For us, there is nothing better than sitting in the sunshine and having an ice cold gin & tonic. Gin is having a “moment” right now, with a new gin being brought to our knowledge nearly every week.
As you may or may not know, here at The Bird in Hand our small (but perfectly formed) bar holds a collection of around 50 gins – most of which are British. Each gin having it’s own story and characteristics.
When making gin the only real rule of thumb is that it must contain juniper – this is the flavour that we most commonly associate with gin. Then comes the interesting part – other botanicals can be added, with no limit as to how many can be used the options are endless, one of our gins contains 47! Botanicals that are often used are liquorice root, cardamom, saffron, cinnamon and coriander.
To give you a couple of examples;
Dr J’s – a very savoury gin containing coriander & macadamia nuts – Garnish; a few salty capers
Sibling – a fruitier gin made using the botancials blueberries & vanilla – Garnish; frozen blueberries & orange zest
Knowing all this we believe garnishing your gin is very important to bring out the most of the flavours in your glass. In our little freezer you can find an array of homemade garnish including pomegranate & cucumber ice cubes.
We hope we will see you shortly sat in our beer garden sipping on a fine G&T!