When you hate the taste of both coffee and gin, you find yourself spending your entire life feeling like you're missing out on some big beverage secret. But no matter how hard you try, you just can't get your palate to adjust.
Puerto de Indias strawberry gin
I had the opportunity to become a gin convert once and for all over the weekend when I tried the Puerto de Indias strawberry gin. Founded in Seville back in 2013, Puerto de Indias officially came to the UK this summer with a launch event in Covent Garden in London. It's the original and best-selling strawberry gin in the world and I was thoroughly excited to try it. Because strawberries are LIFE!
It was decadently packaged, a vibrant pink colour and it smelled divine. But still I had reservations; I'm a whiskey drinker with a huge preference for bourbon, though I am partial to a tequila on special occasions. I'm certainly not a fan of especially fruity alcoholic drinks and I've always found gin far too overpowering to enjoy.
Nonetheless I poured myself a glass, took a deep breath, and sipped. I was pleasantly surprised. The flavour was very moreish and lingered satisfyingly on the tongue, though I still found myself doing my usual "gin grimace" followed by an involuntary shudder. Strong and sturdy it may be, but compared to a lot of gins, it's actually remarkably smooth and fairly light on the palate; an ideal after dinner treat.
If, like me, you're not an expert when it comes to mixing drinks, this pink gin is absolutely your friend. It really needs very little to complement the powerful punch of the strawberry; the subtle citrus, aniseed and classic juniper notes give it real depth and sophistication, so have it on the rocks with a simple tonic and a few fresh strawberries.
Am I a gin convert thanks to this Spanish pink gin? Probably not overall. I can't really put my finger on why I struggle with the potency of this boozey decadence; at 37.5% ABV it's less than my favourite tipples of Maker's Mark and Jim Beam. But perhaps it's all down to the powerful flavours that go into distilling gin that I'm not used to. On the other hand, if anything is going to encourage me to try new things, it's the temptation of the delectable strawberry and I am most certainly not against trying this again and again.
Tagged in Alcohol