Jazzing Up Juniper
Gin-tastic Juniper Berries
(source: Wikipedia)
I am a glutton for food and drink inspirations and their crossover with perfume + smell, so ever since my '7 Noses of Soho' walk, I have been itching to try out one of the bars recommended by our Guide, Peter Berthoud. It's a fabulous Gin-porium just off Soho Square.
So last night, with a fellow imbiber in tow, I sought out this (probably not so now!) secret gem of a place, The Star at Night, which serves up a multitude of gins with flavour enhancing garnishes. (Apologies for the grainy pic quality - a very low light and Blackberry lens!)
The Gin Sampler – 4 delectable bowls of gin
We went for the gin-sampler, consisting of 4 mini goldfish bowls of different types of gin, replete with mini bergs of ice, Fever Tree tonic water and garnished as follows:
Gin 1. Served with a small strawberry, the Gin was sweeter and with a berry like delicate perfume and flavour. A real summer quencher. I profess I ate the strawberry too (shameless) and it was a mouth burst of sweet, hot summer, that only those small ripe alpine strawberries can give.
Gin 2. Served with a slice of orange, clean, fresh, fruity and light, with more citrus flavours coming through.
Gin with a strawberry garnish and gin with an orange garnish
Gin 3. Served with a teasing zest of clementine: refreshing, and tangy, with a zest and bitter floral note, my favourite!
Gin 4. The final one came with a cape gooseberry, this was slightly more 'savoury' in flavour and tasted more full-bodied, aroma was more brine-y and herbal, I think this would go well with olives and salted almonds.
Gin with a tease of Clementine and a Cape of Gooseberry
I got so carried away with drooling over the extensive menu I forgot to note what gins we had, they have 40 on offer (!) and with a gamut of garnishes such as Cardamom, Grapefruit, Celery, Pear etc ...
However, as I am now an official signed up member of 'The London Gin Club', I hope to return with posse of friends to sample the Gin Cocktails (27 in all) and recap on the gins - purely for research purposes of course!
Now a glass of the old 'mothers ruin' may not be to everyones' taste, but this ambient bar also offer a variety of cocktails and wines and a small menu of nibbles and snacks to ensure your stomach is lined and bonhomie is maintained within decorous boundaries.
I am off to peruse some gins for my Christmas larder (Christmas .. the horror...the horror!) and get my Juniper essential oil out for some crazy compositions!
Related Articles:
- It's farewell to mother's ruin: cocktail set give gin a shake-up (guardian.co.uk)
- A gin-lover's guide to London (standard.co.uk)
- Perfumer Bond No. 9 Captures Essence of Brooklyn(bellasugar.com) And on a final fragrant note, go spritz on some scintillating Penhaligon's 'Juniper Sling'