KWV Cruxland Gin and a ‘cool’ cocktail

Friday, 7 October, 2016
KWV
A while back, KWV, the winery and distillery in the heart of Paarl, introduced its cleverly packaged Cruxland London Dry Gin. Distilled by Pieter de Bod and his team of Master Distillers, Cruxland is a beautifully balanced gin and complex taste leading the way to a classy palate with a lingering finish that emphasises the underlying quality of the distilled grape spirit.

On tasting you do get the big time juniper barriers in the front, the spicy magic of coriander, aniseed and cardamom in the middle, and a soft cooling and sweetish finish from the honeybush, rooibos, almond, lemon and Kalahari truffles.

Cruxland is a classic London Dry Gin where the botanicals are distilled with the gin rather than added after the distillation process. To really taste all these flavours, Cruxland is best enjoyed neat, but works equally well as a base for the classic gin cocktails like a Martini. Of course a great option is to mix it with a craft tonic like the one produced by Chris Wium in Stellenbosch, Barker & Quin. I like a mix of one third gin and two thirds tonic.

Here is a fun way to entertain your guests before a meal.

KWV Cruxland Gin Board “The Lawrence of Arabia”

Preparation time: 10 minutes

The beautiful textures and flavours combined in this aperitif are both nostalgic and spicy and the gentle flavour of honey and cinnamon add a mysterious depth to this drink. Plate each of your guest’s gin boards for an added element of entertainment.

Ingredients
2 shots of KWV Cruxland Gin
Ice
Soft dates
Cinnamon sticks
Sliced raw ginger
Champagne Honey

Method
Plate all the ingredients on an interesting platter or board for each guest. Add the Gin and ice to the glass just before serving.

Listen to my 90-second Radio Today, Johannesburg podcast – CLICK HERE