Crazy Gin review – presentation

This post is also available in: Greek

We really like it when innovative products arrive to be tasted at the Bitter Booze Head Quarters, as these are true signs that the drinking business is evolving. Especially when they happen to be a result of careful production and design, with respect to tradition, carrying a history, or even the imprints of different civilizations and cultures. One of these is the todays’ tasting gin, the not-so-British Crazy Gin.

Inside the bottle of Crazy Gin

Crazy Gin is the spiritual child of the duet Aske – Stephenson and the biological of Mister Bruce Nagra. The latter had the idea to “marry” his very homeland, India, and the culinary culture of the Punjabi with the country he was born in, Great Britain.

Nagra put aboard all the gin aficionados to a culinary trip to India, using all these tastes that were familiar to himself. More precisely, he combined a traditional Indian drink, lassi and its’ spices with the classic London gin recipe. In order to do so, he used the help of Tomas Ask and Tristan Stephenson, as well as of their rotary evaporator.

The spices are being marinated in a gin spirit base for three days, filtered and then distilled under pressure and centrifugal up to 40 degrees with yoghurt, using the rotary evaporator. With a similar technique, Ask and Stephenson had created their great Cream Gin.

The spices used are the same with those contained in the traditional lassi recipe, with turmeric at the starring role. Lassi is an umami drink without alcohol, which is usually served with black pepper and ground pomegranate seeds or/ and cumin. Some also serve it sweet, but the most important thing is yoghurt which gives a sensually creamy texture and makes it similar to the American milkshake. In Crazy Gin, apart from turmeric, black pepper with coriander and pomegranate seeds are being used, which are basic ingredients of the Punjabi cuisine.

Crazy Gin in our glass

The aromas of Crazy Gin are oaky and spicy, with turmeric playing the main role and accompanying harmonically the coriander and a leafy expression of juniper. We inspected notes of beetroot and interesting aromas of citrus fruits, bitter orange, lime and kumquat.

Its’ palate is dry, but with creamy texture. It is light bodied and the citrus fruits match with a woody sense of liquorice. It has an aftertaste of medium length and turmeric everywhere! Nicely homogenized and balanced alcohol.

A very interesting experiment that functions quite well as a gin & tonic, or straight. We would like to taste it in a Martini too. Its nose travels you to the East and it should most definitely pair beautifully with, what else, a lassi!

Evaluation in grades

Timos Spanos: 80/ 100

Yiannis Korovesis: 82/ 100

Average total: 81/100

Producer/ Owner: Crazy Singh/ Bruce Nagra

Country of Production and Bottling: Great Britain, London

Alcohol by Volume: 41%

Type: Vacuum distilled gin

Bottle: 500 ml.

Imported in Greece by: –

All photos by Timos Spanos  for Bitterbooze.com

Translated from Greek by Eleni Tsirimokou