Craft GIN

Is drinking gin fast becoming a trend in Hong Kong? 

Craft gin was originally called Genever, but now is commonly called Gin. The rising popularity of craft gin in Hong Kong is due to the countless variety of flavors and a simple yet delightful glass of cocktail, in the form of Gin Tonic. The most popular brand is using Hendrick's Gin in Gin Tonic cocktails, one tonic, a slice of cucumber, ice cubes and some gin, this is what started the craft gin trend in Hong Kong and abroad.

When people discovered the myriad of flavors of craft gin and a glass of Gin Tonic cocktail, people's thirst for gin started to rise. That’s why gin liquor stores in HK are starting to become more common. Moreover, people can make Gin Tonic cocktails at home really easily and they can find their favorite flavors within the countless varieties at a gin liquor store. All you need to do is to hop on an online liquor store in Hong Kong, like ours, and order what you need.

Did you know that Gin is not actually from the United Kingdom? 

Everyone enjoys the goodness of craft gin, but did you know that in fact, the origin of Gin was in the Netherlands back in the 16th Century, and the original use of Gin was for medicinal purposes like other spirits. However, the United Kingdom is really what made gin such a popular product at liquor stores in HK and around the world today.

How did gin find its way into the United Kingdom? 

The answer is quite simple – Wars shape culture and knowledge in many ways. Because of war, and the relationship between the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, both countries boycotted French imports of wine and brandy, and aggressively promoted the production of spirits from the native grains found within the United Kingdom, which created a favorable environment for the development of gin, and eventually the craft gin in Hong Kong, and its cocktails, that we all love today.

The dark history of gin

In fact, there has been a period of dark history during the development of British gin. At that time, drunkenness was a huge problem in London which led to many social problems, and cheap, fake gin was sold everywhere at gin liquor stores. At one point, the alcoholism within the general public was so severe that parents used gin from liquor stores, instead of milk, to feed their children, and there were cases where fathers killed their children while they were drunk on gin, or even killing their children so that they can sell their clothes to buy more to drink from the local gin liquor store. Finally, after the [Six Gin Act] was enforced, a systematic crackdown led to restrictions on the sale of gin at liquor stores, reduced beer taxes and sought to improve drinking habits of the public.

Types of craft gin

Here are some of the more popular varieties that can be found easily at liquor stores in HK today:

London Gin

A popular variety at liquor stores around the world, it is called London Dry Gin and needs to conform to EU regulations. The base of this craft gin cannot exceed 5 grams of methanol per 100 liters. In addition, the alcohol after re-distillation must be more than 70% ABV. London Dry Gin only imposes limits on the manufacturing process and does not limit the region or flavor. It must be diluted to 37.5% ABV or higher and cannot be dyed. You can easily pick up a bottle of these from our online liquor store in Hong Kong right now.

Old Tom Gin

Old Tom Gin is another popular type that can be found in liquor stores and is a sweet gin that requires the addition of sugar, due to the sweetness of the plant itself, coupled with honey or barrel aging to obtain the desired sweetness. This type of craft gin was very commonly found in pubs and liquor stores during the 18th and 19th Centuries. The reason for its development was to improve upon the crude taste of low-quality gin available at liquor stores during that time period. Until the launch of Hayman’s Old Tom Gin in 2007, there were many other distilleries that began to follow suit.

Aged Gin; Matured Gin

Undoubtedly influenced by the brewing process and popularity of Whisky, it has become a method of brewing gin, which is absorbing the flavors of wooden barrels to make the craft gin gain a more “woody” or “Whiskey” flavour. Aged Gin can use different methods during the brewing process, such as Barrel Aged, Reserve and different barrels can produce different styles and tastes of Aged Gin, such as wine barrels, Sydney barrels, bourbon barrels or peat, etc. You can easily track down a bottle of these at any good gin liquor store.

Navy Strength Gin

Navy Strength Gin is a combustible alcohol concentration set by the British Navy in the 16th century to prevent the gin from getting soaked in gunpowder—"100 British Proof", and is 57.15% ABV, so this high concentration of strong flavor of craft gin is called Navy Strength Gin. You can find a bottle of these at our online liquor store in Hong Kong right now!

Coloured Gin (Pink Gin) 

The Coloured Gin is derived from Pink Gin. In the early days, Pink Gin was produced in a pink colour because of the addition of Angostura Bitter, a naval medicine for treating seasickness. To this day, some red berries, rhubarb, flowers, and grapefruit are used to enhance the color and flavor of this craft gin and are definitely hard to miss at any liquor store.

Contemporary Gin (Modern Gin; New Wave Gin) 

Fast gaining popularity at liquor stores in Hong Kong and around the world, Contemporary Gin is also known as New Wave Gin or Modern Gin. This is a large category of craft gin in Hong Kong and around the world today and has no legal restrictions imposed on it. Contemporary Gin can be a very diverse category with juniper berries as the main theme, and other ingredients. This type should definitely see more shelf space devoted to it at gin liquor stores in near future.

How best to enjoy craft gin? 

Following the market trends as well the changes in consumer tastes, the requirements and methods for producing craft gin and its taste have definitely changed as well. As can be seen by the increasing number of gin liquor stores, there are now a wide range of craft gins available in the market, with different characteristics, and different ways of tasting and mixing it. For example, for pure drinking, Matured Gin is the option to go for, like drinking it “on the rocks” or without any other mixing or ingredients, because the main characteristic of Matured Gin is the flavor of the wooden barrels.

In addition, the cocktails made with craft gin include Gin Fizz, Negroni, French 75, and Gin Tonic are also other methods to showcase the unique characteristics of a particular craft gin. Some people say that Gin and Tonic are the perfect combination, which is also the recommendation of our liquor store in Hong Kong, but in fact, a simple glass of Gin Tonic is the result of decades of knowledge. An ideal combination depends on a correct taste combination, and a glass of Gin Tonic is to be used as the ultimate Tonic. As would be the advice of any good liquor store in Hong Kong, the choice of craft gin is very important, as well as a good supporting cast such as lemon, lime, mint, etc. also can enhance the flavor of a seemingly simple glass of Gin Tonic. You can take your pick from the large variety of craft gins we currently stock at our liquor store, and we’ll have it delivered straight to your home.

Our gin liquor store in Hong Kong — Mangostore

Gin liquor stores in Hong Kong can be found everywhere, you can easily track down a retail liquor store that sells craft gin anywhere, and even via online through the use of the internet. Mangostore, as a gin liquor store in Hong Kong, has collected a wide range of 200 different craft gins from more than 20 countries around the world. Furthermore, as a full range liquor store in HK, our online Mangostore not only sells a large variety of craft gins, but also other wines, beers or tonic water as well. Visit our online liquor store today to view our large product variety and track down that perfect bottle!