Compared to the 18th century, the recent resurgence of gin has been a more civilised affair. Craft distilleries are springing up all over the place, dedicated gin bars are appearing in every city, and the real snobs among us have joined gin clubs, which provide a welcome excuse to get very drunk and engage in deep conversations about ‘botanicals’ with moustachioed gentlemen and other beardy folk.
Perhaps I’m a little worn and weary from all this talk of gin as the Great White Hope. However, when Pintura got in touch to invite me to try its very own Yorkshire-inspired brand of premium gin, I found it very easy to rekindle my enthusiasm for the spirit.
Pintura is a Basque Bar and Kitchen based in Leeds City Centre, and over the last year, has built a solid reputation for serving great tasting Northern Spanish cuisine. It also boasts a dedicated gin bar in its basement, which stocks probably the best selection of gin you’ll find in Yorkshire.
On this occasion, we were taken upstairs to a secluded area of the restaurant and seated at a long bar decorated with blue tiles. Pintura is the Spanish word for ‘work of art’, and without a shadow of a doubt, its one of the prettiest places you could choose to eat or drink at in the city. To begin the evening, we were taken through a fascinating if not disturbing history of gin in England, and following this, a run down of the process that led to the development of ‘Cien’ – the name given to Pintura’s first own-label bottle of gin. Cien translates to ‘100’ in English, and is officially the 100thdifferent type of gin to be added to their monstrously large collection downstairs.
What makes Cien special is it’s unique fusion of Basque and Yorkshire flavors. It was developed at the renowned Ginsitute in London, who you might recall as the distillery behind the Portobello Road no. 171 brand of gin. Alongside flavours of juniper, coriander, olive, and Spanish lemon, they’ve added Yorkshire Gold tea, and locally sourced Yorkshire honey from Pontefract. I’m sceptical about the combination at first, but in the small sample we’re given I can see they’re onto a good thing. The gin is fresh, fragrant, and super smooth to taste, with very well balanced flavours. Yet Cien really comes to life once it has been poured into a ‘Copa’ and some tonic has been added (with a dehydrated tomato and coriander nestled on top for extra effect). It’s certainly my first Yorkshire-Basque inspired G&T, and while Cien remains on the shelves at Pintura, I know it won’t my last. We enjoy it with some of Pintura’s signature tomato bread, and a couple of other small platters. The combination is nothing short of heavenly.
If you fancy purchasing your very own bottle of Cien, then it’s £40 a pop. Otherwise, enjoy it while you can at the bar. I would recommend you hurry though, because it won’t be long before it’s all gone.
pinturakitchen.co.uk
1 Trinity St, Leeds LS1 6AP
0113 430 0915
Piece by Paul Stringer, Food Goblin Northern Correspondent
