Oh la, la!
Audemus means “We Dare” – and rightly so, in the case of this gin from the beautiful Cognac region in France, an area traditionally associated with Brandy. Upon opening the bottle, the distiller definitely “dared”: the pink pepper hits your nose like a punch … but the sweetness of the herbs and cardamon takes the edge off to offer a tantalising juxtaposition that absolutely works.
On the first sip, the pepper is to the fore, followed by juniper, and then a soft honey – on the finish, the pepper stays, providing a lovely winter warmer to be enjoyed neat, or at 44% strong enough not to lose its character with an Indian tonic, which was how we enjoyed ours. Right on the tail is the lovely subtle treat of vanilla and nuttiness on the tongue, which is enhanced with the addition of Tonka Beans as a botanical.
“We Dare!”
I’d never heard of Tonka Beans before, my curiosity therefore deciding to investigate, of course, on Google – and I’m glad I did, what fascinating stories emerged – here’s one from Zaria Gorvett, 2017, for the BBC: “Tonka Beans have an intense flavour that chefs and food manufacturers have enthusiastically embraced. There’s just one problem – it contains a chemical that could, in large doses, kill you.”
She goes on to say: “Given these facts, I’m unwrapping my online delivery with a level of suspicion usually reserved for bomb disposal. Inside is a jar of wrinkled black beans, each resembling an elongated raisin. These are ‘tonka beans’ – the aromatic seed of a giant tree from deep in the Amazon rainforest. When grated into desserts or infused into syrups, they impart a flavour so transcendent, tonka has been dubbed the most delicious ingredient you’ve never heard of.”
My feeling being, fine – too much of anything can kill you, and the Tonka Beans in our Pink Pepper Gin have certainly imparted something enigmatic and very special to this tipple – as with many other reviewers, we were blown away by it, and will most definitely be buying again.
This fine gin can be found widely for around £35
