Gin Review - Harpusa Dry Gin

Exciting things are afoot in Indian Gin, and Harpusa is a notable example.

India is one of the big success stories in Gin. While Gin is in decline (albeit from an unsustainably high point) in the UK, it’s on the ascendant in most other places in the world. India is the 5th largest consumer of the drink but they’re not just drinking it. Given the rich quantity of botanicals available there it’s unsurprising that they’re producing excellent gins.

Harpusa (Sanskrit for juniper) is made in the Himalayas using local juniper, turmeric, gondhoraj (a type of lime found in Rangpur that is like a cross between a lime and a mandarin), mango, ginger, cardamom and coriander seed,.
There’s a lot on the nose! There’s earthy juniper but with a refreshing citrus punch. All of those flavours combine on the palate with a spicy finish.

The combination of the gondhoraj and the cardamom is slightly reminiscent of the clementine/spices flavours of a Christmas gin but it’s more subtle than the assault you often get from seasonal gins, and it’s given an Indian context from the turmeric.

It’s rich, complex, oily and delicious neat. At at a recent tasting on a humid summer’s night, I coupled it with still tonic water (adding ice cold water to Jeffrey’s Tonic Syrup), picturing linen suited 19th century Brits trying to cool down on the subcontinent. I heartily recommend doing this to make your gin and tonic as refreshing as possible, but it’s still delightful with plain or aromatic tonic.