Home-grown Asian herbs add a fresh twist to gin cocktails at Aqua Spirit
- A Hong Kong bar is growing its own herbs to put a unique spin on Tanqueray’s gin range
- Because gins already feature botanicals, it is essential to ensure any additional herbs harmonise with those present
One of the major trends in mixology in recent years has been the use of fresh herbs. Bartenders like them for both their visual and their aromatic appeal, and increasingly are treating them not so much as garnishes but as part of the architecture of drinks.
“If you think about the signature classic cocktails, herbs and leaves don’t feature, but now they are being used extensively, and they work particularly well with gin,” says Rohit Gurung, bar manager of Aqua Spirit, in Tsim Sha Tsui, and The Dispensary, in Tai Kwun, in Central.
This increased use of herbs has developed in tandem with the global gin boom, although the few examples of classic drinks that do feature fresh herbs prominently are based on other spirits, and in many cases call for mint. These include the bourbon-based mint julep – in its earliest form believed to date back to the 18th century – and the rum-based mojito, which, under one name or another, may have been consumed since the 1500s.
Historically, mint may have been particularly popular partly because it grows like a weed, which makes it easy to maintain a reliable supply. The appearance of sprigs of thyme, rosemary, basil and coriander in cocktail glasses is a more recent development, but they are all, in Gurung’s opinion, useful additions to the bartender’s arsenal.
I like using coriander and shiso, and generally it’s fun to play around with different herbs. They can make subtle but important changes to a drink and give it that stamp of individuality
“The mojito was the first cocktail I made in which a herb was important, because obviously the mint makes it, and I’ve made many more cocktails with fresh herbs since. I like using coriander and shiso, and generally it’s fun to play around with different herbs. They can make subtle but important changes to a drink and give it that stamp of individuality,” he says.
Gurung was delighted when Aqua set up, in the restaurant itself, a battery of hi-tech miniature grow boxes in which to cultivate herbs that are not easily available fresh in Hong Kong, but which are used in Japanese and Italian cuisines.
“When the chef told me he had all these new herbs, obviously that was a challenge. It’s great to experiment with flavours,” he says.
Gurung began developing recipes for a range of “home-grown” cocktails using different herbs matched to different expressions of Tanqueray gin.
First distilled in 1830, Tanqueray London Dry Gin is a classic. It is a popular, if conservative, gin drinker’s choice. However, since the late 1990s the brand owners, Diageo, have sexed it up with a series of variations, the most successful being the citrus-led Tanqueray No Ten, introduced in 2000.
Other variants include Tanqueray Flor de Sevilla, introduced in 2018, which has prominent Seville orange notes; Tanqueray Rangpur, introduced in 2006 and flavoured with Rangpur limes; and Tanqueray Malacca, first introduced in 1997.
A brief history of gin, from herbal medicine to hipster tipple
“The production of Tanqueray Malacca stopped for a while but there was still a lot of demand among bartenders, so they re-released it as a limited edition in 2013. That was immensely popular, so eventually they reintroduced it as part of their regular range in 2018,” Gurung says.
So far, he has developed five cocktails using Aqua’s fresh herbs and the various Tanqueray expressions. Pakuchi collins, which incorporates fresh pakuchi – a type of coriander – is made with Tanqueray No Ten, and of the other four drinks, Rangpur and Malacca feature in two each.
The Rangpur cocktails, moonlight jasmine and sherbet sundown, flavour the gin with a lemon balm leaf and fresh mitsuba leaves, respectively. Of the Malacca cocktails, rosebud dusk features oxalis, and evening orchard gains a distinctive pepperiness from pakuchi.
“Pakuchi is popular in Japan, but has been borrowed from Thailand,” Gurung says. “The flavour is much more intense than regular coriander. We are using Tanqueray Malacca with pakuchi because the gin is heavy on the juniper and citrus, with a touch of vanilla sweetness in the finish, and it works well with the herb.”
Because gins are already flavoured with botanicals, Gurung says, bartenders need to be particularly careful to ensure any herbs they add harmonise with those already present in the gin, as well as with the other ingredients of each drink.
Complicating matters further for this range of cocktails was a requirement that each should pair with a dish on the menu.
Much thought went into the composition of the evening orchard, which includes several Japanese elements. The drink is designed to pair with Aqua’s grilled wagyu sirloin and sea urchin hoba misoyaki – which also has an element of pakuchi – but it can be consumed on its own as an aperitif. Something similar is relatively easy to make at home.
“We use yuzu rather than just regular lime or lemon for the citrus notes because it has a more intense flavour, and we add a touch of Japanese melon liqueur because it also complements the pakuchi and adds a nice touch of a greenish colour,” he says.
The melon liqueur is Midori – the Japanese word for green – made by brewing and distilling giant Suntory, and in production since 1978.
“We take 45ml of Tanqueray Malacca, three to four leaves of fresh pakuchi, 20ml of Midori melon liqueur, 20ml of lime juice with a little yuzu to give it an extra touch of citrus, and to add sweetness, we add 10ml of honey and a splash of pineapple purée, which also adds a little texture,” Gurung says.
The cocktail is shaken, double strained and poured over a large ice block into a retro fizz glass and garnished for visual appeal with a Buddha leaf.
“There’s a bit of sourness, the sweetness in the finish, and the pakuchi pepperiness,” Gurung says. “It’s not assertively herby, but if the pakuchi wasn’t there you’d definitely miss it. It’s easy to make, and you could use regular coriander, but the flavour profile would be slightly different. It’s like the balance of the botanicals in the gins. Small adjustments can make a big difference to the taste experience.”
Although not always grown on the premises, fresh herbs can be found on the bars of many of Hong Kong’s more creatively minded watering holes. Among those making interesting use of them are Stockton and Zuma, in Central.
