concoction. Another eye-catcher is the large collection of vintage spirits.

By the entrance there was the lab itself: 2 rotavaps were in use to re-distill a red peppercorn-vodka at low pressure. It can distill at less than 1/10^th of the normal pressure and it condenses when it runs through a spiral, chilled by antifreeze at – 20 degrees. It allows for a very accurate controlled procedure with the least damage to all the individual elements. Other intriguing equipment that fills up the kitchen include induction heaters, a vacuum-machine, and a Gastrovac.
“I remember that people came into my home kitchen and just stared at me like “what are you doing”. That was hilarious.”

My bartenders also work in the lab, not only from 69 CR, but also from Zetter Town House. We work with perfumers and people from the gin-industry, and we learn how to pull flavours apart,” while he samples me an extraction of Bulgarian Rose. Heavy scent comes out of a little jar, filling the space with the sweet smell of the rose.
“People are really interested in what we do: we see things out of the box. We see them from a creative point of view, not necessarily from an industrial point of view. We do a lot of research here for bars, for drinks companies, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.”

I noticed that there were a lot of ‘approved’ experiments, but I asked him if there were any experiments less succesfull. We were in a lab after all.
“I don’t see any experiment ever ‘gone wrong’ I just learn something more with every distillation or extraction. If something doesn’t taste right, we can identify why it doesn’t. Sometimes we cannot get something to work within 2 years, but we just build up a library of knowledge.

“It’s not just about cocktails and flavours, but also about aroma’s and finding unexpected results.” He samples me then Mastic, a sort of chewing gum made from resin of the Mastic tree from Greece, which was used in drinks by the Romans. “We use it in a drink with honey, so we’ve got this in the menu that’s based on an old Roman Drink.”

Working with ingredients like this gives us the opportunity to create drinks that you cannot find anywhere else in the world. We are strong believers in putting flavours together that you don’t come across anywhere else in the world.”

Mr Conigliaro then shows me his vintage spirits collection, Campari from the 50’s 60’s, even from the1900s, and 1910, Moët & Chandon from 1940, to compare how spirits have evolved and changed. There are original Bokers bitters from 1890. We record everything we do, take photographs, writing down what comes in. There’s a very fine collection of vintage glassware. He also shows the new vessel for the Prairy Oyster (which was put on the menu last March), it was specially designed for him by a ceramicist, a fine example of how thouight out and well designed his drinks are.

He then mentions his book, which obviously has hit the shelves last summer.  “I can describe the book as a genealogy of my work for the last 12 years, from Isola to now. It is a creative history on where things are coming from and where they are going to: a fun catalogue of drinks and processes that we found that work very well.”

What an inspiration!

Liquorice Whisky Sour
Glassware: Large Coupette

Recipes:
50ml Baillie Nicol Jarvie
25ml Lemon Juice
15ml Liquorice Syrup
25ml Egg White
3 dashes Angostura Bitters

Combine Scotch with the lemon juice. Add the angostura and egg white to the shaker, dry shake.
Add ice to the shaker, shake and strain into Sour glass.

Last month, I launched a crowdfunding campaign to look for fundings to publish my very own Mister Cocktail book. It will be a re-introduction of the great classic cocktails, based on a limited amount of spirits. This way you do not need to stock your bar with 50+ bottles in order to make some fancy drinks at home. Every cocktail will be accompanied by a nice dish or bite: good cocktails need to come with good food.

Participating in my book means that you’re actually giving a loan to me, through the platform of www.crowdaboutnow.com. Lending means getting it back with interest, and I’m offering a good 15 % interest on the loan. For higher amounts of funding there are some more interesting  rewards!

You can watch the video here:

Mister Cocktail

Besides the book, I’m working on a cocktailpack, which contains all the necessary tools to start working like a pro in your kitchen!

