I’ve mentioned before that I’m not really a gin drinker.
I used to avoid gin like the plague, and then I discovered that actually there are some gins I quite like and that not all gins are created equal. With all the botanicals and different recipes used to make them they can be as different from each other as different malt whiskys.
This has meant that over the last few years I’ve been keen to try different gins whenever I can, generally the expensive ones! Earlier in January, while I was too sick to enjoy it, The King of Soho asked me if I wanted to try their gin. I said yes, but did nothing but admire the pretty bottle for weeks. You can tell I’m ill when I don’t even want to try gin. It is a very pretty bottle though, all dark blue and shiny with a charmingly dandy looking chap on the front.
The actual King of Soho, that the Gin is named after, was Paul Raymond, and the gin is the creation of his son Howard. According to the website Paul Raymond “played a pivotal role in the cultural and social liberation of British society”, which glosses slightly over the girlie mags and strip clubs, but there is no doubt that he contributed to changing the face of Soho and was an interesting and entrepreneurial character. I haven’t seen it, but The Look Of Love
None of that changes the taste of the gin of course, so it was time to get on with a tasting session. There’s one thing I DO NOT like, no matter how posh, and that’s tonic, so when I drink gin it’s in a fancy cocktail, or a gin buck, which is basically gin and ginger ale.
To my tastes this gin was very smooth, and slightly citrussy, but still had that taste that I associate with London Dry Gin, I think it’s the juniper. I found it drinkable, but it wasn’t my favourite of the gins I’ve tried because it still tasted very much of London Dry Gin. Fortunately I live with a dedicated gin drinker, and Mr Chick was able to give a verdict on it as well. He said also said it was smooth, and liked it very much. So much that he’s been requesting it over his former favourite gin in home made gin and tonics, which is a recommendation if ever I heard one.
There’s some very nice cocktail recipes on the website as well which I’ll have to give a try. Finally a photo from my little tasting session that I’m sure the King of Soho will be begging me to use for their next advertising campaign, if they’re targeting the “lazing around the house in a cricket jumper with roots that need doing” market.
You can buy King of Soho gin through their website at £34.95 for a full size bottle, or £11.95 for a 20cl bottle if you just want to give it a try.
