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You are here: Home / Cocktails and Drinks / Porter’s Gin- A modern style from Aberdeen

Porter’s Gin- A modern style from Aberdeen

April 7, 2019 by Sarah James 3 Comments

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Last Updated on April 7, 2019

Tropical Old Tom from Porter’s Gin:

It’s hard to remember that only a few years ago if you asked for a G&T in a bar or pub your choices were likely to be limited to Beefeater, Gordon’s or Bombay Sapphire.  But in recent years the market has changed enormously with hundreds of new distilleries opening, and existing ones expanding their ranges.  Standing out from the crowd amongst the competition is a tough task, but Porter’s Gin has managed to achieve that, not least through their fan base of high-end bartenders.

Porter's - Buddha's HandAberdeen doesn’t seem like the most obvious choice of location, and in fact, rather appropriately the distillery is situated in the basement of Orchid cocktail bar.  The team behind Porter’s Gin is led by 2018 UK bartender of the year Alex Lawrence with 2 other industry stalwarts, Ben Iravani and Josh Rennie. The home of Porter’s Gin is perhaps Scotland’s most innovative distillery. Despite making the Tropical ‘Old’ Tom, there is nothing old fashioned about their set-up.  They use cutting edge equipment including a unique low-temperature still.  This, as well as a rather unusual set of botanicals (I’d never have guessed that the rather eerie looking Buddha’s Hand is an ingredient), give the gins a modern and fresh flavour profile. 

Tropical Old Tom, starts with classic juniper base lifted by exotic notes of passion fruit, guava and white tea. Remaining true to the Old Tom style of gin, a traditional recipe which was popular in the 18th and 19th Centuries, Porter’s have combined sweetened gin with enticing botanicals to create a perfectly balanced and sophisticated gin.

If you are wondering where the name ‘Old Tom’ originates, it was supposedly a reference to the wooden plaques shaped like a black cat (an “Old Tom”) mounted on the outside wall of some pubs above a public walkway in 18th-century England.   At that time, the British government was trying to curtail excessive gin consumption and some pubs developed an innovative way of delivering their wares. Under the cat’s paw sign was a slot to put money in and a lead tube. From the tube would come a shot of gin, poured by the bartender inside the pub.  Thankfully, we can now enjoy our gin in proper glasses!

Porter's - cocktail and food pairingWe were fortunate to be invited to a pop-up bar a few weeks back where 5 top bartenders had been given free-range to create a cocktail to match the delightful food created by Andrew Sutton.  The one thing that the cocktails all had in common was Porter’s Gins.   Their brief meant that they could use either Porter’s Gin or Porter’s Tropical Old Tom Gin.  It was fun to hear where they’d got their inspiration from and even more fun to taste their creations.   Andrew is due to open a bar in London near Liverpool Street called ‘No Idea’  it’s certainly somewhere that we’re hoping to visit when it opens.
Porter's - Tropical MartiniI’m strictly an amateur home bartender but inspired by the start of spring although it’s not yet tropical weather, I made a couple of cocktails with the Porter’s Old Tom Tropical Gin. I started with a simple Martini, sipping one of these automatically makes me feel sophisticated and glamorous.

5 from 4 votes
Porter's - Tropical Martini
Print
Porter's Old Tom Martini
Prep Time
5 mins
 

A classic Martini

Course: Cocktails
Cuisine: British
Keyword: gin, martini
Servings: 1
Calories: 127 kcal
Author: Sarah James
Ingredients
  • 50 ml Porter's Old Tom Tropical Gin
  • 15 ml Noilly Prat or another Dry Vermouth
  • 1 Lemon peel garnish
Instructions
  1. Mix the Porter's Old Tom Tropical Gin and the Vermouth.  Strain through ice.

  2. Serve in a martini glass with a twist of lemon.

 I then made the longer Tropical Gin Mule, with the sourness of the lime and the warmth of the ginger this was rather easy to drink!

Porter's - Gin Mule

5 from 4 votes
Porter's - Gin Mule
Print
Porter's Tropical Old Tom Gin Mule
Prep Time
5 mins
 

A longer cocktail, perfect for a summer evening.

Course: Cocktails
Cuisine: British
Keyword: gin
Servings: 1
Calories: 195 kcal
Author: Sarah James
Ingredients
  • 50 ml Porter's Tropical Old Tom
  • 25 ml Freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 10 ml Ginger syrup
  • 7.5 ml Gomme I used a sugar syrup
  • 50 ml Ginger ale
Instructions
  1. Add gin, lime juice, ginger syrup and the gomme to a cocktail shaker and shake.

  2. Fill a highball glass with ice.

  3. Double strain the mixture into the glass, and top with the ginger ale.  Garnish with a slice of ginger or a wedge of lime and a sprig of mint.

Porter’s Martini was a drink that I’d describe as elegant while the Tropical Gin mule was a long drink that would be fantastic on a warm summer’s evening. 

Porter's Old Tom Gin - Spring CocktailsI was very impressed with this lovely gin.   I’m intending to re-visit Scotland next year, and I think a detour to Aberdeen could be on the cards.

The Porter’s Gin website is currently being rebuilt but you can find them on social media

 https://twitter.com/portersgin

https://www.facebook.com/portersgin

https://www.instagram.com/portersgin

 

Still looking for inspiration?  Here are some other things we’ve been drinking recently!

Easy cocktail recipes to make at home with a range of new and old spirits.

Lanique - the new romantic drink in town

A rose liqueur for the perfect romantic cocktail

Cocktails from Islay - the Bruichladdich Stinging Scot and the Botantist Lava Lamp

Scottish Gin and Whisky from Islay

Making the Perfect Negroni with MARTINI

How to make a perfect Negroni

Filed Under: Cocktails and Drinks, Recipes Tagged With: cocktail, Cocktail Mixing, cocktail recipe, gin

About Sarah James

Sarah works full time in the NHS as a serious education and organisation development director. When she lets her hair down it’s to indie bands, preferably live, as she seeks to retain her rock chic status. Sarah makes a mean cocktail and loves trying out new food and drink recipes. Out and about she’s often found sipping champagne, fuelling her curry addiction, and enjoying fine dining. Sarah loves exploring both in the UK and abroad, especially places that are off the beaten track, and/or offer fantastic local food and drink.

Comments

  1. Georgie Wright says

    June 8, 2019 at 11:41 pm

    Thanks for the recipes, I must find myself some Porter’s Gin!

    Reply
  2. Peter Watson says

    May 9, 2019 at 2:51 pm

    Porter’s Gin makes the very best gin-based cocktails.

    Reply
    • Sarah James says

      May 30, 2019 at 6:48 pm

      I would have to agree!

      Reply

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