And it just keeps getting better, because I’m also working on a full website and mobile application. For that I have just acquired all the funds neccessary to develop this. it just takes a few months to make

Only thing is: the crowdfunding is just for people with a Dutch bankaccount. Mail me if you have any further questions! Albert@mistercocktail.net

Since my last G&T Sunday review, I had tried several combinations during the summer. One of the gins that I had very pleasant experience with, was Caorunn Gin, so I was looking forward to tasting it in combinations with the 4 Tonic Waters. The bottle really stands out, especially the shape of it. Caorunn (read label for pronunciation) claims the Celtic heritage, since there’s some other famous gins being produced in Scotland and marketed as such (Hendrick’s, The Botanist and Old Raj being 3 of them). Next to 6 classic gin botanicals (Juniper, Lemonpeel, Coriander, Cassia, Orange Peel and Angelica) there are 5 ingredients specific to Caorunn. These are 5 botanicals that can be found in many parts of the world, but they have been used in Celtic medicine for ages: Rowan Berry, Bog Myrtle, Heather, Coul Blush Apple and Dandelion Leaf.

I found that the site of Caorunn Gin describes their heritage, production and ingredients very well and to-the-point. No need for me to rewrite or copy that, so make sure to check there!

The bottle: Both the 5-star symbol on the bottle and the shape of the bottle itself represent the 5 Celtic botanicals that are used in Caorunn Gin. It is quite a unique shape and it holds very nicely while working with it professionally. The neck is perfect for a hand to fit around it and swing the bottle upside-down to make a pour. The cork is also very well designed: thick and heavy with a wooden top.
95/100

The nose: Fresh pine and citrus are very strong when the spirit first hits your nose. To me this is an indication that it’s a gin that leans towards the classic gins, which turns out to be so, but there’s much more to it. Sweet fruity notes from the Rowan Berry (also the giver of the name Caorunn, which means berry in Celtic) and Coul Blush Apple appear directly after, giving it a very nice and specific character.
91/100

The contents: The first sip is, just like the nose, very fresh and full of juniper, pine and citrus: a walk in the woods. For a moment, the alcohol takes over a bit too much to lead to the middle part of the taste. This is much more sweet with a nice tingle on the sides of the tongue.

There’s a very long aftertaste, where a menthol-like coolness develops in your mouth (I suspect the Dandelion has this effect). Some very nice sweet notes appear in the end and here you can really taste the Heather and Bog Myrtle, at least I get some flavours that I can relate to from the description, since these are not in my standard palate. In Holland we have a type of liquorice that is based on Bay leaf which has a very comparable taste!
92/100 (97/1oo on just the aftertaste)

The mixability: Because of the 5 botanicals that are specific to Caorunn, it can serve as a base for some classic gin-drinks. Even more so, it can be an inspiration for a load of new drinks and I was curious to try Caorunn in my selection of Tonic Waters.

Fever Tree: Before I added the apple in this G&T, I could already taste the apple in it. The citrus notes were much gentler and the strong juniper was less dominant. The addition of apple makes this mix nice and extra fruity, but in my opinion it could use just a little more citrusflavours now.
9/10

Fentiman’s: This tonic is strong in bitter- and citrusnotes, so obviously this is a completely different mix. The bubble in Fentiman’s in much stronger, giving the mix the taste of apple much faster while it emphasises the lemon and coriander in Caorunn much better.
9.5/10

Thomas Henry: This combination is quite sweet and it works very well with Caorunn. I think the pleasantly sweet notes of the heather play a big role here, leaving a long and pleasantly sweet aftertaste.
9/10

1724: The most delicate of these tonic waters is 1724 and it leaves a lot of room for the Caorunn to move around. I just feel that the quinine in this tonic water dominates the taste, making it a little dry with very little citrus left in the taste.
8.5/10

Overall: This is a very nice gin to stock in your home-bar. If you are looking for one special gin, this is certainly one to take home with you. It mixes very well and I enjoyed it neat at least as much as in a g&t. The mix with Fentiman’s was the best-balanced combination, but differences in taste might lead you to other mixers no doubt. As things usually go.
92/100

When asked about their favourite cocktailbar, most people will name their preferred hang-out or perhaps the bar that is best known in their area. Most people don’t travel to visit special bars in other countries. Very unlike the good people in the drinks-industry: bartenders, big companies, journalists all visit cities around the world, not so much for the great architecture and culture, but for visiting other bars. And of course, as in any industry, things need to be put in perspective and be compared to eachother in order to say which is truly The Best.

