51 Bottles of Gin on our Wall

Gone are the days of ordering a gin and tonic and being greeted with a gentle nod and a prompt measure, pour, mix then “enjoy!”.

Gin is in full sail at the Hippopotamus cocktail bar, and we’re here to satisfy your botanical needs, right down to the last juniper berry. A good gin is about aromatic charm and depth of flavour, a blend of botanicals such as the delightfully sounding grains of paradise, cubeb berries and angelica. To your average, everyday words like coriander, orange peel, lemon peel, cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Despite what the experts say personal preference always comes into play, so when you order a G&T at ours, we go beyond the gentle nod and straight to “let me introduce you 51 of my closest friends”.

Here are our faves to pair with our top-notch tonic:

Broken Heart Gin
The story of Broken Heart Gin begins with two Germans living in New Zealand’s Southern Alps, Joerg was a pilot and Bernd an engineer. Both philosophers and committed Master Distillers, they formed their friendship around a still and a passion for perfecting spirits of rare complexity and fine flavours.

Nothing captured the flavour of Joerg and Bernd’s time better than the inspiration Bernd and Joerg shared to create a superb gin – an intricate balance of eleven herbs and surprisingly good with a twist of orange. It became a ritual, one a day at dusk, as day turned to night, the taste of the time of in-between.

Citadelle
Citadelle Gin has a delicate and fragrant nose of fresh flowers, jasmine, honeysuckle and cinnamon. After a few moments, stronger, more herbaceous aromas of anise, grains of paradise and cinnamon develop in a most remarkable way. The appetizing bouquet is reminiscent of gardens in springtime. On the palate, juniper gives way to a voluptuous complexity redolent of fresh flowers, leading into an elegant, round and highly refined finish.

The 19 botanicals are infused for 72 hours, three days in which the Citadelle body is shaped and takes all its aromatic notes.

Citadelle is used to make our Jaqueline Martini