One gloomy afternoon, we spent a few relaxing hours learning how to make gin cocktails at Pahit. The laidback class was hosted by Hendrick’s new regional ambassador in Southeast Asia, Charmaine Ann Thio. We learned the difference between a cobbler, sour, and martini. Then, we took a shot at making them ourselves. A variety of fruit, garnishes, and syrups were laid out for us to design our desired drinks.
Cobblers
First, we learned that a cobbler is made of wine or liqueur, a sweetener, a citrus, and fresh fruit. It was sweet, fruity, and delicious, and easily claimed its crown at the top of our preferred gin cocktails list. Several scoops of fresh raspberries, cubed mango, and blackberries stirred in delicious Hendrick’s Gin later, and we still hadn’t gotten enough of this somewhat healthy-tasting cocktail. If you haven’t tried making a cobbler, you now know what to do.
Sours
We slowly began increasing the ratio of spirit to the other ingredients. Sours are cocktails that have a ratio of spirit: sweetener: citrus of 2: 1: 1. You could also make a sour with the addition of egg white for extra points to impress your guests. Excited by how our cobbler turned out with so much fruit, we made the unfortunate mistake of adding ingredients that didn’t go together the best. Charmaine then let us make another, with useful tips on complementing flavours. Sours are typically shaken instead of served with ice, to prevent further dilution.
Martinis
Then, we moved on to a grown-up gin cocktail – the martini. Did you know that a dry martini has a spirit: citrus ratio of 6: 1? Should you ever be looking for a drink with a good kick, martinis are the way to go. A milder version of this is called a wet martini. Its spirit: citrus ratio is 3: 2, perfect for mid-level gin drinkers. Popular citrus options for martinis include orange or lemon twists, olives, cucumber, or pickled onions.
Charmaine hails from Singapore, where she is currently based. She has been concocting delicious drinks since 2015 and is the first Singaporean to be accepted into the Tales of the Cocktail Apprentice Programme for two consecutive years. We’re excited to see the curiosities that Hendrick’s and Charmaine will cook up next!
All images courtesy of Hendrick’s.
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