Kampot pepper infused gin, or the art of using the best pepper in the world for high end spirits
Gin and tonic anyone? Tarsier Spirit offers a delicious new take on the quintessential cocktail, and it happens to feature BoTree’s Red and Black Kampot peppers.
“Tarsier is the first Southeast Asian Gin in the world, celebrating the incredible flavours and ingredients of the region,” said Tim Driver, who founded Tarsier and is the Master Distiller. “It took us two and a half years to find the right botanicals and balance them harmoniously, creating a completely unique signature gin.”
Why did they choose Kampot Pepper? As their webpage describes, “This [Kampot] region provides the perfect growing conditions for the pepper that delivers distinct, lingering flavours and aromas unlike any other.” We tend to agree!
In addition to BoTree’s Red and Black Kampot Pepper, Tarsier Gin incorporates:
· Filipino calamansi: tastes like a mix between mandarin and lime
· Thai sweet basil: slight aniseed fragrance, bolder than its European counterpart
· Vietnamese galangal: highly fragrant and earthy, a perfect complement to juniper
On Tarsier’s Instagram, you can see a photo of a chilled gin and tonic with a perfect pop of colour from red Kampot pepper berries. Should people add them to their cocktail? Tim explains, “We occasionally add the pepper berries to the gin as a garnish but as they are uncracked they don’t add much flavour. However, they do act as a visual cue to the pepper taste in the gin itself, so they can actually increase the perception of the pepper taste!”
He adds, “They also look good in the gin!” The pepper nuances in the spirit comes from using both the black and red peppercorns in the distillation of the gin, and these are hand cracked to release all the flavour.
While Tarsier incorporates tastes of Southeast Asia, the spirit is handcrafted in Manchester by a distillation team passionate about creating exceptional gin in small batches. They will soon ramp up production from 650 bottles a month to 1300.
To get your hands on a glass or bottle of truly one-of-a-kind Tarsier Southeast Asian Gin, check out the handy search function and map of stockists on their website. Tim noted, “We are currently stocked in over 100 venues across the North West despite only launching at the start of April [2018].” Tarsier’s website will also soon include an online shop to further expand accessibility.
Be sure to connect with Tarsier to learn more about their journey to the perfect gin and where you can try it: