Knightly Relish

There is nothing quite like a cold G&T but when it gets chillier outside, all you feel like drinking is a cup of hot gin that may do the trick.

Staranise, cloves, orange and everything fall reminds us that winter is almost here. With warm, comforting and flavourful notes, they take us back into the cozy shell that we love. Gins have been making a huge mark in the current spirit aesthetes dictionary as a staple, be it in summer or in winters. Lightly spiced, beautifully aromatic, and full of heady botanicals, a glug of gin is the perfect base for a winter warmer.

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While most cocktails are imagined with handful of ice, chilled and cold, at Hendrick’s the love and whimsy for the perfect cocktail embraces seasons like no other. With their steaming cup of the Hot Gin Old Fashioned, they combine earthy notes and flavours that speak of a comforting winter’s day. To help us decode the spirit further, Pankaj Balachandran, Principal Curator, Bar Back Collective helps us define the smoothness of the gin, “As it starts with a neutral spirit as a base, gins usually don’t have any congeners which make it very smooth. In case of Hendrick’s, they use two different stills to incorporate the flavours which helps in making the gin extra smooth and also the subtle flavours elevate the experience,” says Pankaj.

After pouring in 50ml of the Hendriks Gin, 10 ml of sugar syrup and 3 dashes of orange bitters in a pot, gently heat them in circular motion using a barspoon. The spirit soon exuberates a rich light golden tint, making it an enchanting drink experience. It has warm tasting herbal notes that calm one’s senses yet revives us with the intense aroma. This simple yet iconic drink incorporates 50ml of boiling water and is poured into a tankard giving it the ancient British knight’s drink vibe. The spirit is then garnished with an orange twist to complete it’s robust journey.

The best way and time to enjoy this cocktail is on cool winter evenings, at home with friends and family, especially during the festive season. But the beauty of an old fashioned is that it’s the ideal year- round sipper – cool and refreshing in the hot summer and warm in the cold.

From the November-December 2019 issue of FHM India.