A Taste of the East Imperial

Once again in January, Craft Gin Club members have been treated to a surprise collection of gin accompaniments in their Gin of the Month boxes. This month, along with their The Sabre from The West Winds Gin, these included some delicious mixers from East Imperial which our members are already loving!

East Imperial's tonics and mixers are inspired by a long and illustrious heritage of gin drinking. Back in 1825, British Army officers stationed in India combined quinine, sugar and water in an attempt to create a daily tonic to act as a malaria prophylaxis. Gin was later added to the mix to mask the strong and bitter taste of the quinine water.

The humble G&T has come a long way in the subsequent 189 years – not least, because of the delicious craft gins now available to us. But, the artificial, sweetened flavour of many modern tonics is not suited to helping us make the most of the delicious libations we have at our disposal, as they often mask the herbaceous aromas of premium gins.

The East Imperial collection is designed to complement and enhance the taste of top quality spirits, letting the gin do the talking. As they put it “you wouldn’t put cheap, low quality tyres on an Aston Martin,” so why use a below-par tonic with your lovely craft gin? Both the East Imperial mixers in your box this month re all natural, with no preservatives, no artificial flavours and no artificial sweeteners. 

The Burma Tonic Water has been created with a bold distinctive taste to recreate the century old tradition of Long Pink Gins made famous at the Pegu Club in Rangoon, Burma. To mix a pink gin, simply add two to four dashes of bitters to a long G&T. 

Burma Tonic Water has the highest quinine levels available in the market, rounded out with top notes of Thai lemongrass and manao lime to perfectly balance a few dashes of bitters. 

Crafted in the most elegant way, this tonic water captures the contemporary taste of tonic with added citric acid and a higher sugar level.  

East Imperial Burma Tonic matches really well with more traditional, citrus driven and London dry style gins, just like our January Gin of the Month from The Sabre from The West Winds Gin - in fact it’s perfect for The Sabre Signature G&T Serve.

The Mombasa Ginger Beer is created using a brewing process that takes three days and contains the finest gingers from East Africa and East Asia. 

With less sugar compared to other ginger beers and an incredible long lasting ginger spice, it’s the perfect complement to spirits - or on its own as an alternative to alcoholic drinks. Here's a recipe to put both your The West Winds Gin and East Imperial Mombasa Ginger  Beer to good use - cheers!