Each year, the world’s largest event that fully revolves around spirits and cocktails is held in New Orleans. It’s called Tales of the Cocktail and is like the who-is-who in the world of creating spirits and mixing drinks.

One of the highlights of this booze-filled week are the Spirited Awards, the amazing awardshow that could be called the Oscar’s of the drinks-industry. Winning such an award is a great honour and competition is fierce in each category. Most awards are deserved by working very hard for years on end, although I believe no-one aims to win this award: the people in this industry do this for the love for spirits and of course for the hospitality industry. After all, the final outcome must be a satisfied customer, so without any you will never pick up one of these very much sought-after cristal plates.

The outcome of the 10th Spirited Awards, that were held yesterday at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, New Orleans reveal once again that travelling to London is a very good idea! I mean fish, chips, cup o’ tea, bad food, worst weather, Mary f*ckin’ Poppins London! Cocktails now must be added to this list.

World’s Best Cocktailbar: The Connaught

World’s Best Hotelbar: Artesian

World’s Best Cocktailmenu: Callooh Callay

World’s Best New Cocktailbar: The Zetter Townhouse

World’s Best Drinksselection: Salvatore at Playboy Club

World’s Best International Bartender: Alex Kratena (Artesian Bar)

Other awards that were handed out (watch the links below, you’ll like them!)
Best American Bartender: Joaquin Simo
Best American Cocktailbar: The Varnish in LA
Best restaurant/bar: Slanted Door, in San Fransisco
Best New Product: Cognac Pierre Ferrand 1840 Formula
Best Cocktailwriting: David Wondrich
Best Non-book Publication: Liquor.com
Best New Cocktailbook: PDT Cocktail Book – Jim Meehan
Best American Brand Ambassador: Jim Ryan
best International Brand Ambassador: Angus Winchester
Best Barmentor: Steve Olson
Best High Volume Cocktailbar: Eastern Standard, Boston

One special award was given to Gaz Regan, for he received the Helen David Lifetime Achievement Award. Gaz (formerly known as Gary) is an absolute legend in this industry and author of numerous book, including the book that all bartenders should have read: The Joy of Mixology. A post on twitter quoted him upon receiving the award: “I’m 60 years old, I have 40 more years to go, mother f*ckers.” Rockstar!

Congratulations to all winners, and to my readers: I hope you can visit one of these bars soon!

One of the first gins that was introduced after the renewed interest in gins in the 90s, was Martin Miller’s. According to the brand’s story, Mr. Miller sat in a bar, contemplating on life with some good friends over a mediocre gin & tonic, when the idea of creating his own brand of gin sprang to mind. Miller was a photographer-turned-antiques connoisseur-turned-hotel owner, and had a good perception of the historic value of gin.

The 6 main botanicals in this gin are distilled in “Angela”, copper pot still built in 1904 by John Doore. The 3 stages of pot still-distillation are named Heads, Heart and Tails. The first part contains very strong alcohol and harsh flavours. The second part is the best part, well balanced. The third part is lower in alcohol and weaker in flavours. It is very common to re-use the heads and tails in a new distillation-cycle, but these are not re-used for Martin Miller’s, that only uses the heart of the distillate. The dried peels of the citrusfruits (Orange, lemon and lime) are distilled separately after which they are blended with the ‘base-spirit’.

To finalize the product, Martin Miller’s is blended with Icelandic water: in his vision this is the softest and purest water. On top of that, the Icelandic people believe that water is a living entity and has a spirit.

