Drink in Focus: Guk Bou at Draft Land
At Draft Land, chrysanthemum, puer tea and gin combine in a drink that’s dark and herbaceous yet refreshingly light
“The drink actually has its origins in a slightly different drink from Ori-gin [Tastings Group’s former gin-focused bar] called Herbal Remedy,” says Alex Ko, Tastings Group’s beverage development manager. “Though that drink originally used English Breakfast tea, it was inspired by the old-school tea combination at dim sum restaurants,” he explains.
Ko adds that the cocktail was developed to highlight the fact that chrysanthemum pairs well with woody angelica and liquorice, which were used in the gin base.
Chrysanthemum is slow-cooked in gin for two hours, Ko explains, while puer is brewed as normal. “We can’t throw it all in the same pot since the alcohol in the gin picks up the floral flavours of chrysanthemum better than water does, while it would extract too many tannins from the tea.” Sugar and citric acid are added to finish off the batch-made cocktail, which is kegged and carbonated. This batching method is not only essential for use with Draft Land’s tap, but it turns carbonation into its own ingredient.
“Carbonating a drink will create a small amount of acidity,” Ko explains, “due to the dissolved carbon dioxide being converted to carbonic acid, but this affects the sweet-sour balance less [than nitrogen or nitrous oxide] and is more about accentuating bitterness and volatile flavours like fruity and floral esters [compounds necessary for conveying fragrance].”