Tasting Notes: Black Lodge Potions - Dark Cherry, Chocolate and Chilli (Colourful Cargo Subscription October 2020)
Welcome to any new shipmates who have joined us this month. To the old seadogs who were with us in September I’d like to say sorry that the Cygnet was so nice it may not have lasted the whole month. So what have we got in today’s cargo?
This month’s gin comes courtesy of Black Lodge Potions from Walsall in the Midlands. Black Lodge are a craft distillery who produce three gins, all inspired by different terrifying pieces of folklore and it was difficult choosing between them. Ultimately their Spring Heeled Hooch surprised my taste buds so much I just had to share it with you.
Since this month is Hallowe’en, before we try the gin - dim the light and ignite a candle as we learn about the story that inspired it. We have the Victorians to thank for so many characters and myths that still scare us today but unlike his late 19th century namesake Jack the Ripper, Spring Heeled Jack has been largely forgotten.
Our tale begins in this very month of October in the year 1837. Mary Stevens was walking through Clapham Common when she was attacked by a dark figure. The creature had claws “cold and clammy as those of a corpse”. Upon her screams, it disappeared… but not for long. The next day he jumped on to a carriage causing the startled coachman to crash. When nearby people gave chase, he jumped over a 9 foot wall, laughing maniacally, earning himself his nickname.
Word soon spread of more sightings,scaring the locals so much he “succeeded in depriving seven ladies of their senses, two of whom are not likely to recover, but to become burdens to their families”. This became such a concern that the Lord Mayor publicly vowed to have the scoundrel caught. Descriptions of Jack grew in volume and colour over time. In February 1838 Jane Alsop answered the door to a man who threw off his cloak revealing red eyes, claws and vomiting blue and white flame. Spring Heeled Jack became big news, his reputation spreading to every corner of the land with sightings in the Midlands, Liverpool and Scotland.
It was never established who or what Spring Heeled Jack was. It is said to be anything from a demon to an alien. It’s also been suggested he was a group of pranking aristocrats indulging in some cruel form of hardcore Victorian-style bants.
Luckily we don’t have to fear fire-breathing manifestations of evil, partly he’s been quiet of late but also because Black Lodge Potions have allowed you to keep the jumping menace firmly grounded with their Dark Cherry, Chili and Chocolate Gin.
Pour yourself a bit and take in the aroma. On the nose, you’ll pick up a soft chocolate smell, with the alcohol coming across as faintly medicinal but not distastefully so before plummy fruits finish it off.
This week’s gin could be happily drunk neat. Warm cocoa spices are mixed with a cherry taste more distinct than it was on the nose. The chilli underpins the taste, tempering the other flavours without ever being dominant.
Where you go from here is really up to you. Most mixers work with it but change the identity of the gin so you end up with something very new. Mixed with indian tonic, the drink loses none of the chocolate aroma but dominates the overall profile. Cola is a really intriguing addition, accentuating the cherry, and cherry and cola is a tried and tested combination.
These are the two that I’ve tried but I’d love to hear about your experiments - to get you started I’ve included lemonade, cola and tonic in your box. There’s also some baked cherries included to add to your concoction.
So that brings our scary session to an end. Next month we’ll be travelling to Europe for a new and exciting drink that will make you reconsider the boundaries of a dry gin, packaged in my current favourite bottle.
Picture shot by Petty Officer Danielle, our most fierce shipmate.