The bottle: The long and slender bottle displays the countries England and Iceland with a dotted line connecting these 2 with the background of longitude/latitude lines. It also displays the 6 main botanicals: Iris, Juniper, Cassia, Liquorice, Coriander and Angelica.
91/100

The nose: Strong juniper and angelica hit the nose immediately, waking up your senses. There’s a sweet undertone of liquorice, cinnamon and orange in the nose and some fresh notes of lemon and coriander.
If you leave the neat spirit in the glass for a little while, the citrus notes become more apparent.
94/100

The contents: The gin really blossoms in the mouth, with all classic gin tastes there: the juniper gives a pleasant sting, with the orris mellowing this nicely and connecting it at the same time with the sweeter notes I mentioned above. The different expressions of citrus play a more dominant role in the taste: orange, lemon and lime come in after the first juniper hit.
Note: this is the first gin of which my lovely Misses Cocktail says that it’s almost too good to mix, because it tastes amazing when drunk neat.
95/100

The mixability: Martin Miller’s is a great ingredient for mixing drinks, even though the Misses might disagree. Classic cocktails like the White Lady and Tom Collins should taste great. I tried it in the Dry Martini, stirred with Martini Extra Dry,  lemon bitters and a lemon zest.

But my main focus is of course with Tonic Water:

Fever Tree: These tastes combined generate more bitterness and a more earthy taste, which are a great addition to the taste. The citrus notes get a lot of room to flourish, mainly the orange which give it a long and sweet aftertaste.
9.5/10
Fentiman’s: The taste of this mix is a bit more soft than with Fever Tree, with a long and citrussy aftertaste. The bitters are more dominant,
8.5/10
1724: I had to use a little bit more gin to balance this mix, although the 1724 is the softest-tasting tonic water of these 3. The mix really benefits from adding fresh lemon to it
9/10

Overall: This is a true gem, and highly recommendable! It is both challenging for the very experienced and demanding gin-drinker and highly accessible for new members for the gin-appreciating part of the world. I’m very glad to have this spirit in my collection, to quench my appetite for juniper!
94/100

The brand Johnnie Walker launched it’s first blended whisky in 1865. In fact, before 1860 it was illegal to sell blended whisky’s in Scotland. Black Label was launched in 1909, and continued on the first blended whisky Alexander Walker (John’s son) launched in 1865 as Walker’s Old Special (re-branded to Extra Special Old Highland in 1906). Enough with the dates now and on to the whisky!

Black Label is one of the most sold blended Scotch in the world and each expression has become world famous by now. And each different expression (you know: red, black, green, gold and blue) has it’s own drinker. It makes a lot of sense in my opinion to build further on each expression to ……. their fan base.

When tasting the ‘normal’ Black Label it always surprises me how complex this whisky actually is. This blend of a good 40 different whisky’s, each aged for at least 12 years, can be recognised by it’s 4 main flavour characteristics: fresh fruit, like apple, pear and orange – dried fruit like apricot and dates – vanilla, coming from the use of Bourbon-barrels – and smokiness, which comes from the Islay whisky’s used in the blending process.

It is a clear move to position Johnnie Walker Black Label as a brand of it’s own by launching the Double Black. For this brand they have chosen to follow the taste-profile of Black Label rather than the minimum age of the whisky’s. The 4 main tasting notes are still there, but are put in a new dimension by blending in more smokiness in the Double Black. This influences the taste in a very pleasant way, and does what it’s supposed to be doing: introduce their fan base to some slightly more mature flavours.

