Gin Advent Calendar 2020 Part 4: An epic ending
As 2020 draws to a close and I am down to my last bottles from my Gin Advent Calendar. I know that I am publishing this rather belatedly after I finished my 24 day journey through my favourite gins of the year, but what with one thing and another, time always seems to get away from me.
So without any further ado, here are the final six gins, which have proved to be a rather mixed bag of styles and tastes. Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of my Gin Advent Calendar are available if you want to catch up on the gins I’ve enjoyed so far as well as the cocktails and drinks I have made with them.
Gin Advent Calendar Part 4
December 19th – Liverpool Organic Gin
The next gin in my Gin Advent Calendar was the Original Liverpool Gin. It is a strong smelling, juniper-forward gin with tropical, citrus notes including, to my nose, pineapple.
I decided to mix myself a fruity little cocktail called Bobbo’s Bride. A twist on the Vesper, this uses both gin and vodka in equal measures as well as a bit of peach liqueur and Campari. The peach really brought out the fruitiness in the gin and I will be having it again soon. Alas I didn’t have any peach slices to use as a garnish, but I still enjoyed this little tipple.
December 20th – Bathtub Gin
When I went for the gin tasting that I had won as a result of waxing lyrical about Whittakers Gin, one of the gins sampled that evening was Bathtub Gin. This particular gin isn’t distilled as other gins are, but rather some of the botanicals are steeped in the base juniper spirit before being added back in to make the finished drink. This was a style preferred during the gin craze of the late 1700’s.
This is a juniper forward gin with plenty of citrus notes. I chose to mix myself a Maidens Prayer. The fresh orange and lemon juice really brought out the citrus flavour of this gin making the perfect combination of gin and fruit juice.
December 21st – Perfume Tree Gin
One of the most exotic gins I’ve ever had was this Perfume Tree Gin from Hong Kong which I received in my April’s “Gin of the Month” box from the Craft Gin Club. The beautifully delicate flavour comes from traditional Oriental botanicals such as green tea, sandalwood and white champaca blossom sitting beautifully alongside traditional gin botanicals. This gives the gin an exotic flavour of kumquats and a silky and syrupy texture.
Given the exotic and fruity nature of this gin I absolutely had to include it in my Gin Advent Calendar. I decided to make one of the cocktails from the magazine that accompanied the gin. The Flooded Grove seemed rather appropriate, although I did swap the shiso liqueur for a dash of green crème de menthe.
December 22nd – Hayman’s London Dry Gin
This is another of my go-to gins when I want a refreshing drink. This is once again juniper-forward with sumptuous notes of liquorice, angelica and nutmeg. For me this makes the perfect Gin and Tonic, especially when made with a premium tonic water.
December 23rd – Tarquin’s Cornish Dry Gin
Having savoured the Tarquin’s Sea Dog Navy Gin earlier in my Gin Advent Calendar, I thought that is was time to try their original Cornish dry and see how they measured up against each other. Both gins had intense citrus flavours, but where the Sea Dog had notes of liquorice the Cornish Dry was full of violets and hints of cardamom.
Once again I turned to what is rapidly becoming one of my favourite aperitifs, the Negroni.
December 24th – Blackwoods Vintage Dry Gin
The final gin in my Gin Advent Calendar helped me reach Christmas day in a suitably relaxed manner. Blackwoods Vintage Dry gin is another Navy Strength gin and much like the Tarquin’s Sea Dog earlier in the month was juniper forward and full of citrus flavours. At the end of the flavour however there is a delicious bouquet of wild meadow flowers that leave a warming and fresh tingle on your tongue.
Having a look for a suitable cocktail to finish off my gin odyssey I decided to browse the cocktails listed on Blackwoods’ own website. I chose The Flapper Cocktail, although I nicknamed my interpretation “The Vintage Flapper” as I had used their vintage gin. What can I say, other than it was the perfect way to toast the end of my Gin Advent Calendar?
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Thank you for joining me on my journey through my favourite gins of 2020 and reading about all the different drinks I’ve enjoyed from my Gin Advent Calendar. Perhaps you will find some gins that you like the sound of, or some cocktails that that you fancy mixing. Whatever 2021 holds for you, may it be full of good libations. Cheers and Happy New Year!
