Gins that Twist gins but are still gins, that's Balbine Spirits.
You may remember Balbine Spirits as France's first premium ready-to-drink cocktail brand. But they didn't stop there. Today, I'm going to tell you about their spirits. Here again, why be classic? Their range of gins shakes up the codes, but it's for the pleasure of our cocktails!
Julien Maingraud, the brand's founder, loves gin. He talks about it on extraterrien.com since 2009, and has even lectured on the subject at France Quintessence. But why launch yet another gin? If it's just to have a quirky botanical, it's a bit short-sighted for him.
To maintain the spirit's elegance, but add a novelty & practicality, he adds dried hibiscus to his first bottle, which he takes to an aperitif. Bim, the party turns into a Gin TonicParty and the bottle goes with it. His bartender friend also advises him to make an Old Tom Gin, a slightly sweeter gin (an English recipe!) so that he can work it in his bar. Once again, it's a first in France.
When 90% of gins are drunk with tonic, you have to admit that 2 colorless products make an ugly cocktail. But with color, the drink is immediately more appealing to the eye.
Hibiscus, juniper and spicy notes are also present. All you have to do is add a slice of dehydrated grapefruit, and the cocktail is just perfect!
Gin or Old Tom Gin, the two beautiful bottles can be used for all types of cocktails, let your imagination run wild, success guaranteed! For the more classic, Gin, the one with the rooster on the label is to be tried in Dry Martini, delicious & there too the visual aspect is unsettling. In Tom Collins, Old Tom Gin works very well, it's fresh & perfect for summer !
Balbine Spirits continues to explore and test new ideas on a regular basis. One of these is the Winter Edition Gin, with tea maceration. A totally atypical gin, well-balanced between juniper and tea, but with insane aromatic power. It even won a platinum medal (that's the top of the medals!) at the Trend Spirits competition in 2019, with the bonus of the best score, all spirits combined. For the moment it's on hiatus, but it should be back with why not the other seasons.