The bottle: The Double Black has a significantly larger and heavier bottle. With it’s dark glass and gold highlights on the label it really stands on it’s own.
90/100

The nose: Clear peatiness promises a much heavier taste than one is used to get from the Black Label. There’s pleasant sweet notes that you can recognize as well from it’s older brother, giving a good indication about the balance between these 2 elements. Obviously, a lot of similarities between the two, but also strong characteristics specific to the Double Black.
88/100

The contents: The smoke is much less dominant in the taste than it is on the nose. One of the most significant changes the smoke does to the components, is to the element of vanilla. In Black Label this element brings a rather sweet note to the palate. In the Double Black it has changed to a more creamy texture – much more soft and less sweet. It also appears to me that the mouthfeel is more silky and a bit thicker.  Pleasant fruitnotes like apple and raisin (a small percentage of the barrels JW uses in Sherry-cask) keep giving that sweet balance to the Double Black.
86/100

Conclusion: This is absolutely a great next-step whisky for the Black Label fan, but also a nice very buy if you like some smokiness in your whisky, but not too much. The combination with the sweeter tones is a very pleasant one and I think can introduce  some less experienced drinkers to the more peated whisky’s.
87/100

After a long weekend, this day feels like a Sunday to me, that’s why I probably  postponed the G&T Sunday posting to today. It’s been a great weekend and I celebrated being married to the Mrs for 1 year exactly last Saturday and treated our guests to a nice amount of G&T’s, which were happily accepted. The next day we enjoyed a friends’ birthday in the park in Amsterdam where we also filled the booze table with 2 nice transparent blue bottles of gin accompanied with some quality tonic. Again, people were happy with this. The gin-craze is slowly starting in Holland, a good 250 years after it ended in the UK (which was 1757 in case you’d like to know).

For this G&T review I choose The Botanist, which had been looking at me for some time from the spirit cabinet. Of course this wasn’t the first time for me to mix it at all, but sitting down and really describing what happens in several mixes is a different ballgame from enjoying one in the sun while reading.

This gin is created by the Bruichladdich Distillery which is located on the Isle of Islay, in the North-West of Scotland. This area is famous for it’s peaty whiskies and this distillery has always been in the centre of innovation since it’s opening in 1881. The still which produces The Botanist is a Lomond Still, the very last of its kind and affectionately called Ugly Betty. This is a steam powered, low-pressure still which takes 17 hours to complete the distillation cycle. And this gin requires two of them: 1 for the ‘standard’ gin botanicals and 1 to infuse the 22 local botanicals in the gin.

The result in taste is a complex, yet strangely accessible gin. The nose contains a lot of sweetness and freshness from the flowers, fruit, herbs and spices: there’s chamomile and elderflower, orange and mint. The juniper in this gin is quite strong, but never overpowering.  In the mouth there’s all these herbs that work together and the huge range of wild flowers they are using work their magic here. Getting the right ingredients at exactly the right time is a proof of intimate knowledge of local vegetation by the distiller. The one that stays there in the aftertaste in the mint (peppermint and water mint leaves). My taste buds are not that refined, so naming all ingredients is too far fetched for me, but you can find the complete list of botanicals on this great gin-blog (but please keep reading mine as well).

Schweppes Tonic: The Botanist benefits quite well from the strong bitter and sweet notes in Schweppes although it struggles to keep itself upright next to this tonic at some moments. The floral notes still shine through and the complexity of the gin still shows.
7.5/10

Fever Tree: These 2 meet each other in a soft and sweet middle taste, which works towards a slightly bitter aftertaste with long floral notes and a lovely taste of mint. I used a slice of lemon to balance the drink more.
8.5/10

Fentiman’s: The Botanist is quite low in citrus taste and benefits really well from the stronger citric notes in Fentiman’s Tonic. This tonic water contains kaffir lime and lemon and balances this gin in a great way. The sweet and floral notes in the gin get all the room they need to come through and are nicely balanced by the quinine.
9.5/10

Conclusion: The tonic water that compliments The Botanist best is Fentiman’s Tonic: in gins with higher levels of citrus notes (could be from lemon, coriander, orange etc) this tonic water tends to overpower, but here they go together just fine!

How to: I mixed 50 mls of The Botanist Gin with 100 ml tonic water in a longdrink filled with icecubes. For garnishing I used a lemonwedge. I tried it with lime, but found this too strong for my taste. I also tried orange and orangepeel and these proved to be quite pleasant as well, taking the drink to a sweeter side. If you prefer an ever more herbal taste, I tried it with a sprig of thyme which worked very nice as well.

