PUBLISHED November 18th, 2016 06:00 am | UPDATED May 18th, 2020 04:26 pm
The 4th East Imperial Gin Jubilee is just around the corner! Before you head down from 20 to 26 November 2016, find out more about the amazing gin brands involved and the 36 participating Singapore bars as they compete for the title of Asia’s Best Gin & Tonic (also, take a look at our round-up of the top highlights during the festival here).
Bombay Sapphire
Created in 1987 by Bacardi, the Bombay Sapphire is known for its floral tones and light flavour, combining ten exotic botanicals for a balanced taste.
Bar Partners:
Hendrick’s
Hendrick’s Gin is popular among beginners and seasoned aficionados alike for its distinctive infusion of cucumber and Bulgarian rose essence, distilled in small batches with 12 botanicals.
Bar Partners:
- Bob’s Bar, Capella Hotels (Alessandro Rosá with Yuzu Tonic)
- Smoke & Mirrors (Yugnes Susela with Burma Tonic)
Dodd’s
Crafted in London’s Bermondsey, Dodd’s Gin uses a proprietary small-batch distillation method that distills over eight organic botanicals that include angelica, fresh lime peel, bay laurel, red raspberry leaf, and London honey.
Bar Partners:
- Anti:dote (Gina Kent with Yuzu Tonic)
- Skinny’s Lounge (Russell Cardoza with Burma Tonic)
Citadelle
Named after an old distillery in the town of Dunkerque, this French gin packs a punch with a mixture of 19 botanicals such as nutmeg and cinammon. Citadelle is made in small traditional Charentaise pot stills that allow the complementary aromas to come together.
Bar Partners:
- db Bistro & Oyster Bar by Daniel Boulud (Erlo Lusaya with Grapefruit Tonic)
- Kilo (Kelvin Yap with Burma Tonic)
Death’s Door
Death’s Door is an American craft gin with a wheat-and-barley base, the ingredients are all grown at the distillery on Washington Island. It is made using a surprisingly simple mix of three ingredients: spicy juniper berries, coriander seeds, and cooling fennel seeds.
Bar Partners:
Sipsmith
Distilled from English wheat spirit and ten botanicals before being blended with pure water from Lydwell Spring, Sipsmith‘s London Dry Gin emerges as a burst of juniper and citrusy freshness.
Bar Partners:
- The Terrace and Lobby Lounge at Conrad Centennial Singapore (Simon Brelsford with Yuzu Tonic)
- Raffles Long Bar (Andy Lim with Old World Tonic)
St. George
Made by California’s St. George Spirits, this dry rye gin is juniper-led and supported with five other botanicals – black peppercorn, caraway, coriander, grapefruit peel, and lime peel – chosen to play up the peppery nature of juniper.
Bar Partners:
- Bread Street Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay (William Pravda with Grapefruit Tonic)
- 28 HongKong Street (Charmaine Ann Thio with Yuzu Tonic)
Fords Gin
Using nine botanicals that include coriander, jasmine, grapefruit, cassia, and angelica, Fords is a London Dry gin that’s classic and clean.
Bar Partners:
- Employees Only (Steve Schneider with Grapefruit Tonic)
- Potato Head Folk (Jonathan Emmanuel with Burma Tonic)
Monkey 47
The name Monkey 47 stems from the fact that this gin is distilled with 47 botanicals, many of them from the Black Forest in Germany, resulting in a complex woody, herby, and fruity taste.
Bar Partners:
- The Other Room (Dario Knox with Old World Tonic)
- PYXIEMOSS (Adam Gray with Burma Tonic)
The Botanist
Made at the Bruichladdich Distillery on the island of Islay, The Botanist is distilled from nine different botanicals and passed through a basket with 22 different herbal ingredients for an incredibly aromatic flavour.
Bar Partners:
- Neon Pigeon (Ng Kai Ho with Burma Tonic)
- Ah Sam Cold Drink Stall (Sim Sze Wei with Burma Tonic)
Four Pillars
Made at a small Australian distillery, Four Pillars Gin is an award winning spirit that uses highly aromatic Australian citrus along with botanicals like cardamon, cinnamon, Tasmanian pepper berry leaf, and star anise.
Bar Partners:
- Tippling Club (Joe Schofield with Burma Tonic)
- Artemis (Rico Deang with Burma Tonic)
Brooklyn
Handmade in New York, Brooklyn Gin is distilled with the local corn and uses botanicals like citrus peels from locally grown fruit for a unique and fresh taste perfect in a G&T.
Bar Partners:
- Oxwell & Co. (Issyam As’ari with Burma Tonic)
- Spago by Wolfgang Puck (Carmichael Rubiano with Old World Tonic)
Bluecoat
Bluecoat Gin is batch-distilled five times in a custom copper pot still with only four all-organic botanicals: juniper berry, coriander seed, citrus peel, and angelica root for a refreshingly sweet aroma, intensely smooth body and earthy juniper notes.
Bar Partners:
- Highball (Kino Soh with Old World Tonic)
- Cufflink Club (Andrew Goodall with Old World Tonic)
Santamania
Possessing a rounded flavour and a hint of fruity freshness, Santamania gins are made with native grape neutral spirit from Spain with botanicals like pistachio nuts, raspberry, Spanish lime, and liquorice.
Bar Partners:
- El Tardeo (Benedict Gerard with Burma Tonic)
- The Secret Mermaid (Kelly D’cruz with Burma Tonic)
NB Gin
NB Gin is produced with grain spirit and eight botanicals such as orris root, grains of paradise, and cassia bark in North Berwick, Scotland. Smooth, clean, and dry.
Bar Partners:
- The Rabbit Hole (Julian Serna with Burma Tonic)
- Caché (IZY Dining&Bar, Shinya Koba with Yuzu Tonic)
Ransom Old Tom
This American gin from Oregon is produced in the Old Tom style that was popular in 18th century England. Ransom is distilled using 11 botanics, including lemon peel, hops and marionberries for a citrusy, zesty, and slightly woody flavour.
Bar Partners:
- Adrift by David Myers (Ananda Ruben with Burma Tonic)
- The Horse’s Mouth (Kenneth Lim with Grapefruit Tonic)
G’Vine
The star of G’Vine gins is the exquisite rare vine flower, using Ugni Blanc grapes to create a grape neutral spirit much smoother than traditional grain spirits, along with nine fresh wholefruit botanicals like ginger root and cubeb berries.
Bar Partners:
- Flight Bar & Lounge (Michael Oshea with Burma Tonic)
- CinCin (Fadly Sujebto with Burma Tonic)
Zufanek
Created with herbs and spices from the Czech Republic, OMG by Zufanek utilises 16 botanicals such as almond, lavender, cubeb, and flowers from the Cezch national tree – the linden – and macerates them for 36 hours.
Partner Bars:
- The Library (Lukas Kaufmann with Burma Tonic)
- Spiffy Dapper (Pavel Zdarsky with Burma Tonic)
The 4th East Imperial Gin Jubilee is happening from 20 to 26 November 2016 at various locations around Singapore. For more information, including the full events calendar, please click here.