An Aberdeen nightspot owner has teamed up with two other UK bar scene experts to launch a gin made with Darjeeling tea.
Adrian Gomes, owner of The Tippling House and Rye & Soda, as well as event catering cocktail business 10 Dollar Shake, hopes the “Champagne of teas” from the foot of the Himalayas will give the new gin, Jindea, local and international appeal.
The two other partners in the Jindea business are Matthew Dakers and Jack Rackham, respectively brand sales manager and commercial director at Surrey-based spirit distribution and export company Emporia.
Explaining why the trio looked to Asia and India’s world-famous Darjeeling tea for inspiration, Mr Gomes – Jindea’s marketing director – said: “Both myself and Matthew have strong ties to the continent.
“My dad grew up in Goa, where my family worked on the Indian railways. Matthew’s grandfather was born in India, where his great-grandfather served as a captain in the Indian army.
“We wanted to create a brand that reflected both British and Indian heritage.”
The team enlisted Ajit Madan, co-founder of Camellia’s Tea House in London and the UK’s first certified International Tea Education Institute master tea sommelier to source Darjeeling.
Mr Madan introduced Mr Gomes and his partners to tea from the Goomtee Estate, a single estate plantation in Kurseong Valley in West Bengal.
Mr Gomes said: “When we began looking at Darjeeling tea as a potential ingredient we were drawn by the gentle aromatic and floral qualities it imparts to the gin including aromas of muscatel grape and stone fruits.
“It is known as the champagne of teas.
“The high altitude and artisanal cultivation yields in the Kurseong Valley produce arguably one of the finest black teas in the world.
“As well as the subtle flavours from Darjeeling tea, the gin contains flavours of juniper, lemon, grapefruit, coriander, ginger, fennel, cardamom, cinnamon and angelica.
“We believe we have created a product which will have local and international appeal and are excited to introduce it to the market.”
