Can you drink gin neat?
For a long time, gin was a simple cocktail ingredient. Mixed with tonic, juices and lots of ice, interesting creations are achieved. The drink makes an excellent essential ingredient in a seemingly endless series of long drinks and cocktails, starting with the Gin Tonic and the Negroni and ending with the Short Drink Martini. But what about the gin itself? However, the flavours of the base product are not always shown to their best advantage.
To fully enjoy gin, however, there are a few simple rules to follow.Especially with high-quality craft gins with selected and multifaceted botanicals, such as INVERROCHE GIN, you experience the unadulterated taste best when you enjoy it neat.
Why should you drink gin neat?
The answer to this question is clear: because this spirit tastes excellent neat. If you drink gin unmixed, you give this amazing drink the chance to unfold all its flavours and show what it's made of. We are talking, of course, about the botanicals that make up the individual character of a gin.Thequality of a gin can only really be appreciated in its purest form.There are the classic juniper notes, the warm spiciness of cardamom on the tongue and the tangy, fresh citrus fruits on the palate.
With its unique fynbos aromas, INVERROCHE GINS are able to surprise even experienced gin lovers and reveal unexpected nuances already during nosing and subsequently during tasting.
Drinking gin neat - which gins are recommended?
A gin that is also a pure pleasure is the supreme discipline of distillation. It is considered a sign of quality of the gin, if the spirit tastes pure. Because the quality shows itself most clearly when enjoyed pure. Is there an alcohol sharpness or a soft mouthfeel? Are the flavours harmonious, intense and balanced? Is the gin unilaterally unimaginative, or does this gin have a story to tell?Those who want to enjoy their gin neat should therefore go for a high-quality gin that can convince with a versatile bouquet of spices, fruits and herbs. With a very good gin, you will experience the flavours in your nose, tongue, palate and throat.
INVERROCHE GINS inspire in the tasting with the richness of the endemic fynbos biotope of the coastal regions of South Africa. Pure, these come into their own. With Inverroche Amber, the connoisseur will taste natural rooibos notes. Inverroche Gin Verdant shows its colourful side and shines next to the rare Fynbos plants with Far Eastern spices. Inverroche Gin Classic seduces with 15 botanicals, including several plants that are only used in this gin creation. Can you taste them?
At what temperature does pure gin taste best?
Drinking gin pure is a matter of taste, and the taste of gin depends on the right temperature, as we all know. Opinions differ on exactly how many degrees Celsius it should be. However, gin connoisseurs agree that pure gin only tastes good at a cool temperature or at most at room temperature.At temperatures between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius, the aroma of the botanicals can develop optimally. At cooler temperatures, some facets may be lost, but the high alcohol content is less noticeable. If you want to tone down the sharpness of a high-proof spirit, drink gin neat chilled to 13 to 15 degrees Celsius. On the other hand, those who want to savour every nuance enjoy gin neat at room temperature.
Which glasses are best for gin neat?
Whether tasting new gin varieties or simply enjoying a relaxed gin pure, a properly selected glass determines whether the noble spirit shows all its hidden treasures.
Good to know - the taste of the spirit only unfolds in combination with the olfactory perception. The full gin aroma is therefore also created in the nose.
In a bulbous glass that tapers towards the top, the aroma of the botanicals remains trapped longer to flatter the olfactory sense and be detected in every detail.
The right nosing glass is slim and has a stem so that the noble gin does not heat up from the hand holding it. A grappa glass is pretty close to the ideal shape of a nosing glass, but shorter cognac swirlers are also suitable for drinking gin neat.
Gin neat or gin on the rocks?
A really good gin, like INVERROCHE Classic, Verdant or Amber, is great to drink neat. An alternative to enjoying gin neat is gin on ice. Ice cubes bring the spirit to the desired temperature and, if used correctly, hardly distort the taste. But how are the ice cubes to be used correctly?
The secret is not so much in the amount of ice. Rather, how long the ice cubes remain in the gin glass is crucial to the enjoyment. One thing is certain - the cubes must not be allowed to thaw, lest they water down the drink. After all, a good gin does not need water additions at all, as opposed to a little chilling.
The larger the ice cube, the less quickly it melts. Crushed ice is therefore never used with pure gin. On the contrary - if possible, you should use the largest ice cube that fits through the narrow opening of the nosing glass.
Pure gin with zest?
Fresh grapefruit, lime or lemon zest give the gin a tangy, slightly acidic freshness or enhance the already existing citrus notes. Zest is a great way to enjoy all Inverroche gins.
A connoisseur first tastes the gin pure, without anything. Only in the second step the zest is added.
It is not simply added to the gin. Rather, the essential oils are released from the peel by gently squeezing and rubbing them against the wall of the glass. The gin is swirled and tasted after another nosing. Only then is the zest fully added to the glass.
Through this gradual tasting, they experience the slow blending of the citrus flavors with the botanicals of the gin. In the process, individual flavors are enhanced while others increasingly fade into the background. This is not only a tasty experience, but also an excellent training for the gin connoisseur's sense of taste.
Gin as a partner - how to mix the best gin and tonic?
Gin neat is an exclusive experience. But even if you want to combine gin into a long drink, you don't have to drown the intense flavour of your gin in tonic water. The secret to a gin and tonic that brings out the full flavour of the gin lies not only in the fit of the two drinks, but also in the mixing ratio. The ratio of gin to tonic should be between 1:1 and 1:2. With a higher ratio of tonic water, the bitter lemonade nuances of the tonic gain the upper hand.
This is how gin sommeliers mix their gin and tonic:
- Prepare the ingredients: INVERROCHE GIN, gin glasses, tonic water, ice cubes and garnish.
- First, add the large ice cubes to the glass.
- Pour about 4 centiliters of INVERROCHE GIN into each glass.
- Fill glasses with 4-8 cl tonic water.
- Garnish long drink with zest, lime slice or a sprig of juniper.
- Serve & enjoy.
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