Gin Madness Day 17-A Look at Hendricks Gin
Jumping from our last gin, Port of Barcelona hailing from Spain we skip over to Scotland and Hendricks Gin. Hendricks, a gin instantly associated with cucumbers by most gin drinkers. But that Hendricks, she’s a gin of so many more personalities. This can be attributed to the process used to birth this wonderous spirit. By taking a step outside the box that many distillers live in, and using a process that combines two different styles of distillation, the end result is a spirit with many different notes.
Before we get to all that, let’s take a quick look at what botanicals go into Hendricks. Hendricks infuses about thirteen different botanicals into its base spirit. Outside of the usual juniper berry, citrus peels, coriander, angelica and orris roots, Hendricks introduces elderflower, meadowsweet, and caraway to its neutral spirit during the distillation process. Oh and what a distillation process it is.
Unlike most other gins, Hendricks ’starts off by a vapor based distillation process by means of a Carter Head Still for one of its two base spirits. In this particular style of still, the botanicals are placed in a basket and meet the rising vapors of the spirit originate from the base of the still. This is but one part of the Hendricks Process. The second step of the process that leads to Hendricks is taking these same botanicals and steeping them again and the base spirit. These two separate distillations are combined or married together before the final ingredients of rose petal and cucumbers are added via an infusion method to create the spirit we all know as Hendricks Gin.
With a process like this, Hendricks falls under a category all its own and definitely doesn’t disappoint when it meets the palate. As you take that first sip, Hendricks grabs the taste buds he moment this elegant gin hits your lips. Layers of delicate sweetness peel away to reveal hints of soothing sweet orange, nuances of tangerine and the occasional touch of cucumber that leads the way into a finish brimming with softness yet at the same time spice.
Ease into It…
1 ¾ oz Hendricks
¾ Black pepper Watermelon Syrup
½ Navan Vanilla Liqueur
½ oz Lemon Juice
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters
Ease into It… A combination of Hendricks Gin, Navan Vanilla Liqueur, Black Pepper Watermelon Syrup, Lemon Juice and Angostura Bitters.
Petite and Deadly
1 ¾ oz Hendricks
¾ oz Laird’s Bonded Applejack
1oz Hudson Apple Vodka
¾ oz Apple Cinnamon Syrup
Barspoon Yellow Chartreuse
2 Dashes The Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters
Petite and Deadly. A combination of Hendricks Gin, Laird’s Bonded Applejack, Hudson Apple Vodka, Apple Cinnamon Syrup, Yellow Chartreuse and The Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters.
