Spirited News – Engel Gin Set

I am very delighted to share my first freelance work with you. Manuel Engel created a set of six different gins to showcase his ability to meet the customers need for individual spirits. I was very happy to create suitable and easy cocktails for each gin. Each gin uses juniper from Umbria and a specific mix of botanicals.

Floral Gin

First, we have the Floral Gin. Manuel adds roses, raspberries, lemons and lavender to the recipe. The roses as well as the lavender do dominate the taste. Therefore, I decided to go with a simple gin sour recipe, enhanced with orange juice and honey. This resulted in a refreshing drink with a bit added complexity from the honey. When mixing a Gin & Tonic you should go with a classic tonic water like Aqua Monaco.

Fruity Gin

Manuel adds quince, apple, yuzu, elderflower, raspberry and sea-buckthorn to the mix in his Frucht Gin. So, it does not come as a big surprise that this version remined me of other gins which use apple as a botanical. Yet, the gin comes off as a bit more complex and balanced. Since there were already raspberries in the gin, I decided to make a raspberry gin sour. Apart from raspberry syrup a touch of Campari adds more depth and a beautiful colour. Here, I enjoyed the combination with Aqua Monaco Herbal Tonic Water.

Classic Gin

Obviously, you can also get a classic gin at the Engel Naturbrennerei. The special botanicals used are lemon, ginger grass as well as hemp seeds. These create a typical flavour profile, with juniper and lemon taking centre stage. I complemented these flavours with a classic Mule recipe and added a bit of basil. You cannot go wrong with the classic Aqua Monaco Tonic Water in a G&T.

Mediterranean Gin

I really do enjoy Mediterranean -inspired gins. Manuel and his wife foraged for some of the ingredients for this one themselves in Sicily. All in all, the list of botanicals include kumquat, Buddha’s Hand, lemon, basil, blood orange, almond, caper, pistachio, olive leaf as well as clementine. For a drink, I went with the classic Gin & It combination, topping everything off with soda water and an olive. It makes for an excellent aperitif on hot days! For a G&T a did prefer the Aqua Monaco Herbal Tonic Water.

Forest Gin

In the bar where I used to work, the team would infuse fresh fir shoots in gin every year. Manuel took the same approach to his Wald Gin. Apart from fir shoots, he added Timut pepper, lime, angelica and liquorice. The strong flavours of this gin seemed perfect for a pairing with fresh herbs in a Smash. Indeed, the combination of thyme and lemon balm works particularly well with the resinous flavours of the gin. I can even imagine a Pale Ale working well instead of the soda water. The Aqua Monaco Herbal Tonic Water works excellent with the strong flavours of the Wald Gin.

Citrus Gin

Last, but not least Manuel also created a citrus-forward gin. Since, the gin’s botanicals of lemon, ginger and ginger grass just screamed “Negroni”, I was more than happy to oblige. However, instead of making a classic Negroni, I turned the drink into a highball by adding Aqua Monaco Chinotto Mandarin lemonade. Due to the sweetness of the lemonade, I reduced the amount of Campari and sweet vermouth slightly. For a Gin & Tonic pairing, I went for the classic Aqua Monaco Tonic Water here.

*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product. I received the lemonads for free from Aqua Monaco. – This post is sponsored by Engel Naturbrennerei.