Made in Ireland and spiced in Kerala, India. Maharani reflects the unexpected connections and cultural vibrancy of modern Ireland. For St Patrick’s Day 2021 we commissioned a Maharani Gin cocktail that reflects the coming together of cultures, a modern Ireland that embraces its roots and takes inspiration from around the world.
The responses to our Maharani Mixology Competition demonstrated incredible skill, insight, and creativity and in a series of blog posts we’d love to share with you!
Today we want to show you cocktails that just scream Summer! These cocktails have all the ingredients to make that perfect summer drink for whatever the occasion!
Mark Coffey (@markcoffey1)
Mark created the ‘Rebel Spice’ cocktail inspired by our founders Robert and Bhagya. Cork being known as the ‘Rebel’ country and India having a huge involvement with spices, Mark got the idea from these facts creating his own unique cocktail.
Entailed in this cocktail was:
60 ml Maharani Gin.
30 ml Pineapple juice.
25 ml Orange juice.
20 ml Lime juice.
10 ml Mango syrup.
5 ml Mango purée.
10 ml Orgeat syrup.
1.5 cm Red chilli.
Method:
Chill the glass.
Add ingredients and ice to shaker.
Shake hard, 10-15 seconds.
Fine strain.
Jean K (@rocknrolljean)
With Kerala being the spice capital of the word as well as being the only place in India where unique, rare, and exotic fruits are grown in large quantities Jean created a tiki style cocktail with an Irish spin naming it ‘Wanderlust’ embracing on the desire to travel and incorporating different cultures.
The zest of the pomelo fruit and the Nutmeg mace really give Maharani gin the bold character to stand its ground as the base of my drink. Jean used a Lychee Liq to represent Rambuttan which grows in the Pathanamthitta District of Kerala. The lychee Liq brings an exotic taste to this drink while making you dream about summer vacations. Jean wanted to give the cocktail an Irish kick that added complexity without overshadowing the gin. Killowen Poitín was the answer and really helped bring out the fruity notes of the cocktail while imparting its own unique flavour. To add a bit of Indian Spice Jean used a Mango and Paprika Chutney.
The next piece of the puzzle was pineapple juice, which was used to depict the pineapple city of Vazhakulam, as well as grapefruit juice that had been charred. Cooking the grapefruit over high heat caramelizes the flavours, reduces acidity, increases sweetness, and balances bitterness. Next, Jean used a homemade Peach and Vanilla Black Tea Cordial as well as freshly squeezed lime juice as the citrus to balance out all of the strong flavours.
The Green, White and Orange colours of the cocktail represent both the Irish and Indian Flag.
The method behind this cocktail includes:
50ml Maharani Gin.
25ml Kwai Feh Lychee Liq.
10ml Killowen Poitín.
25ml Peach & Vanilla Black Tea Cordial *.
Juice of 1 Lime Freshly Squeezed.
Half Teaspoon Mango and Paprika Chutney.
25ml Charred Grapefruit Juice.
25ml Pineapple Juice.
3 Drops @foameeuk.
Garnish Mint Sprig.
YesBeverages (@yesbeverages)
This drink is very accessible for home bartenders, as @yesbeverages believes that drinks shouldn’t have too many obstacles when it comes to recreating them in your own home, without sacrificing flavour or consistency. A perfect cocktail for you make at home on hot summers day!
The drink brings in a lot of the spirit’s very complex spices and explores them further by improving mouthfeel and acidity in this cocktail, which is super refreshing and, dare we say, a little spring/summertime feel!
The ingredients for this cocktail include:
60ml Maharani Gin.
22.5ml freshly squeezed lemon juice.
10ml cane sugar syrup.
12-15 basil leaves.
Basil is a controversial flavour in this gin because it has clove undertones and brings out subtle flavours that shift the gin around the palate.
The right balance is achieved by combining lemon acidity with a hint of sweetness.
We would like to thank everyone that entered into our Maharani Mixology competition. The standards of cocktails were superb, and this competition wouldn’t be possible without your entries. We hope that you enjoyed the experience of using Maharani Gin.