A few years ago, when I knew a lot less about gin and tonics than I do today, I was served a marvelous gin in a classy bar club in the Born neighbourhood of Barcelona. This previously unknown gin was called No. 209. Strange, I thought, that for once a gin was given a number rather than a name. As it turns out, this gin comes from San Francisco, California. It is without question one of the smoothest and best-tasting gins I’ve ever tried!
Over the years since that day, I’ve seen it more and more in bars and restaurants around Barcelona. It’s been gaining popularity, I believe, due to its high quality and fine flavour. I’ve since bought numerous bottles of it for home consumption and experimented with various ingredients to find out which go best with it. Tonics have also played a large part in making the best mix with No. 209.
No. 209 + Indi&Co. Tonic Water + Rosemary
My favourite gin and tonic mixture ever!
There is one recipe for me, though, that stands out from all the rest. The unusual ingredient? Rosemary! Adding this particular herb gives the No. 209 mix a woody flavour thanks to its pine-like qualities. The herb has such a rich pungency that it contrasts well with the fairly neutral and smooth feel of No. 209.
Being quite a secretive gin manufacturer concerning the exact botanicals used during No. 209’s distillation, it’s a challenge to find out why rosemary works to perfection. I’m sure the makers included one or two undisclosed botanicals that go well with this herb, but after doing some research on the ones we do know about, I believe the angelica root is the key botanical for this particular mix. The angelica root, with its subtle hint of vanilla, gives that woody, earthy and aromatic note to the gin, which the rosemary works well with to amplify the flavour even further.
Overall, it creates one of the best No. 209 mixes I’ve ever tried, if not one of the classiest gin and tonics of all time!
Find out more about the products mentioned in this post below.
Gin Tonic Time 