Luxebook December 2021

the better for me, actually. Whatever is infused, you should be able to taste it.” Other brands, in striving for familiarity, base their botanicals on a mix of Indian and international ingredients. Blue Moon includes lemon, caraway, coriander and angelica in addition to juniper from Europe. The brands in question are each trying to tell a uniquely Indian story with their gin. As Mehra of Stranger and Sons says, “It’s also the level of story-telling you can have with gin, the connections that India itself has with gin, whether it comes to being the agricultural state that it is, and having all the possible botanicals available here, right off to the various stories that you can have.” These stories are seeing its distillers reclaim gin from a colonial hangover, to a drink with its own uniquely Indian context. Before the advent of Indian gins, drinkers had to pay up for artisanal makers like Sipsmith at boutique importer Vault Fine Spirits, or drink some of the biggest global names. More recently, Roku Gin from Japan uses its six botanicals (Sakura flowers, sakuna leaves, sencha and gyokuro tea, sansho pepper and yuzu peel) from the country to showcase their unique produce, while Monkey 47 made a splash thanks to its German origin and use of 47 botanicals. Besides juniper berries, an often-found infusion, especially for European gins, is orris root. The perennial rhizome is said to taste indistinguishable from raspberry and is used to bind and enhance the other botanicals flavours. It’s no surprise that the root is found Mix-and-match It should be noted that the botanicals used don’t all have to come through, as they’re steeped together and aged, they mellow and coalesce into a more complex final sip. There are however still familiar aromas and notes that draw drinkers in. Santosh Kukreti, Bar Manager at Jolie’s, who’s done stints at Thirsty City 127 where they made their own gin, and the Ritz-Carlton, Macau (which serves over 150 gins) describes his preference, “the lesser spicy.” On the other hand, Jaisalmer Gin features 11 botanicals of which seven are sourced domestically. There’s vetiver and coriander seeds from the fields around its namesake city, alongside Darjeeling tea leaves, cubeb pepper and lemongrass, to name just a few. The final product is meant to be a distillation of the country’s broad agricultural produce, a goal similar to Tickle Gin, which includes black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves alongside other herbs. in Bombay Sapphire and Beefeater. Hendrick’s, which also includes orris root, is the gin that allowed today’s distillers to experiment, given its cucumber forward flavour and discernible citrus and floral notes. However cucumber is not a botanical used during its distillation, but rather infused later, along with an infusion of rose – using essence rather than the ingredients itself – causing some in the bar community to spurn the distinct black bottle. In a twist, Terai, the indigenous gin launched by India Craft Spirit Co. also features orris root, alongside other botanicals sourced from New Delhi’s Khari Baoli, the spice market, as does Greater Than, which sources its orris root from Italy. Samsara Gin is made from 11 botanicals includes rose petals and citrus — its two most prominent flavours — along with orris root. Tanqueray takes the opposite tack and features just four botanicals — juniper, coriander, angelica root and liquorice — following a recipe that goes back to 1830. Ultimately, the number of botanicals used matters less as compared to how they come together in a finished product. Gordon’s is also known for its use of just four botanicals but its high juniper content, matured for 18 months gives it a unique intensity, as well as a worldwide following. Given gin’s ability to be distilled globally, it’s just a matter of time beforemore regional bottles become available in India, showcasing their agricultural produce. Varma, the distiller of Nilgiris has the last word when he says, “Botanicals are really what gin is all about, that’s what makes gin interesting and different from one another.” 12| L U X E B O O K | D E C E MB E R 2 0 2 1 D E C E MB E R 2 0 2 1 | L U X E B O O K | 13