I currently imbibe Jinzu, neat, in these rather lovely glass skulls found in a charity shop long ago.
Jinzu is one of those Tikka Massala Curries or Sweet and Spicy Pork Rice abominations that gets re-exported so many times from one end of the Earth to the other as authentic Scottish food in India or Japan or authentic Indian or Japanese food in Scotland that everyone forgets who the hell came up with it in the first place, and no one wants to own up to it lest they lose the appeal of exoticness in their marketing strategies.
But if comments of marketing and such are put aside, it is a very neat little drink. Made by Scottish master craftsmen, it is British gin pretending to be Japanese sake pretending to be hybrid gin. Inspired by their travels (and drinking) in Japanese bars beneath blossoming cherry trees, these intrepid Scots decided that it was a crime to have to choose between sake or gin, and decided to make a drink that was simultaneously neither, but both. Having received this as a gift, I paid no money for it, and was ready to savage it were it not up to my standards.
...Yet 2/5ths of the bottle was gone in the first week, which should tell you well enough that I found it most pleasing on a Summer's day, a Winter's day, but not Autumn or Spring - those seasons warranted tea, of course. It mixes well with tonic, with additional herbs, in cocktails and right now I write a thesis on maritime realism in Moby Dick, inspiring myself with this jinzu by the shot. I must say I have somewhat blasphemed for not drinking whisky as Herman Melville would have done, having read some of his journals. But I must also conclude, had Herman Melville been born in the age of good gin, he might have given it a try.
Speaking of, I have also done much research into the rather surprising world of mixers. I can't believe it, but an upstart brand actually managed to defeat Coca Cola, by taking the dominant market share of mixers in the UK - it is of course, Fevertree, whose marketing always ends with "sophisticated" this and "sophisticated" that. I don't know what they're going on about with that, but they do taste good. That they managed to merc Coca Cola and brag about it without being obliterated is something definitely worth looking into, as when changing patterns of drink occur, it usually signals great geopolitical change.
Also I can't help but feel I am sorely missing on a distilled or fermented brew which has a sharp taste, like a well-filtered vodka with radishes, but in its own concoction. Whiskey is usually a good bet for such strong flavours, but all of my favoured brews are not on sales, and I am certainly not going to waste more money than I need to on old flavoured toxin water. Either that, or I'm just getting used to it, like being raised on spice - I noticed for example, having gone without drinking for two months (before this day at least), my Welsh whiskey's tannins were more memorable. Vodkas might be a good bet to look into, any recommendations? Bison grass vodka is a top tier recommendation imo, but you must leave it sparingly, and only for Zubrowka nights with yer m8s, lest you grow sick of its distinctive flavour.
*EDIT
Have moved to a 13 year auchentoshan, matured fittingly in a former American bourbon soaked-oak cask. Former bourbon soaked-oak cask of course, there is no such thing as a former American, just as Melville, sea whales and God intended it.
*EDIT
1 in the morning noodles with Turkish microtonal guitar. DELIGHTFULLY DEVILISH
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Topic: Drunk Thread -(Awesome Thread)- (Read 185270 times)