Jaisalmer Craft Gin

Jaisalmer Craft Gin is a craft gin from Esplanda, and the name points to the Rajasthan desert city. The listing doesn't give a botanical list, ABV or distillation details. So treat what follows as typical guidance for craft gin, not a measured profile of this bottle. Gins in this category are built on juniper, and the usual supporting botanicals are coriander seed, citrus peel and angelica or orris root. Many craft expressions add a regional spice or floral note. Expect a piney, resinous juniper core with a dry finish, with the citrus and spice varying by recipe. Taste it neat or over a single cube before you commit it to a drink. How juniper-forward or citrus-led it comes across will decide which of the serves below suits it best. The Gin & Tonic is the clearest test of a gin like this. Use a balloon (copa) glass or a tall highball, fill it nearly to the top with large, cold ice, and pour 50 ml of gin over it. Add about 150 ml of a good, lightly sweetened tonic, pouring it down the side of the glass so the carbonation holds. Plenty of ice matters because it chills the drink quickly with little dilution, and a watery G&T is the usual failing. If the gin leans citrus, garnish with a wide strip of grapefruit or orange peel. If it leans herbal or spiced, a sprig of rosemary or a few crushed coriander seeds work better. A lime wedge suits a juniper-led profile. In stirred drinks, a juniper-forward gin holds its shape. For a Martini, stir 60 ml of gin with 10 to 15 ml of dry vermouth over ice until it's very cold, strain into a chilled coupe or Nick & Nora glass, and finish with a lemon twist or an olive. A Negroni is equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and Campari, stirred over a large cube in a rocks glass and garnished with an orange peel. Gin with a firm botanical backbone keeps its character against the Campari's bitterness. A Tom Collins is the lighter choice: shake 50 ml of gin with 25 ml of fresh lemon juice and 15 to 20 ml of sugar syrup, strain over ice in a tall glass, top with soda water and add a lemon wheel. Keep the bottle at room temperature or in the freezer, because the high alcohol content stops it from freezing solid. Chill the glass, not the gin, for a Martini. For food, gin and tonic goes well with salty, fried or lightly spiced snacks, and a Martini suits olives, nuts and cured meats.