Gin tasting at home. I bet I got your attention with gin. Am I right? Sometimes it’s fun to get creative, if you want to plan some at home treats, what better place to start than with a gin tasting?
Tasting
We selected 3 flavours from Chase Distillery. Pink Grapefruit and Pomelo, Rhubarb and Bramley Apple and Seville Marmalade. 2 to taste and one to mix in a cocktail. Chase Distillery have some really great choices, resulting in more of a contrast for your tasting experience.
Job for the host. Explain a little bit about the gin whilst guests taste, because this will enhance their tasting experience. Example Chase Pink Grapefruit & Pomelo Gin – This zippy and zesty gin is bursting with grapefruit freshness, juniper and lime. Note, it’s nice to try the gin on its own. In addition you can top up with tonic, to give a full experience.
Chase Distillery have a selection of cocktail recommendations to chose from. We chose Rhubarb and Bramley Apple with ginger beer, served with apple slices. Our guests sipped cocktails during the quiz round because it flowed well for us. However, as always you can do what works well for you.
Quizz
What tasting would be complete without a quiz. John made up 5 questions of which the first letters of the answers made an anagram which spelt out M. RUIN – Mothers Ruin, which is what gin was referred to at a time when people were living in poverty and gin was the cheapest way of forgetting your worries. I failed miserably, because I’m rubbish at quizzes, but there we go.
Gain 1 point for each correct answer. In addition, it’s a 5 point bonus for who ever guesses the anagram first.
The questions are as follows and I’ve marked the answers with a star*
1. Jenever with a ‘j’ (or genever with a ‘g’), is the precursor to modern gin; in which country did it originate?
A – France. B – India. C – United Kingdom. D – Netherlands*
2. Tonic water was drunk by colonial soldiers in 19th-century India because the quinine it contains helps stave off which disease?
A – Mumps. B – Influenza. C – Malaria*. D – Chlamydia
3. Which author is credited with inventing the Vesper, a cousin of the Martini that blends gin, vodka, and vermouth, topped with a lemon twist?
A – Charles Dickens. B – Ian Fleming*. C – Rudyard Kipling. D – JRR Tolkien
4. What was the most popular gin cocktail of the late 19th and early 20th centuries? The cocktail uses a highball glass of gin, ice, sparkling water and half a lime squeezed and dropped in. No sugar is added to this cocktail.
A – Rickey*. B – French 75. C – Bramble. D – London Cup & Lemonade
5. Where is the oldest working oldest working distillery?
A – United States. B – United Kingdom* (Plymouth Gin Distillery, where Plymouth Gin is still made according to the original 1793 recipe). C – Netherlands. D – Spain.
Final Notes
You really can do this anyway you like. We did gin tasting via zoom and it was great fun. It’s a great way to catch up over a few drinks and laugh at who gets what right on the quiz. The perfect addition to a bbq in the summer or simply just drinks with friends.
This is not sponsored in anyway by Chase Distillery, all drinks were purchased by us. Please drink responsibly and remember you must be over the age of 18 (UK) to participate.
Let me know if you give it a go. As always catch my last post here if you missed it.
Rach xx
