How to Enjoy Hillside Gin
Tart acidic fruits such as grapefruit, lime and cranberry lend themselves well to this gin, much more so than sweeter things like orange or raspberry. The underlying sweetness of the barley spirit removes the need for any over-sweet tonics or mixers, so stick to gentler and more herbal tonics. Here are a few recipes from friends and followers. If you find your own perfect cocktail using Hillside Gin, please let us know.
The Perfect G&T
Fill a glass with ice, add a shot of Hillside Gin. Squeeze a quarter slice of pink grapefruit over the ice and add the slice to the glass. Pour over a Mediterranean tonic water to your taste, and garnish with another small slice of pink grapefruit. Add a few juniper berries to the glass if you want to enhance the vegetal flavour.
The Floral G&T
To make a more floral drink, use a slice of lime and switch to an Elderflower tonic water instead. The fruits will still come through, but the heather takes a much more forward position.
Grapefruit Bramble
Fancy something a bit sweeter and colourful? Muddle a slice of grapefruit in a glass. Then add 50ml of Hillside Gin, 25ml of sugar syrup and 10ml of lime juice. Fill the glass with crushed ice and add a dash of cassis. Stir to mix and enjoy.
How to Enjoy Barley Vodka
Barley Vodka is unique in that it is smooth enough to sip on its own, but bold enough to endure more advanced mixing techniques. Overly acidic fruits tend to overrun the sweetness, so stick to gentler fruits and acids. Here are a few recipes from friends and followers. If you find your own perfect cocktail using Barley Vodka, please let me know.
Vodka Sip and Sniff
Take a brandy snifter and stuff it mostly full of crushed ice. Use a vegetable peeler and remove a generous slice of unwaxed orange peel, making sure to take only the bright orange peel and none of the white pith. Lay the orange peel across the ice and pour a good measure of Barley Vodka across the peel and into the ice. A perfect drink to sniff and sip.
Raspberry Vodka Tonic
Add ice and two or three raspberries, ideally frozen, to a glass. Add a 50ml measure of Barley Vodka. Add premium Indian tonic water to taste and garnish with a slice of lime.
Classic Vodka Martini
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add 75ml of Barley Vodka. Pour in 20ml of dry vermouth. Do not shake and do not stir. Trust me, a martini should remain dense and viscous, shaking will work air into the spirit resulting in an overly frothy drink. Simply swirl the shaker a few times to gently mix the spirits and leave for a few minutes to chill thoroughly. Strain the drink gently into a martini glass and garnish with a slice of lemon peel.
Espresso Martini
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add 50ml of Barley Vodka. Add 25ml of coffee liqueur. Add in one shot of freshly made, but fully cooled espresso. Unlike the classic martini, you want to shake this one vigorously to break up the ice and create a light froth. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with a few roasted coffee beans laid gently onto the froth that forms on top.