It’s been a long time since we presented a photostory on Gourmantic but then again, it’s not every day you get to make your own gin. Today, we’re sharing the photostory of the making of Gourmantic Birthday Gin 2017 in photos and video.
It all started with a vision, to create a savoury style Australian gin to be served in a Martini at the Gourmantic Origins Dinner in celebration of Gourmantic’s 8th Birthday.
The gin was inspired by our Friday night Martini ritual at home and the flavour profile we sought was one that is juniper forward (it had to be unmistakably gin!), with a savoury note and a hint of the sea to reflect our proximity to the beach.
Strategically Blurred Botanical Basket
Naturally, being the 8th birthday, and after much research, we selected 8 botanicals, both traditional and Australian native botanicals and ran the idea past Distiller Reg Papps of Ironbark Distillery. Next thing we knew, a date was set for distillation, Saturday 13 May 2017, such a felicitous date being World Cocktail Day.
Next on the to-do list was sourcing the botanicals, some of which didn’t prove to be easy at all. After a few sleepless nights, it all came together in the end, and we set off to the Ironbark Distillery’s home in Richmond, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. It was our third visit to Ironbark Distillery, you can read about our first visit here.
Botanical Basket Lowered
After some initial preparation, the botanicals were gathered into the botanicals basket, seen here lowered into the still by Distiller Reg Papps.
Now we wait…
We all know people who regularly talk to themselves or their computer screens (ahem). We have now joined the ranks of people who talk to stills. But what was said, remains between us and our beautiful shiny creator of our birthday, that’s quietly making something delicious for us.
Excitement mounts as condensation begins to form.
And here it comes… the first few drops of our gin.
The spirit undergoes the professional taste test. Then we all taste at regular intervals, take notes, taste again until the liquid is ready.
The distillate to transferred from the drum and rested before being cut with water.
The gin is then hand-bottled.
And here it is in action.
Seeing the bottles lined up is a sight we won’t forget! Naturally, Bottle No. 1 is given a special marking.
The seals go on the bottles…
… and get shrunk by heat.
Miniature Bottles
Guests at the Gourmantic Origins Dinner received a miniature bottle of the gin, hand bottled here by Reg Papps.
Kevin making the first Martini
Time to taste test the first Martini, and yes, we brought a couple of Martini glasses with us (as well as the kitchen sink).
And here it is… The first Gourmantic Birthday Gin Martini!
Next came the task of designing and printing the front and back labels. We decided on a basic, clean design with the colours and branding of the website. But that was no easy task! Neither of us is a designer but we managed to do it and were very happy with the result and the printing.
Kevin putting the labels on the bottles
Every bottle was hand-labelled by Kevin and thanks to Reg’s advice, it was easier to do than we originally thought.
Putting the back label on bottle no. 1.
Front labels first, then back labels and leaving them to dry.
Every bottle was hand-numbered and the distillation date was written on the back label.
What you do when you have all the bottled lined up
Next, it was time for the promo photo shoot. We wanted outdoor photos with the sea in the background to reflect the sea influence in the gin but Sydney weather had a mind of its own. Overcast skies and rain didn’t cut it but on the end, we managed to sneak an hour or so of sunshine around our local beaches.
Gourmantic Birthday Gin 2017
This is the first promo photo we released with more to come.
So here it is, the story of the making of the Gourmantic Birthday Gin 2017. Now… who wants a Martini?
Photography © by Kevin Burke for Gourmantic – Copyright: All rights reserved.
[…] You may also like: The Making of Gourmantic Birthday Gin 2017 […]
[…] You may also like: The Making of Gourmantic Birthday Gin 2017 […]