What Is All About?

Remember the last time when we were wandering in Kuala Lumpur and found this picture-perfect bar – Iron Fairies? Well, Iron Balls Bangkok is part of the same family, with a few differences. Most noticeable is the Asian Gin revolution, which takes part in their distillery. Iron Balls is quite popular Southeast Asian gin. Their in-house distillery didn’t stop with drink, but they rather built a bar around this gin. Let’s check an ambiance of this ballsy gin temple, shall we…

The Ambiance of the Iron Balls Parlour & Saloon

The father of Iron Balls’ concept is Ashley Sutton, an extremely talented designer who is standing behind many outstanding projects. Like Iron Fairies also this bar begins with the moody setting adorned by steam-punk theme and peerless touch. In a word, this bar looks funky.

When we were there, DJ was playing some old school funky jams on her LP stereo. Neat! The main theme of the bar and hmmm gin itself is vintage scuba diving. 20.000 leagues under the sea if you like.

The Drink Menu

The pillar here is, of course, Iron Balls Gin, which recently got a great partner – Vodka. You can enjoy each on its own or mixed into a delicious cocktail. The head mixologist here is Carson Quinn, who worked his way through some of Ashley Sutton’s top bars in Asia. Let me explain that the menu is not extensive; it has only twelve cocktails on it. However, as a gin lover, all I need is a gin with lemon and good old G&T for my darling.

Our Drinks

My choice was reasonable and full of respect – gin with a slice of lemon and rocks on aside. Vivi, on the other hand, took classic Gin&Tonic (Fever Tree Elderflower).

The base for Iron Balls Gin is pineapple and coconut, which are fermented for about a week. Then, the spirit is macerated with 15 botanicals. The recipe was in work for three and a half years, so don’t expect a reveal of all herbs. However, among others, there are ginger, lemongrass, mace, nutmeg, pepper, cinnamon, coriander seeds, ginseng, and juniper berries. Juniper berries are keeping this gin in the classic zone, while tropical herbs are keeping it tropically floral. On the nose, I got strong ginger and cinnamon with mango and pineapple. Juniper berries came out more at the back, especially in the aftertaste. Taste is fruity with citrus hints and medium aftertaste. This gin is clever and ballsy at the same time.

Vivi’s G&T was fabulous as well. Tonic prolonged floral notes from the gin and got along with its fruitiness perfectly. Elderflower with ginger and lemongrass is a classic hit, so I think this tonic might be just perfect for it. Lovely G&T!

Conclusion

There were more than 600 recipes attempts to get Iron Balls Gin as we know it today. As you can see, Ashley Sutton is a perfectionist and his approach to gin destination is damn serious. We can only confirm and applaud his dedication. Iron Balls Gin is amazing and Thailand deserves a good gin like this. If you are in Bangkok, I strongly recommend to stop there and have a nautical drink way.

Iron Balls Parlour & Saloon Review Card

• 9.5/10
  ATMOSPHERE – 9.5/10
• 9.3/10
  SERVICE – 9.3/10
• 9.0/10
  DRINK SELECTION – 9.0/10
• 9/10
  PRESENTATION – 9/10
• 9.2/10
  OUR DRINKS – 9.2/10
• 8.9/10
  VALUE – 8.9/10

Price and Location

A drink here will cost you about 15 USD. Iron Balls Parlour & Saloon is located on the famous Sukhumvit road. Here is a link to the location for easy navigation.

The post Iron Balls Parlour & Saloon Review: Thai Gin Mania appeared first on Wild 'n' Free Diary.

Colonial Bar, Majestic Hotel Ambiance

Right after the entrance, you will be simply amazed. The floors are decorated with the original Victorian style porcelain tiles, and the furniture is impeccable. Mahagony bar is massive and somehow shabby.  Our eyes just couldn’t stop wandering around the lobby and the feeling is just right. Then my eyes noticed the Holy Grail on the wheels. It was their bar cart ready for our order.

An affectionate bartender offered us some water, which was more than needed on this hot day. I like that their offer isn’t too big and their menu set is nice. Actually, the menu exists in the form of neatly designed cards. There are some tips on them, how to enjoy Malacca Gin and a brief history of it.

Gin O’Clock

Every guest has also an option to prepare the cocktail by himself, with each recipe written on a menu card. If you choose to do it yourself, you’ll have more fun. Otherwise, you can relax and watch the bartender do the magic. In the meantime, you can check the outstanding old bar with its main piece – the mahogany-colored bar.

