Gin Made In Sardinia 0 Commentaires

I love Sardinia, a love that I wish to communicate in this blog, especially when I try to convey its hidden beauties mainly in the hinterland, given that the wonders of its sea are already known to most people.

The rich Mediterranean Scrub is an essential component of Sardinian territory charm. Today we try to "distill" from the Scrub one of its protagonists: the juniper, Juniperus Oxycedrus, also known as Juniper Coccolone

It is a plant that, having low water needs, lives well in the Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and mild winters, in rocky soils offering good drainage. These environmental conditions favor optimal growth of the Sardinian juniper and guarantee the production of berries, also called “coccole”, which have, besides others, the property of providing the Gin, in infusion, with an intense and resinous aroma, with earthy and slightly spicy notes.

Sardinian Gin is characterized by adding botanicals typical of the region to the juniper berry, such as myrtle, arbutus, lavender, wild fennel, wild mint and other herbs giving it the characteristic floral, herbaceous and Mediterranean aromatic notes of the territory.

It is said that making a Gin is very simple, anyone can do it: take some juniper berries and infuse them in a neutral alcohol. Making a good Gin is very difficult. Making an excellent Gin is an art.

Silvio Carta's distillery has certainly made it an art. His son Elio was the first Gin distiller in Sardinia: after the umpteenth attempt (to produce his first Gin he distilled over 7,500 liters of alcohol. Paid, tested and thrown away...) his final recipe requires that the juniper berries are in cold infusion for about 15 days. And then the other botanicals are added which are produced, collected and processed by the company, then infused and distilled, without the addition of other substances.

Another interesting Sardinian entrepreneur, Frediano Mura, who took over his father's company, “Fragus e Saboris de Sardigna”, in Sadali, 220 km far from Gabbiano Azzurro Hotel & Suites, which can be made in in three and a half hours drive, created Lampus Gin, the first-born of the new ThunderGin family, "the electric Gin", a unique Sardinian Gin, a sensorial experience similar to a real discharge of electricity, which from Sardinia makes a shining entry in the beverage world. All 21 spices are distilled individually, without alcohol, and then combined with the alcoholic macerate and distilled again, using copper stills. Lampus is the Sardinian name that indicates flashes, lightning and thunderbolts. The same ones that are reproduced in the palate of those who taste this extraordinary Gin.

One of a kind, a singular Sardinian Gin from Gallura is the Dhea Hops Dry Gin, where, with the common Juniper and Juniper Coccolone, New Zealand hops are used as botanicals, however linking it to the territory with Sa Pompìa: the unique citrus of Sardinia. Its creator, Alessandro Ruda, selected only these three ingredients to connect a Gin to his love for beer. The acronym DHEA was born from an innovative technique for producing beer, "Dry Hopping Alcohol Extraction''. And the female image on the bottle label is inspired by a Goddess: a juniper whose shape recalls a woman from the Supramonte of Oliena, "The Lady of Monte Corrasi", with hop hair. Dhea Hops Dry Gin is distilled in Berchidda, 57 km from the Gabbiano Azzurro Hotel & Suites, reachable in 40 minutes by car.

The Gin Tonic with Dhea is excellent, because the citrus sensations of Pompia can replace the support of lemon zest.

Ask at our bars for a Sardinian Gin & Tonic: you will be pleasantly surprised and its organoleptic properties will win you over.

“A Gin and tonic under its tiny canopy of lime, elevates character and makes for enlightened conversation” (Michael Chabon)

Written by Daniela Toti