Inginious Gin
As someone unable to spot a trend until its rear lights are disappearing over the horizon, I have been a latecomer to the world of NoLo, no alcohol or low alcohol drinks. I have always studiously swerved the dubious honour of being a designated driver, not fancying an evening gazing on a soft drink with faintly disguised hostility and have never felt the need to improve the wellbeing of the temple that is my body by eschewing alcohol, it is something has passed me by. In an era when more people are becoming health conscious and the boozy lunch is frowned upon by employers, there is a nettle for NoLo producers to grasp.
And grasp it they are. With 58% of people drinking more NoLo in late 2021 than a year before, and eight out of ten looking to embrace more options, according to Nielsen CGA, the market is ready. Inginious Gin is aimed at those looking for a refreshing gin and tonic without the alcoholic content. The brainchild of Simon Liddle and developed with the assistance of Sloemotion Distillery in North Yorkshire, it is a concentrated 43% ABV gin spirit with ten times the flavour concentration of a full-strength alcoholic gin.
Twelve “responsibly sourced” botanicals are used in the manufacture of Inginious, including the classics of juniper and coriander and a heady hit of citrus flavours including lemongrass, grapefruit, and lime. There are two principal ways in which NoLo gin is made. The first is to soak the botanicals in purified water rather than a neutral spirit until the liquid takes on a flavour of a gin without the alcoholic kick. The other is to use a small amount of neutral flavoured spirit into which the selected botanicals are added. The liquid is then gently heated over several rounds of distillation to extract the flavours of the non-alcoholic ingredients. The vapours rise, condense, and are cooled, diluted, and separated to produce the drink.
It is a lengthy process – often lengthier than making alcoholic gin – involved, and complex. However, Inginious does seem to have cracked it, producing what to the taste is like a London Dry Gin. With juniper to the fore mixed with earthy spices and peppers and a pronounced citric element provided by lemongrass, grapefruit, and lime, it makes for a well-balanced, refreshing drink which does not compromise taste while reducing the alcohol content to just 0.2 units per serve. Inginious, you might say.
The bottle is stylish with an art deco feel about it, circular, stubby, with wide shoulders and a short neck leading to a wooden top and an artificial stopper. The labelling is geometric in design, making good use of blues and turquoise, with gold edging. The strap line is “big taste in small measures” and they are not kidding.
The biggest shock for a NoLo neophyte like myself is that the bottle only contains 20cl of the concentrate. The reason is that it is a concentrate, and you only need 5ml to make the equivalent of a double. A bottle for those with a steady hand should produce forty servings. To ensure that you pour just the right amount, each bottle comes with a long measuring ladle.
I did find it difficult to pour the right amount of concentrate without spilling some and wonder whether a pipette inside the bottle might make for a more efficient way of delivering the spirit. That said, I found it an enjoyable drink and it might even persuade me to put my hand up when a driver is called for. Now that would be something.
Until the next time, cheers!
