Predstavljamo vam naš novi, There Will Be Blood Orange Gin, ekspresivnu kombinaciju crvene naranče i rooibosa i drugi po redu Monachusov gin. Kroz njegovo nastajanje, od ideje do konačnog proizvoda, provest će vas naš majstor destiler Luka.
We present you our new, There Will Be Blood Orange Gin, the second gin in Monachus’s collection, and an expressive combination of blood orange and rooibos. Our master distiller Luka will guide you through the process of making this gin, from the initial idea to the final product.
Odakle ideja za novi gin?
S obzirom na to da smo nabavili fantastične crvene naranče od biološkog uzgajivača Mandarinet, htio sam iskoristiti priliku i napraviti gin s crvenom narančom. Rooibos je moj omiljeni čaj, a osim njegova slatkasto-drvenasto-medno-floralnog okusa fascinira me i ta biljka, koja raste samo u Južnoj Africi i koja fermentacijom nakon branja mijenja boju iz zelene u crvenu. Odatle i naziv rooibos, koji bi u prijevodu značio “crveni grm”.
Crvenu naranču i rooibos mi je bilo zanimljivo povezati iz više razloga. Prvo, mislim da su im okusi komplementarni: kada pijem rooibos, često u šalicu ubacim koru naranče koja ga baš “podigne”. Drugo, rooibos do svoje hrđavo-crvene boje dolazi tako da ga se nakon branja polije vodom i ostavi na zraku kako bi oksidirao, odnosno fermentirao. S druge strane, crvene naranče na Neretvi dolaze do svoje crvene boje tek kada razlika između dnevne i noćne temperature postane dovoljno velika. Jedan pocrveni na jakom afričkom suncu, a druge u hladnim neretvanskim noćima. I treće, okus crvene naranče htio sam naglasiti i tamnocrvenom bojom, jer smatram da vizualno nekad pomaže nosu i jeziku u doživljaju okusa.
Where did the idea for the new gin come from?
Since we managed to get fantastic blood oranges from the organic producer Mandarinet (the same one that produced the mandarines for our Monachus Dry Gin and First Citrus), I wanted to use those oranges for our new gin. Rooibos is my favorite tea, and besides its wonderful sweet and floral, honey and tobacco taste, I was fascinated by this plant: it grows in the Cederberg mountains of South Africa, and changes its color from green to red by fermentation, after the harvest. This is where the name, which would translate to “red bush”, is coming from.
To me, it was interesting to combine blood oranges and rooibos for a couple of reasons. First, I think that their tastes complement each other: when I drink rooibos, to give it a kick, I often add orange peel to my cup. Second, rooibos gets its rusty red color by being cut, watered, and left to oxidize (ferment) in the air. On the other hand, blood oranges in the Neretva valley in the south of Croatia turn red only when the difference between day and night temperatures becomes big enough. So, we have one that changes its color on the hot African sun, and the other on the cold Croatian nights. Third, I wanted to emphasize that intense blood orange taste with a similar color- I think that the visual impression can sometimes really help out the senses of smell and taste.
Koji su sastojci osim crvene naranče i rooibosa?
U ovoj recepturi težili smo postizanju što više okusa sa što manje sastojaka, vjerujemo da je profinjenost u jednostavnosti. Kao i kod našeg originalnog Monachus Dry Gina, držali smo se pet sastojaka, a u ovom ginu to su: borovica, sjemenke korijandera, svježa kora crvene naranče, rooibos i korijen anđelike. Bazu sam htio zadržati istu kao i kod našeg originalnog gina, inače za dry gin klasičnu kombinaciju borovica-korijander. Meni je ona najzanimljivija baza za svaki, ne samo za dry gin. S obzirom na to da je crvena naranča jako intenzivna i pršti citrusnim okusom okusom i gorčinom, rooibos je ovom ginu dao slatkoću, drvenaste i medne note. Za kraj sam iskoristio korijen anđelike koji sam prodestilirao sada već prije dvije godine i koji je stajao i čekao svoj trenutak. Niti u jednoj kombinaciji do sada nije mi bio dovoljno zanimljiv. Kada sam tražio kako “smiriti” ovaj gin sjetio sam se anđelike, dodao je u jednu od probnih verzija i ona mu je dala nevjerojatnu glatkoću i balans.
Except for the blood oranges and rooibos, what other ingredients did you use?
We wanted to get as much flavor as possible with fewer ingredients because we believe that the sophistication comes from simplicity. As with our original Monachus Dry Gin, we stuck to the five ingredients, and in this gin they were: juniper, coriander seeds, fresh blood orange peel, rooibos, and angelica root. I wanted to keep the same base as with our original gin, the classic juniper-coriander combination that is often used for dry gin. I think it is the most interesting base for every gin. Since the blood orange is so intensive and bursting with citrusy flavor, rooibos gave it sweetness, wooden and honey notes. To finish the taste I used the distillate of the angelica root that I made two years ago, but never used before- it just wasn’t interesting enough in any combination. I looked for a way to tone down the intense flavors of this gin and remembered angelica, tried it out in one of the test versions, and loved the smoothness and the balance that it brought.
Što daje crvenu boju, rooibos ili naranča?
Boja dolazi od rooibosa koji je maceriran (umočen u alkohol) nakon destilacije- želim naglasiti da u ovom ginu nema ničeg umjetnog, ni šećera, ni bojila, ni aroma.
Is the color of the gin coming from rooibos or orange?
Rooibos macerated in the gin after distillation gave this beautiful deep orange, sort of cognac color- there are no artificial colorants, nor aromas or sweeteners for that matter.
Možeš li opisati aromu There Will Be Blood Orange Gina?
Ovo je pravi juniper*-forward gin s dobrom dozom gorčine i od borovice i od crvene naranče. Naravno da ima jaku crvenu naranču, po njoj je i dobio ime. Nju odmah prepoznajete, ne možete ju zamijeniti ni sa čim drugim, a osim gorčine daje solidnu citrusnu notu. Floralne, drvenaste, dimne, medene note dolaze od rooibosa. Ovo je jako ekspresivan gin, punog mirisa i okusa.
*juniper=borovica
Can you tell us a bit more about the aroma of There Will Be Blood Orange Gin?
This is a real juniper-forward gin with a proper dose of bitterness coming from both the juniper and the blood orange. The name itself suggests that orange has the leading role. You recognize it immediately, it cannot be confused with anything else, and besides bitterness, it gives a solid citrus note. Floral, tobacco, honey notes are coming from rooibos. It is a very expressive, full-bodied gin.
Zašto je etiketa drugačija od originalnog Monachus Dry Gina?
S obzirom na to da ovo nije dry gin, dali smo mu etiketu u obliku oblutka koju dajemo svim našim manjim, limitiranim serijama. Promijenili smo i boju pečata- kod originalnog gina ona je bordocrvena, a kod ovoga smo ručno zamiješali kardinal crvenu i narančasto-žutu kako bismo pečatom dočarali boju prošaranog crveno-narančastog ploda crvene naranče.
Why does it have a different label shape than Monachus Dry Gin?
Since this is not a dry gin, we gave it the pebble-shaped label that we use for all of our limited editions. We changed the color of the seal as well- with our original gin it is burgundy red, but for this one we mixed the cardinal red and the marigold by hand, to mimic the flesh of the blood orange.