Vivi chose their signature cocktail – The Malacca Collin, while I stayed with their Tanqueray’s Malacca Gin. This limited-edition is just for them and you won’t find it anywhere else. Correction. We found it in Vietnam in one nice bar, which we can’t name 😉

Malacca Gin is London Dry Gin style, just more subtle, with a less intense taste of juniper. The palate is fruity – green limes, grapefruit, and ripe oranges at the back. The aftertaste is more floral, reminding of a rose with a slight scent of pine. Vivi’s cocktail was made of Broker’s Gin, Gula Melaka syrup, lemon juice, and Tonic Water.

Gula Melaka gives a drink a smoky flavor with caramel and butterscotch which combines nicely with the acidity of the citrus. A bitter taste of Tonic rounds everything and hides the alcohol. The cocktail is warmly sweet and can make a great company with some chocolate biscuits. Later on, we got also some snacks, some roasted green pea, and salted peanuts.

The short visit to this hotel moved us so much, that we are eager to stay at the Majestic Hotel KL, where they are waiting for us with their Smoke House Bar. The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur is managed by the same company – YTL. and is also full of history.

Conclusion

Majestic Hotel Melaka is the best hotel here in Melaka, and there is no secret the Colonial Bar is amazing as well. This place is a must for all colonial and heritage lovers. Not only that, but this bar is a must also for all gin lovers. What can be better than sitting in this colonial bar and enjoy a delicious cocktail?

Price and Location

One Gin and one Cocktail costs us about 20 USD. If you would like to enjoy your Gin O’clock as well, here is a Google map link for easy navigation through Melaka’s streets.

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Why I Choose Death’s Door Gin?

I remember some information about their spirits from some reading a long time ago. The waitress told me, their gin is simplified with only four ingredients. The organic juniper, fennel, and coriander, down to its base of wheat and barley. All ingredients are local, which gives bigger value to this spirit. They are in program 1% for the planet. This is a nonprofit organization. It connects different environmental nonprofit organizations who donate  1% of their income. In return, they get the certificate. Nice effort!

Death’s Door Gin Distillery

Death’s Door Gin distillery is on Washington Island, Wisconsin, where was once a huge agriculture activity. This area was known for potato farming. In the early 1970s was this niche abandoned, due to the loss of contracts and known customers. Farmers didn’t change the crop, but rather abandoned the island or got into tourism. In 2005 a small group began exploring and reinvigorating farming. They selected a specific variety of wheat.

Specific wheat for their liquor

The red winter wheat, which grows the most successful on this island. In 2010 they got organic certification for all their crops. Only two years later they opened the distillery. Which is now the largest craft distillery in Wisconsin. With an annual capacity of more than 250,000 cases of the finished product, it’s also the largest in the region. It all started as an experiment to check if there is an option for agriculture restoration on this island.

History

Where’s the name for Death’s Door Gin coming from? There are more stories about this name. The name is known from French one – Porte des Morts. One version is about fighting between Winnebago and Potawatomi tribes. The Winnebago were pushing from the peninsula to the islands and were preparing to attack the island. Potowami send three spies, so they could set a signal fire where is safe to land and attack the opposite tribe. The spies got captured, and their mission was no more a secret one. Winnebago decided to use it to their advantage and devised a two-pronged attack. They bluff where there was no safe landing and set a signal fire there. All attackers were killed by the rocks.

Two stories

After the battle at the bluff, the remaining Winnebago waited for the return of their second party. The wind and waves that had prevented the Potawatomi from fleeing also caught the Winnebago raiding party. They were never seen again. Another story is about Native Americans. The tribe built a ring of campfires on thin ice to lure their enemies through the strait overnight. The plan worked perfectly, and the attackers perished. Some versions mention only a storm without the battle. There is even one saying that French deliberately gave the passage a scary name. The goal supposed to be in order to discourage and scare sailors from sailing through the strait.

My Tasting Notes

However, the red winter wheat comes from this region and the name is more than convenient for this nice gin. It’s true that there are only three main components in this spirit. But that doesn’t mean it’s not complex. Very silky with straight juniper taste, a bit peppery and also sweet at the end. Coriander seeds give some citrus note and spiciness to it, while fennel smoothens it out and adds some minty flavor. Deaths Door Gin alcohol content is 47% by vol., yo you can expect a nice kick.

Death’s Door Gin Review Card

• 8.8/10
  PACKAGING – BOTTLE – 8.8/10
• 9.2/10
  ON THE NOSE – 9.2/10
• 9/10
  ON THE PALATE– 9/10
• 8.9/10
  FINISH – 8.9/10
• 9.3/10
  VALUE – 9.3/10

Conclusion

However, this gin was great straight, just on the ice with lime. But hey, in tropics Gin tonic is essential against malaria. And I must admit it, along with their house tonic, with the most quinine on the market, was quite delicious. Death’s Door Gin is a nice sample, and I would recommend to all gin lovers. I hope you like our Death’s Door Gin review. However, you can expect more gin reviews in the future. I wonder which gin should I try the next time when I visit Singapore.

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