Itâs rare for us to revisit a distillery twice, let alone three times, but Poor Toms strawberry gin was too good a choice for us this month.
We should state up front, this is a product and recipe that has undergone some serious development since its original cellar door only release. Those developments for us have made a significant difference to the end product, all for the better.
We had the opportunity to sample the original release at the Poor Toms gin hall. While tasty, it didnât yet have the development time and refinement that weâve come to expect from other Poor Toms releases.
Our search for an appropriate gin this month led us down the path of one of our most intensive tasting periods. We sampled dozens of different gins with the challenge of finding just the right product for the time of year.
We were fortunate to be reminded that the Strawberry gin had undergone some changes since its first release and might be worth revisiting. If youâre at all familiar with that first release, there are some obvious hints this is not the same product. The colour is a beautiful natural pink, thanks to the 45kg (per batch) of fresh strawberries, and hibiscus flowers. Gone is the slightly richer red colour and bits of strawberry.
The flavour is also something far more refined and balanced. While the base features their Sydney dry gin, the addition of ginger, cardamom and cubeb pepper enhance the natural sweetness of the strawberry. Unlike some pink gins out there, no sugar is added here.
When you smell the gin, thereâs no avoiding that beautiful strawberry. Itâs fresh, light and fragrant on the nose.
As you sip the gin, the mix of other complex flavours come to the fore. The juniper certainly isnât dominant, but is blended beautifully with the strawberry to give a surprisingly full mouthfeel. The gin is silky smooth and leaves a lingering spicy finish well after the strawberry has disappeared.
The genius in Poor Toms gin making, is how they can take a relatively light, easy drinking, summery gin and imbue it with a complexity that is incredibly satisfying to more seasoned gin drinkers.
We hope you love sipping this one as much as we do, but if you wish to enjoy it other ways, our serve suggestions can be found below.
As a gin and tonic, we highly recommend a light or dry tonic, garnished with a basil leaf. Youâre welcome to add strawberry as a garnish, but we think itâs perfect without.
Strawberry Gin Tom Collins
– 60ml Poor Toms Strawberry Gin
– 30ml lemon juice
– 15ml sugar syrup
– soda water
– lemon wheel
Add Strawberry Gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup to a shaker. Shake hard with ice. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Top with soda, and garnish with lemon wheel.
French 75
– 30ml Poor Toms Strawberry Gin
– 15ml lemon juice
– 15ml sugar syrup
– sparkling wine
Add Strawberry Gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup to a shaker. Shake hard with ice. Strain into a chilled champagne flute. Top with sparkling wine (extra dry prosecco or similar)
