This week, I am back in Denmark. Copenhagen to be exact and for once, it isn’t snowing or raining and the temperature is above freezing. In fact, it is a balmy 7 degrees outside, which almost makes me want to hit the beach. Almost, but not quite of course.
Denmark is famous for many things – Lego, Hans Christian Anderson (and his little mermaid) and of course, Princess Mary – ok, I added that bit as she’s an Australian import, but one of my favourites. I have also discovered that they also have a good many home distilled and imported Gins. And Gin, being my poison of choice, brings me to be sitting at the bar of my hotel at the end of the day. I arrived yesterday, after a nightmarish flight right down the back of the plane with minimum of sleep, food, drink OR comfort and boy, did I feel it in my bones this morning. Yesterday’s only saving grace was the evening meal and the extensive Gin & Tonic menu at the very new Crowne Plaza hotel.
This hotel, being Scandinavian in its design and decoration is like residing in a Scandi architectural magazine. The last time I did stay here was actually in the depths of winter and I felt like I was inside an IKEA snow globe. Everything is just so, with form and function being equally important. There are many regulations and laws here that are designed to benefit the Danes and 2016’s happiest country in the World. Whilst those regulations rival Singapore in their prescriptive nature, they do at least make sense. In Singapore though, if ‘it’ isn’t illegal, ‘its’ compulsory and Singapore is certainly NOT in he running for the happiest country in the World; just ask Uncle Eric (refer to ‘Goodnight Mr. Ping). Here at least, you feel as though you have a choice – even if you don’t really. My choice right now is to decide which one of the 12 Gin & Tonic variations I shall start with. Being a simple soul, I thought that starting at the top of the list might be as good a place as any, so a large Greenhall’s it is….(http://www.greenallsgin.com/?ao_confirm)
The waitstaff in the Bark Bar or Bar K if you prefer, are uniformly young, good looking and very ‘on trend’ as the magazines put it. They are dressed in black with long brown leather aprons and take the mixing of their G&T’s very seriously. Very seriously indeed. However, I like the way that they aren’t too stringent with regulating their pour and they double up on the lime, which is just what I do at home. Well, I pretty much double up on everything, most of all the Gin. I have always loved Gin, but when we lived in Mexico, working very long hours, I worked out that the ideal proportions in the tropics fitted perfectly in a pint glass. First, fill the glass 3/4 full of ice. Squeeze a whole lime cheek into the glass and pour four fingers of Gin over the ice. If you get it just right, a whole can of tonic water will fill the glass with 10mm or so to spare and give the impression of decency, if not sobriety.
Next up, is the Elephant Gin (http://www.elephant-gin.com), with lemon zest and elderflower tonic.
Elephant Gin started in Africa and has 14 botanicals in its creation. It’s now made in Germany, so at least you know that the flora that goes into it will have been precisely measured – unlike the Gin sluicing into my glass as I watch! It took my man bun’d friend behind the bar a while to make, with lots of swishing around in the glass to infuse the lemon with the Gin before the ice and very fragrant tonic water was added. It’s a long cool drink that really deserves a tropical atmosphere, rather than the indoor forest of a hotel lobby and that thought brings me back to Mexico. We started with the pint of G&T as a ‘sundowner’ and it usually enabled us not to have to keep getting up and down to refill the glass. After a while, of course, it took a couple of them to bring your shoulders down off your ears and you’d have no trouble sleeping, only trouble cooking dinner and after a couple more, remembering if you’d had dinner or not.
My third pre dinner drinkie was the ELG Gin (http://elggin.com) pared with a Thomas Henry tonic. Now, this cheeky little tinker had two carrot (organic orange and red) scrolls mysteriously residing in its depths. ELG is reportedly the best of the small batch Kobenhavn Gins and I can testify to the fact that it does indeed go down well. I was tempted to get my phone out and take a picture, but I can’t find my pocket, or feel my fingers for that matter, so I’ll content myself by just gazing longingly at it.
The ‘other’ menu here in the hotel is also excellent. Everything is organic, and if it had eyes, for sure it died in its sleep after a long happy life surrounded by its relatives. The plaice was perhaps the best I have ever tasted, with a lemon and caper sauce. I’m not posting a picture of it, because thats what my daughter does with almost every meal and its bloody annoying (love you though!). Last night I found that it was well paired with the No.3 Gin (http://www.no3gin.com). This wondrous creation was created with grapefruit zest, a dill ‘hackle’ and a 1724 tonic water. After three, I had to ask man bun man if he could show me the way to the lift. It was the jet lag, I swear…..
Righto. Thats enough for now. I need to seek out the organic mammoth thigh or whatever passes for some red meat. More tomorrow. Probably.
Interesting. Humorous. Entertaining. I really enjoy being a vicarious participant in your adventures and look forward to your next post.
Hi Christine, there’s a new one on its way soon! Thanks very much for commenting.
Nice. I could murder (perhaps the wrong word) a pint of Gin, no tonic but alas I’m yet to find any gin, ice, tonic or pint glasses in deepest darkest Congo.