More than a drink in Port, a lesson in Gin Making

Mahon, Minorca; Spain---“Although its origin can be traced to the times of the British domination of the island, this local brew bears little resemblance to English gin. Being more similar to the Dutch variety. Only one distillery, Xoriguer, remains today and in their factory in the port of Mahon, one can see the antique stills where the juniper berries continue to be processed in accordance with the traditional recipe that dates from the 18th century. The clay bottles in which gin was originally sold are collectors’ pieces nowadays, but Xoriquer does commercialize part of its produce in earth ware replicas, long and with a small handle alongside the neck. Gin is drunk straight or in combination with herbes, a liqueur made locally from a mixture of wild herbs in which chamomile is the most dominant, with a slice of lemon and a splash of soda-water, in which case it is called pallofa; or watered-down with lemon squash…”reads a side bar in the travel book “Menorca, a tour of the Island,” published by Triangle Postals.

In the information about Mahon, the Gin factory was a destination spot on the things to do. I love Tanquaray but have not favored gin as a drink of choice. After inquiring before lunch at our restaurant, I was given a sample. The guy drinking at the bar got very excited and I could tell his quick paced Spanish and hand gestures, he was proud of the local brew. The bar tender looked on with total confidence as I whipped back the small shot. Yum. I was interested. It had a wonderful likeness to Tanquaray’s unique flavor.

Later, I found the factory along the harbor facing the water almost in the shadow of the enormous ferrys and cruise ships that dock along that part of the harbor. Taste tests were unsupervised and all versions of the gin lined the shelves. Glass windows opened to the distillery to view the stills and observe workers.

The price: 11.83 euros, except when the supermarket ran the special; buy one bottle, get the second at ½ price.

So I own two.