The Sorrento area in southern Italy is famous for it’s Feminello St Teresa lemons, better known as Sorrento Lemons. Enormous, sweet lemons that are specific to that region. The limoncello is created by macerating the peels in alcohol for 4 days. After this it is blended with sugar syrup and water. A lot of my friends make it at home, it’s that easy! Although buying neutral alcohol is not that easy in some countries, like mine.

I once managed to buy 5 litres at a NATO-base in Brunssum in the deep south of Holland after giving a seminar for the bored-to-death soldiers who drenched their evenings in alcohol. Anyway, I created my own limoncello, but after tasting Villa Massa, I realised getting the right ingredients is a bit more difficult here, then it is in Italy!

Villa Massa is an old brand of Limoncello, based on an over-a-century old family recipe dating back to 1890. Of the Famiglia Massa that is. It is created in their family farm (which is called Villa in Italian), located in Piano di Sorrento, close to Naples and in the very heart of the limoncello-area. Because it is made from only Sorrento lemons and also created and bottled in this area, it is one of the very few Limoncello’s that have the P.G.I. mark, a proof of authenticity that a product receives when the ingredients are only from a certain area.

The bottle: The bottle is made of frosted, slightly green glass with a label that displays the entrance of the family mansion. Visually not the most exciting appearance, but it accentuates the tradional area where it originates from.
85/100

The nose: The scent of fresh lemons with a somewhat bitter nose from the zest. This contains some oils that are more bitter, but it all balances out really nice.
90/100

The contents: Lovely and gentle sweet taste, slightly tangerine, typical for the Sorrento lemons. Pretty sweet and enjoyed straight from the freezer, giving it a smooth, silky-like texture. There’s a slight hint of bitterness in it, coming from the essential oils in the lemonzest.
90/100

The mixability: Limoncello is traditionally drunk after dinner, straight from the freezer. But it is also perfect for mixing with soft drinks, like Tonic or in cocktails. See below for a recipe.

Overall: This is a very nice liqueur, well belanced and very accessible. Enjoyed in many ways and  always refreshing.
90/100

How to: A cocktail is best enjoyed in good company, so I will give you a recipe for a nice jug of Villa Masso Mojito, enough for you and your 5 best friends!

Cut 3 nice lemons in quarters and squeeze these into the jug. You can drop them in after this, they make a great decoration with their bright yellow peels. Pour in 36 cl Villa Massa Limoncello – you can pick up small bottles of VM that measure 35 cls, also perfect. Place 10 large sprigs of mint (about 60 leaves) between your hands and bruise them slightly by ‘clapping’ them: this releases the flavour, but keeps the bitter oils inside the leaf! No need to get the leafs off of the stem, just leave ‘em on.
Fill the jug with icecubes and some sodawater and stir gently, combining all flavours. Do you prefer a sweeter taste, use lemonade instead of sodawater.

What do you know about Drambuie? Most people already got the country wrong, thinking it’s French and pronounce it that way. How wrong. It’s Scottish and therefor pronounced as Drambuie. The whiskies used for Drambuie come from the Speyside, perhaps the most famous part of Scotland for producing whiskies, but certainly the most productive. This areas delivers somewhat sweeter whiskies and are perfect to combine with herbs and spices. Which is why Drambuie tastes so nice.

Quite recently, the line of this over a century old family-owned company has been extended with the Drambuie 15 Years Old.  The name kind of reveals what’s inside the spirit, but if you haven’t guessed by now: it’s Speyside Whisky with a minimum aging of 15 years. The master blender has accumulated a fair amount of great whiskies and could choose from them to blend together with the famous elixir of Drambuie. With a secret formula I might add, but with a little browsing one can get to anise, saffron and cinnamon, although nowhere confirmed.

