A Negroni's timelessness is its real strength. The drink is never really in vogue (in the same way a spritz has been, for example) and never really falls out of fashion; it’s a reliable staple that will always work. Medicinal and bitter but luxuriously sweet, boozy and stout enough for winter but crisp enough for the sunshine, it can be enjoyed year-round with ease. What’s more, it’s a simple drink to make from just a few ingredients, requiring no special technique or equipment, yet the taste is more than the sum of its parts. The drink’s image is hard to pin down too; it’s as at home on the riviera as it is in the city, and is both a...
Not so long ago, the craft gin scene in the UK exploded, with countless small distillers experimenting to create a host of new, exciting products. This new school paid homage to the classics while all adding their own personalities, with many going on to great success and ubiquity. A few years later, Japan saw this and had its own ideas. What followed was a flowering of some of the most inspired recipes ever bottled, in our opinion, and a burgeoning scene that explored gin in new ways. We’d like to talk some more about what Japanese gin is, what makes it distinct, and why it might be worth your time to try some. Drinking in Japan To understand how Japan’s...
The season of romance is firmly upon us, with Valentine’s Day quite literally around the corner. If you’ve ever wandered past a florist or gift shop and wondered “why today?”, you wouldn’t be alone. While the value of Valentine’s Day to relationships can’t really be questioned, how and why it came to exist becomes more and more mysterious the deeper you dig. Where did it come from? As with many events in the Western Christian tradition, there is something of a dotted line between the modern version and its pagan origins. There is some evidence that the Roman feast of Lupercalia, a fertility festival that took place in February each year, is the originator. This featured animal sacrifices, plenty of...
If Christmas calls for Christmas movies, then we think that a Christmas movie calls for a signature cocktail! Below are some of our favourite family films for the holiday season, with some appropriately chosen serves based on Hidden Curiosities gin. We’ve tried our best to stick to the themes of the movies, but forgive us if we’ve had some fun with it; the holiday season brings out the carefree in us. Expect wintry spices, sweet combos and playful colours as we give you some of our very best festive recipes. 1.) Elf (2003) This beautifully ridiculous Christmas classic certainly deserves a tipple to call its own. We’ve used Buddy’s favourite food as our core ingredient - pure, 100% maple syrup!...
We know that the term “Craft Gin” has become a branding term robbed of all meaning, but we mean it in the old fashioned sense; our gin is made in small batches, with every bottle handled individually by the brand’s founder and director. Our bottles may look spectacular, but they are as much handicrafts as they are top-shelf bar staples. Each bottle is hand-sealed, dipped in melted wax by Jenny herself - black for London Dry, gold for Aranami. The characteristic labels are based on original artist-drawn designs, with each label, again, stuck on carefully by hand. The distillation batch number is even written in pen on the reverse. The bottle’s distinctive square, medicine bottle shape is produced in heavy...
