To celebrate the start of the Gin O’Clock summer season, the world’s most unusual premium, small batch, and hand-crafted gin, Hendrick’s Gin has created South Africa’s most peculiar and expensive cocktail experience, valued at R40 000 each. The cocktail experience was created in conjunction with other unusual, premium, small batch, and hand-crafted brands including Ardmore Ceramic Art, Barker and Quin Tonic Water, and Svalbardi Polar Iceberg Water.

 

Only three of these cocktails will be produced and will be available to purchase exclusively from the Mount Nelson in Cape Town, the Oyster Box in Umhlanga, and Marble in Johannesburg from 1 November. First come, first served.

Shaun Stemmett, brand manager for Hendrick’s Gin South Africa says that this programme is a perfect opportunity to showcase the unusual & premium nature of Hendrick’s Gin. “Our partners are simply among the best in their fields; Ardmore Ceramic Art has produced exceptionally beautiful and unusual artworks that are sought after the world over, Svalbardi Polar Iceberg Water is the world’s best and purest water, extracted from the glaciers of Norway and carefully bottled and shipped around the world, and Barker and Quin produce unique South African tonic water.”

Stemmett further explains that the creation of the cocktail not only celebrates the core values of the brand – unusual, premium, small batch, and hand-crafted – but also launches the Hendrick’s Gin O’Clock summer season programme. “This summer we are once again bringing the Hendrick’s Gin O’Clock experience to South Africa, with 40 bars and restaurants participating, serving a selection of Hendrick’s Gin cocktails. In addition, we have also brought back the much-loved Hendrick’s Gin Tea Cup Gift Pack. The gift pack is available from 18 October is all leading liquour outlets and features three different tea cup designs for those gin connoisseurs to collect. The Hendrick’s Gin O’Clock summer cocktails are relatively easy to prepare and delicious to enjoy at home, so why not enjoy them in the tea cup of the gift pack.”

Ingredients

• Hendricks Gin,
• A special edition Barker and Quin tonic water,
• Svalbardi Polar Iceberg Water,
• Handcrafted vermouth made from Klein Constantia Vin Constance and Hennessey XO,
• Gold leaf
• Saffron.

The ”Something Marvellously Unusual” cocktail was created by Hendrick’s Gin South Africa Brand Ambassador and master mixologist Marson Strydom and is served in one of only three bespoke and one-of-a-kind ceramic goblets, created by the world renown ceramic art manufacturers Ardmore Ceramic Art and inspired by the animal illustrations found within the Hendrick’s Gin brand.

The liquid is a multi-layered sensory expedition. Hendrick’s Gin is mixed with a vermouth that has been handcrafted using a Klein Constantia Vin De Constance wine, a variety of rare and expensive botanicals and spices, and fortified using Hennessey XO. This is then combined with a specially crafted batch of tonic water made by Barker and Quin that was developed specifically for this cocktail.

Only 12 bottles of the tonic water were specially handcrafted with a selected bouquet of botanicals by oenologist Dr. Hanneli van der Merwe, while each label on the Barker and Quin special edition Hendrick’s Gin tonic water bottles were hand drawn by South African graphic designer Linda Smal from Huamann & Smal Designs.