The bottle: I know good things come in small packages, but in this case it literally came in small packaging. The good people of Drambuie sent me a 5 cl sample bottle and although I can say it looks nice on the picture, I only can describe a bottle when I’ve held it in my hand.
…./100

The nose: In the nose there’s a loverly maltiness, that is accompanied by honey and spicy notes, together with hints of citrus, like orange and lemon. The spirit is bottled at 43 % ABV (or 86 proof) and that’s noticeable here, really emphasizing the influence of the aged whiskies.
91/100

The contents: A very warm taste and a silky mouth feel, despite the high ABV. The citrus notes come through really nice and it’s remarkable how this spirit goes from whisky to liqueur and back several times in one sip: sweet notes, malt, orange, wood, butterscotch, a little salty even at times.
93/100

The mixability: This one is enjoyed best neat (I used a Glencairn Glass) or over ice.

Overall: A very rich spirit that has all the maturity of a Speyside whisky and the characteristics of a great liqueur. It rivals other liqueurs like Bénedictine B&B and Grand Marnier 100 and will be very nice additition to your spirits collection. But then of the one that you want to drink regularly!
92/100

I must admit that this gin is a somewhat difficult to find spirit, but since I left almost my entire stock of gins in G&T’s Really Really Nice Place last week, I had no choice but to dig in on my more exclusive stock. No worries though, as I wanted to treat myself to something special anyways, after the successful tour I did with Hidetsugu Ueno last week. We visited Amsterdam, Frankfurt and London for several masterclasses and we visited a fair amount of bars.

Back to the topic now, since it’s still Sunday while I’m writing this and  it’s best to finish before Monday kicks in.
I already reviewed the ‘normal’ Citadelle Gin here in the mix with Schweppes, and if you’d like to learn a bit about the story of the brand, please follow the link or go to their site.

Having a gin with such a colour in your glass is something special in itself: pale gold reveals the influence of barrel-aging and I can imagine that a long time ago most gins carried this colour as a result of transportation and storage. The nose of this gin is more smooth and sweet than that of the regular Citadelle, although that one has already some great sweet notes in its taste: cinnamon, orange and liquorice. In the taste, the wonderful high and citric notes from coriander, juniper and lemon are even more balanced after the maturation: more vanilla and peppery notes have been added and all work great together.

Schweppes: I decided to keep this brand in the testing, as it is the one that is readily available all over the world, as opposed to the other brands of Tonic Water. And even though it doesn’t come out on top most of the times, it is good for reference.
The softness of the gin somehow rules out the strong bitterness that normally dominates a G&T with Schweppes. The main flavour I’m getting is orange, which is actually quick pleasing. Long citric notes, along with the spices and peppery aftertaste still come through, making this a nice drink.
8.5/10

Fever Tree: Again, I get that feeling of excitement when I’m mixing with FT. The taste is soft and lingers to the sweet side, although some bitter notes remain in the aftertaste. The taste is fruity and floral, yet very mature and the extra depth that has been given to the gin still shines through in the mix with this tonic.
9.5/10

Fentiman’s: I always enjoy Fentiman’s as their bubble is very powerful, sending the aroma of the mix into the air. I needed to adjust the gin:tonic -ratio a bot to find the right balance – a little more gin is required in this mix versus the FT & Schhh. But the mix couldn’t really please me this time: the taste of Fentiman’s is a bit overpowering, especially the strong presence of lime. Should you be a great fan of strong lime in your G&T than you might like this better, but another gin with it is probably the best option.
8.0/10

Thomas Henry Elderflower Tonic: I received a sample of this a week or so ago and I figured this is a good occasion to test it, since there’s so many nice floral notes in the Citadelle Réserve. It’s a fun addition to the drink, but it’s one that you would really have to want. The quality of the tonic water is good and the flavour of elderflower is not artificial
8.0/10

Conclusion: The Citadelle Réserve 2011 is a great gin to mix with tonic, although it’s also great to sip neat, or to create a Dry martini with. It requires a soft Tonic Water to accompany it and Fever Tree is the obvious choice. Need I say more? Don’t think so!