If you’re anything like us, a nice and cold gin and tonic can change your day (or night), especially after a long day. Gin and tonic is perhaps one of the easiest cocktails in the world, praised as the perfect marriage between spirit and mixer.
But, a new Hendrick’s creation might just drive a wedge (and when we say wedge, we don’t mean a wedge of lime) between the gin and tonic relationship!
Hendrick’s Gin Master Distiller Lesley Gracie spent several years tinkering in the laboratory to perfect a cordial that would compliment gin cocktails. The trick was to find the perfect blend of herbs and flavours and to put them through a development process of months of trials, recipe experiments, and ingredient tests.
Finally, with inspiration from Thomas Whiffen (a pioneering mathematician and chemist who developed the use of quinine in the 19th century), the Hendrick’s Quinetum Cordial was born.
What is it made of?
The Hendrick’s Quinetum Cordial final is a 4% ABV mix of orange blossom, wormwood, lavender and thistle extracts plus the main ingredient of cinchona succiruba bark (aka tree bark) extract where the quinine comes from.
Note: Quinine is used to treat uncomplicated malaria, a disease caused by parasites that enter the body through the bite of a mosquito. Malaria is common in areas such as Africa, South America, and Southern Asia.
While it’s sure to be in great demand especially for any gin lover, it’s also very exclusive. As a matter of fact, Hendrick’s only made 4,000 bottles of the cordial and not all bars or bartenders will be able to get their hands on a bottle.
It also means that you’ll probably never find this in stores – at least not yet.
Luckily for us, we were invited by our friends from William Grant & Sons (WGS) to an exclusive Hendrick’s Quinetum Cordial preview just yesterday (19th March). To say that we jumped at the opportunity to try it would’ve been severely playing it down! So off we were an inconspicous place called “Raw & Rustic Concept Store” tucked away within an industrial area at the quieter side of town. There, we were greeted by what looked like an abundance of Hendrick’s Gin as well as the Hendrick’s Quinetum Cordial.
The cordial was unveiled to the best bartendders from selecter bars in Kuala Lumpur namely, Shawn Chong from speakeasy joint Omakase + Appreciate and Rizal Junior from the ultra-luxe Marini’s on 57. They immediately put the super premium cordial to the test as they concoted cocktails for the special occasion.
Shawn from Omakase + Appreciate called his creation the “Quinetum Jasz”, which included ingredients such as Hendrick’s Gin infused with tea, pulled 6 times “teh tarik” style, and topped off with a crysanthemum flower. The results? A classy drink with an oriental touch which allowed for an explosion of flavours.
Rizal Junior from Marini’s on 57, on the other hand, was the brain behind the “Quinetum of Solace”. Made from ccumbers, mint leaves, Hendrick’s Gin, soda water, and of course, the Hendrick’s Quinetum Cordial, his creation was a hard-shaken drink refreshing to a T.
Our honest opinion? The special Hendrick’s Quinetum Cordial on its own is bitter with strong flavours, but also the perfect match for gin. We dare say that the super premium cordial is going to take your gin cocktails to the next level and will finally give tonic something to be seriously jealous of 😉
For now, Hendrick’s Quinetum Cordial has only been unveiled to the best bartenders from selected bars in Kuala Lumpur and is not offered for retail with only a limited batch available worldwide.
For more information, visit the Hendrick’s Gin website.
