Best of juniper
Spirits with style: 5 special gins to give away
Pure gin or in combination with sparkling tonic water. One or two bottles of juniper schnapps belong in every good (private) bar. Our author’s top 5 gin gift ideas.
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Special spirits have always been popular presents. But how do you find the right bottle for your father-in-law, grandpa or brother-in-law? Five special gins to give away.
More than 20 million bottles of gin were sold in Germany in 2020. This makes the juniper-based spirit one of the most popular of all. Unfortunately, gin beginners in particular quickly lose their desire to give away when they are in front of the gin shelf in a beverage store or supermarket. In this country alone there are hundreds of gins on the market. And new ones are added every day. Our author has already tried a few. Here is his “Best of Gin 2021”. Let yourself be inspired.
1. Bareksten Botanical Gin
I would probably never have discovered this particular bottle without my wife. On my summer vacation on Usedom, she sent me to a clothes store on the beach promenade. I should look for a cool shirt there. I actually found that in this shop, which I would probably never have entered. In addition a pair of jeans and a bottle Bareksten Botanical Gin. You can do something like that on vacation. The dude who recommended this Norwegian juniper drop reminded me of a fur seal. Full beard, fully tattooed and fully infatuated with special spirits. A little sample was enough to convince me of this dream of a gin. A potato brandy, mainly refined with herbs and berries from the forests of Norway, with a crisp 46% alcohol by volume. Maybe a bit too berry for fans of classic juniper notes. In any case, my current number 1.
2. Juniper Jack Navy Strenght
This bullet from a gin comes from my home in Saxony. With 57.2% vol., The Juniper Jack Navy Strenght its Norwegian counterpart clearly in its place. Siegbert Hennig and Jörg Fiedler have been tinkering and experimenting with juniper cones from a Croatian national park in their Dresden distillery since 2013. The future ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel sniffed and tried the result a few years ago and ennobled this honest sip as a “juniper bomb”. If you love gin in its freshest form, Juniper Jack is the right place for you. All distillates with more than 57% alcohol by volume are allowed to “adorn” themselves with the Navy Strength label. In the case of Juniper Jack, you get an unfiltered Distillers Cut to kneel down. He blew me away. If you like it a little less violent, you can use the alternative “Original” Juniper Jackthat is in the same gin league in terms of taste.
3.Shadows Franconian Dry Gin (Iced)
He is also a seductive holiday acquaintance Shadows Franconian Dry Gin. Rather by chance, I noticed a rather shabby wooden house on a family vacation in Franconian Switzerland. I read “Gin Tastings” there and could hardly believe it. We stopped by a second time and I actually popped in for an unplanned mini-tasting. A fine Franconian from a small family manufacture in the Heroldsbach community in the Forchheim district ended up in the backpack. the Shadows Franconian Dry Gin. A touch of refreshing mint and subtle notes of lavender and lemongrass convinced my gin-savvy palate. I reached for the latest “Iced” creation, which captured my heart when filled in an elegant white bottle. The host spontaneously donated a small bottle of matching tonic water. In short: this gin is great fun on its own and as a gin and tonic.
4. From Haller’s Gin
A few years ago I found this handcrafted gin in the lobby of a conference hotel in Northeim, Lower Saxony, and couldn’t resist. A bottle landed on suspicion From Haller’s Gin In addition to elegant, bulbous gin glasses as a souvenir in your luggage. The botanicals for Van Haller’s gin are said to have been brought into the Botanical Garden in Göttingen by the eponymous physician, naturalist and poet Albrecht as early as the 18th century. There are exquisite plants such as lemon verbena, a rare species of fuchsia and German ginger. No, I haven’t tasted any of these botanicals yet. Nevertheless, I like Von Hallers, which is noticeably lively when mixed with tonic. Particularly sensitive tongues shouldn’t miss the subtle spiciness of ginger. My insider tip for gin connoisseurs.
5. Hops gin
Beer and gin – that makes sense. Is that really true? Two liquor makers and the master brewers at the Moritz Fiege family brewery in Bochum have been investigating this question for a long time. The result was, among other things Liquormacher hops ginwhich I recently discovered on the shelf of a supermarket and which of course ended up directly in the shopping cart. At 42% vol. It is rather at the lower end of what is required by law. If you take a nose, the hop gin initially exudes a classic juniper scent. The hoppy note remains rather inconspicuous in the background. The hop aromas only come to the fore when you try them. What remains is an exciting duet that will appeal to both gin fans and beer drinkers in terms of taste. The hop gin should taste particularly delicious as a long drink with a little vermouth and black beer syrup. Very good!
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