Two New Weird Australian Gins to Try
One of them is made with ants.
Look, in our book, every single day is gin day. But this Saturday, June 11, the drink that launched a thousand drunk texts (and counting) will be officially celebrated the world over. It's World Gin Day. And considering the experimental foodie age we live in, it doesn't seem appropriate to celebrate with just another gin and tonic — not when you can have it infused with ants or steeped in red wine grapes, anyway. So we've found two new weird Australian gins that won't only make for an unconventional G&T, but will spark a few conversations and raised eyebrows too.
ANGRY ANT GIN — BASS AND FLINDERS
Up and coming gin barons often differentiate themselves and their product by distilling the botanicals of the local area to give a distinctive, but familiar, flavour and scent. Australian species lend themselves perfectly to the task — but for the chaps down at Bass and Flinders Distillery in Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, that simply wasn't weird enough. They've distilled a gin made with a special ingredient: ants.
Like all gin, Angry Ant is made up of a selection of botanicals. But along with the usual juniper berries and lemongrass, the essence of ants has also been thrown in. That's because ants release a pheromone during the distillation process, which produces a flavour that complements the other botanicals to create a damn fine gin. While they're not the first people to use the tiny insects in gin — Copenhagen's Nordic Food Lab produces an Anty Gin that costs a bomb per bottle — they're certainly the first in Australia, with the ants sourced from Wooleen Station in WA. Grab a bottle here, if you dare.
BLOODY SHIRAZ GIN — FOUR PILLARS
Ron Swanson may say that "clear alcohols are for rich women on diets" and while we usually take his word as gospel, we couldn't disagree more with him on this one. But if you want to add some colour (and kick) to your 5pm G&T, look no further than Four Pillars' brand new Bloody Shiraz Gin.
The revolutionary gin created by Victorian gin legends Four Pillars is exaaactly what it sounds like — a Shiraz and gin blend. To create this bloody monster, they steeped Yarra Valley Shiraz grapes in their high-proof dry gin for eight weeks before pressing the fruit and blending it with the gin, and hoped like hell it would turn out well. It did. The pretty, deep purple hue combined with a potent alcoholic content (37.8 percent, compared to an average 30 percent in sloe gin) and sweet undertones make the Bloody Shiraz Gin a near perfect specimen.
Four Pillars are releasing the mix on World Gin Day — you can head down to their Healesville distillery to try it or buy it on their website. And on that day, we'll raise a toast to all the gins that were and to all the weird, delicious gins that will soon be. Cheers to you gin, you glorious bastard!
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