Chin chin to Brisbane's gin revival

From its use as a depressant to associations with poverty and a debauched, Dickensian London, the origins of gin are rather muddled.

But over the centuries gin shrugged off its louche reputation until it came to be seen as a beverage enjoyed by a conservative, middle-aged drinker. Now it's reinventing itself afresh, and is being embraced by mixologists and a young generation of ''ginthusiasts''.

The host of gin varieties can be roughly divided into two categories – old-school London dry gin and new-age contemporary gin, says Matthew Hilan, the managing director of Fortitude Valley's new gin-focussed bar Dutch Courage Officers' Mess. The foundations of gin are the same in both, with juniper berries the dominant flavour and base, before being infused with botanicals such as herbs, spices, fruit and flowers to create unique flavours and fragrances.

London dry gin is the classic gin that was historically made in Britain, hence the name, but it's more a style than a geographic indicator. Then there's the new wave of gin being developed in recent years from all over the world, including Australia.

So what's the difference between traditional gin and new-wave gins?

"The juniper sits in the background more [in the new-age gins], so you're getting more floral botanicals, more fruit and citrus," Hilan says.
''What this is doing is making gin more appealing to people who never used to like it."

New-wave gins also tend to have more textural detail, Hilan says, and better ability to mix well and show subtle variations.

Joining established brands such as Tanqueray, Bombay Sapphire, Hendrick's and Beefeater are locals such as The Melbourne Gin Company, Four Pillars, Tasmania's Lark Distillery, and WA distillers West Winds.

The bar manager at Brisbane's Black Bird Bar and Grill, Aaron Clark, says people now have more "educated palates" and are not afraid to try something new.

"The quality of Australian gin is on par with the big international labels, which is a great feat because supporting local distilleries does not mean a compromise on quality,'' says Clark, whose venue won The Brisbane Times Good Food Guide award for best bar list.

Wherever the gin comes from, gin-inspired cocktails are at the top of many drinks list. Black Bird does a twist on the classic gin fizz with Beefeater 24 gin and lemon juice, combined with peach liqueur, aperol and finished with a house-made rhubarb soda. Bosc in West End has a speciality gin menu filled with Australian labels and an innovative cocktail list that includes The Daisy: a signature gin sorbet of blood oranges, passionfruit, gin and egg white.

Gin's diversity and mixability aside, there's no doubting the popularity of the gin and tonic with most gin lovers.

Gin first became synonymous with tonic because of its use as an antimalarial, both for the military and civilians in the British colonies around the world in the 19th century. Hilan says tonic, which contains the bitter-tasting substance quinine, was fairly unpleasant to drink because the quality of tonic water was not as good as it is today.

"They discovered that by pairing tonic water with gin, it was actually a lot easier to drink."

While ice and a slice of lemon is the classic accompaniment for a gin and tonic, the trend towards using botanicals other than juniper is giving rise to a range of other garnishes.

Bosc owner Emily Tankey says her venue matches gin with garnishes to bring out the unique flavouring of each label.

"West Wind's Cutlass uses bush tomatoes as a flavour profile so we garnish it with cherry tomatoes and a basil leaf," she says.

The Four Pillars gin is garnished with a slice of orange to enhance its citrus notes and the Kangaroo Island gin is garnished with a sprig of rosemary, similar to one of its local botanicals.

So whether you're a gin drinker from way back or new to the joys it offers, pull up a bar stool and celebrate the gin renaissance with a classic gin and tonic with a twist or an inspired gin cocktail. Chin chin!

Garnish tips

Tanqueray
Go traditional with a wedge of lime or add zest with grapefruit.

Bombay Sapphire
Garnish with a wedge of lime or bring out the citrus notes with a curl of orange peel.

Hendrick's
Enjoy its bitter, floral character with a slice of cucumber.

Gordon's Gin
Best served with a wedge of lime or try Gordon's cucumber and elderflower gins with cucumber and strawberries respectively.

Beefeater London Dry Gin
Garnish with a slice of lemon for a classic G&T.

The Melbourne Gin Co.
Try with a slice of grapefruit.

The West Winds Cutlass
Cherry tomatoes and basil leaf match this label's bush tomato flavours.

Kangaroo Island Spirits O-Gin
A sprig of rosemary will bring out the wild rosemary infused in the gin.

Four Pillars
A slice of orange enhances the citrus notes of this Australian label.

Throughout July, some of Brisbane's best bartenders will be mixing it up daily for Bar Hop presented by Tanqueray, as part of Good Food Month. For $20, you'll get a Tanqueray cocktail and bar snack at participating bars. See brisbane.goodfoodmonth.com