British. Bikes. The best G&T? Joseph Lewis, Edward Godden and Jack Langridge’s pop-up drinks project, The Travelling Gin Company, combines that trinity with a bike spirit optic, peddle powered adventure and a recent Berlin pop-up at the Michelberger Hotel where they experimented with coconut water cans Fountain of Youth and a stellar gin and coconut mixer… TheTGC also served up at Treptower and Viktoria Park, Mauer Park and further excursions across the Oberbaumbrücke, around Skalitzer Strasse and back towards the canal by Maybachufer’s Turkish food market in the Kreuzkölln area. I’m sure there’s many more summer TTGC events to come.
The Travelling Gin Company call/crawl through their Top 5 gins…
1. VL92
“We were introduced to VL92 (of Rotterdam) recently whilst on the road in Berlin by Fiede Schillmoeller of Amsterdam, who said there is a great movement of new spirits appearing in the Netherlands right now. It’s based on traditional Dutch genever recipes and also malt wine to give it some oomph. Like us, their favourite tonic water compliment is Fentimans.”
2. Monkey 47
“We discovered this for the first time on our trip to Berlin. It’s quite expensive at around £40 per bottle (nearer £60 for the Distiller’s Cut) but well worth sampling. A vast range of herbs, spices and citrus involved, a lot going on but still has a very smooth taste - Schwarzwald Dry Gin. Started by a Brit based in Berlin after the 2nd World War, Monty Collins. He then moved to the Black Forest where juniper berries were readily available and developed his own recipe. Then only in the last years has a Black Forest distillery adopted his invention and put into production. There’s a great story about how it all begun on their website.”
3. Martin Miller’s
“Das Hotel on Mariannenstrasse in Kreuzberg treated us to a great gin and tonic mixer with a cut of apple and cinnamon stick. Their favourite behind the bar was unanimously Martin Miller’s and we had to agree it was extra special, particularly with the cinnamon and apple accompaniments. We’ve been trying these at home ever since, great to add something a little bit more interesting to your G&T and so simple.”
4. Sacred
“A micro-distillery in Highgate run by Ian Hart & Hilary Whitney. Great to try neat first and then make your G&Ts nice and strong. ½ gin to ½ tonic is best, that might sounds too potent for some folks, but try as strong as possible to begin with to appreciate fully. We like to throw it in the freezer for a while before serving. As well as their London Dry, they make excellent vodka.”
5. Bathtub
“We don’t know a great deal about this gin other than it tastes awesome. We tracked it down on the online spirits store Master Of Malt of Tunbridge Wells. It is made up in very small batches at a time so not always available but this is definitely worth a try. A great use of botanicals, flavours of cinnamon, coriander and orange very present. Really into the string, wax and brown paper bottle packaging too – looks great on our bike’s optics.”
Guest Column:
ON PLATE CINEMA
by Carlos Carneiro
