A taste of France beckoned upon Manchester in true sophisticated style – it was a night of education and luxury for gin enthusiasts at the elegant Room Restaurant on King Street.
Hosted by G’Vine’s newly voted top mixologist and Manchester’s own Jamie Jones, alongside Drinks Enthusiast Dave Marsland and Room’s cocktail master Amir Javaid, it was an event created to learn all about this botanical gin which incorporates a unique vine flower as its key ingredient.
We began the evening as most great nights should – with a classic gin and tonic upon arrival to kick off the proceedings.
A fresh, invigorating floral twist on your typical G&T, the drink was served ice-cold and combined G’Vine’s Nouaison gin with crisp 1724 tonic water. A simple tipple, yet a clear lesson from the offset that the brand of tonic also makes all the difference in a great and refreshing G&T!
Jamie went on to give us a colourful whirlwind tour into the history of gin itself – did you know that gin in fact begins its life as vodka?
G’Vine is a product of a small French family and unlike your typical gin derived from grain, its distilled from an intricately harvested grape spirit, resulting in a more smooth and suave taste for the drinker. The rare and precious ingredient of the vine flower only blossoms once a year for just a few days in mid-June, making G’Vine a stand out product on the market because of its unique fragrance and floral essence.
A canapé of salmon tartar infused with chilli, garlic, coriander and mint was served to compliment the first cocktail of the Nouaison gin with framboise, lillet, lemon and black pepper.
A rollercoaster of tastes in the mouth, this partnership of the deliciously fresh salmon meshed so well with the silky texture of the woody juniper and cinnamon in the Nouaison gin. Perfect in a dirty Martini, Nouaison is a terrific alternative to your classic London Dry gin for an added spicy kick!
What followed was a succulent, melt-in-the-mouth five meat terrine upon a crisp gingerbread croute, finished with a square of rhubarb jelly.
This was dished up alongside a pink cocktail of Floraison gin with rhubarb and cardamom cordial and Rose lemonade- and much to the delight of the gentleman in the room, it certainly did not taste as girly as it first appeared!
Room’s mixologist Amir explained to MM that he carefully selected the crisp and feminine cardamom and ginger notes of the Floraison gin to bring out the powerful meaty tastes and counter-textures of the canapé – French romance at its best!
There were a few whispers of worry darting around the room as we saw raw egg whites being cracked into our final cocktail – but this clever concoction actually ended up being the most pleasantly surprising one of the night.
Little treats of milk chocolate-drenched shortbread with cardamom slid down ever so smoothly with a cocktail of Nouaison gin, white chocolate, orange Muscat and nutmeg.
The egg white provided the drink a creamy, luxurious texture, whilst the almond milk made sure the sweet orange and spiced flavours remained sumptuous rather than sickly.
A true ecstasy for the sweet-toothed customer!
A real adventure for the senses, the evening showcased the two G’Vine gins in all their versatile and opulent glory. The gins are presented in sleek and streamlined long bottles, luring your eye at the back of the bar because of their modern styling, but the tastes inside remain both innovative and traditional.
For the worshipper and the non-gin drinker alike, G’Vine will invigorate and spice up the run-of-the-mill G&T as we know it.
G’Vine presents the cocktail connoisseur the opportunity to explore and craft the elements and flavours of the gin with a whole array of mixers and other alcohols, and prides itself on being all about the interpretation of the drinker.
So why not head down to your local cocktail bar and give your taste buds a challenge!
G-Vine gin is available at Room Restaurant on King Street, Simple on Tib Street, Epernay, The Vega Lounge at Manchester235 and The Whim Wham Café.
It’s a new gin-eration!
For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook.
