Sparrow & the Wolf – Quarantini Barrel Aged

Today is the anniversary of the Quarantini Social Dry Gin. For this occasion, the folks behind this exotically flavoured gin release a limited edition of their gin. The Barrel Aged Gin even donates 10 € to a bar or restaurant of your choice. So, let us take a closer look at the amber coloured gin and see how it holds up when being mixed.

I quite enjoyed the regular Quarantini Social Gin. Sure, its flavour is dominated by papaya and it is very hard to taste the juniper. However, this is also what makes it unique. Yet, we want to talk about the new Barrel Aged version here. So, when Felix Kaltenthaler distilled the first gin last year, they decided to fill a few brandy barrels with it. Now, a whole year later the girls and guys of the Qurantini Gin bottle it as their Barrel Aged Anniversary Limited Edition. The barrel aged Quarantini uses the same botanicals as the original bottling, namely bergamot, bitter orange and papaya. Additionally, it is also bottled at 42 % ABV.

A bit more subtle

The funny thing is, that while the Quarantini Barrel Aged Gin also clearly tastes of papaya, the exotic fruit notes are a bit more subtle. In my opinion, you can now better taste the juniper notes, in the form of candied ginger. The barrel ageing only slightly imparts the typical caramel and vanilla flavours on the gin’s taste. All in all, the barrel ageing really makes the Quarantini Gin more smooth, without losing its distinctive characteristics.

G&T? Go dry

It is a bit hard to combine a barrel aged gin with a tonic. At least for me, the additional barrel ageing notes get lost with too much or a too sweet tonic. Therefore, I combined the Quarantini Barrel Aged Gin with the Schweppes Dry Tonic Water. Of course, the more traditional way of garnishing the highball would have been to throw in a lemon twist. Yet, I decided to emphasise the exotic fruit notes with a dried dragon fruit wheel. This also gives the drink a slight pink hue.

A Gin Jungle Bird

The Drinkstagramer Distiller’s Cut brought the gin version of the Jungle Bird cocktail to my attention. Caledonian Spirits created the Jungle Cat cocktail using their Tom Cat Gin. Therefore, I decided to use this cocktail as a template for my version with the Quarantini Gin. Basically, I kept the original recipe, but instead of pineapple juice, I used pineapple-caramel cordial. Yet, this meant that I had to adjust the sour to sweetness ratio of the drink. So, I decreased the amount of the cordial and increased the lemon juice. Apart from that, I used the Mondino Stagionato instead of Campari.

The funny thing is, with the exotic fruit notes of the Quarantini Barrel Aged Gin the “Sparrow and the Wolf” reminds me more of the original Jungle Bird version than I thought. However, of course the drink lacks the typical Jamaica rum notes and the “bite” from the Campari. Instead, the cocktail is very pleasant with a whole bunch of fruits. The maple syrup really works well with the gin and the Mondino. In the end, the recipe nicely shows how to use a barrel aged gin in cocktails.

*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product. The gin was provided by Quarantinie.