Drinking trends like fashion, change from season to season and a big trend now is the demand for premium handcrafted cocktails especially amongst millennials. Pre-mixed and fresh cocktail recipes are moving away from artificial colourants and flavours in preference for high-quality ingredients with a natural appeal. Gin is valued for its earthy appeal and a natural flavour. According to the survey conducted by the Bacardi Cultural Insights Network in 2020, gin was chosen as the top spirit among premium cocktails and other alcoholic drinks by 37% of bartenders worldwide.
Cocktail culture makes experimenting with flavour an exciting past time for those who love gin! Because of gin’s highly adaptable flavour it makes the perfect infusion for just about any cocktail. But it wasn’t always like this.
Monks during the 1100s used it to make medicines by distilling sharp, fiery, alcoholic tonics, one of which was distilled from wine infused with juniper berries. As a medicinal herb, juniper had been an essential part of doctors’ kits for centuries. But its vile taste made it unpalatable until the Dutch tinkered with its flavour in the 17th century contributing to gin’s massive growth in popularity.
For the next few centuries new and faster ways were found to improve the distilling process, the G&T was discovered, and gin boomed. But by 1950 vodka had its moment coinciding with the invention of convenience foods and mechanical solutions like soda guns and syrup dispensers. The first pre-mix cocktail eliminated the need to juice fresh citrus or balance it with sugar. By the 1980s bar tending cocktails and gin were at an all-time low.
Then in 2009, everything changed. The focus on juniper berries for flavour shifted incorporating more botanicals leading to the craft gin movement. Fast-forward to 2024, gin is back on top with more than 5 500 gins on the market. According to Whitley Neill Gin South Africa, the market revenue generated for all gins sold in supermarkets and convenience stores at home should amount to US$45.8m in 2024 and is expected to grow annually by 14.29% (CAGR 2024-2028).
A true gin must be made with juniper berries but thanks to the craft gin trend each producer is allowed to use their own secret formula. Combinations of botanicals used include orris, angelica, and liquorice roots, lemon and orange peels, cassia bark, caraway, coriander, cardamom, anise, and fennel.
Whitley Neill invites you to experiment with one or all seven of their flavour variants. They recommend their Original Gin, Raspberry or Protea & Hibiscus. Protea and hibiscus flavours combine to bring a distinctive floral note to create a smooth gin with a unique and remarkable taste that reflects the majestic beauty of the two flowers. Use it to make this delicious cocktail.
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