The Lotus Dining Group is celebrating ten years since opening its first venue and to mark the occasion, the group is collaborating with artisanal Big River Distilling Co. to launch a premium Mandarin Gin.
Australian mandarin peel is the dominant flavour of the Mandarin Gin, which pairs perfectly with the five spices of Chinese cuisine: Szechuan pepper, star anise, fennel, cinnamon and clove.
Lotus Dining Group and Big River Distilling Co. share a passion for quality ingredients and innovative cuisine, so the collaboration made perfect sense. The teams tested, sampled and scaled the gin over a six-month period but developed what would eventually become the finished product and a nod to Chinese-inspired cuisine.
“As we celebrate our 10th anniversary, we are excited to make something special that celebrates Lotus’ values. The creation of our very own Mandarin Gin with Big River Distilling Co. is a continuation of our journey collaborating with independent, local producers, to constantly innovate our beverage program across our venues,” says Lotus Dining Group Beverage Manager Matthew Stewart.
“Mandarins signify good fortune and prosperity in Chinese tradition, whilst they also have a tangy fresh flavour that appeals to the Australian palate. With its notes of mandarin and Chinese Five Spice, our Mandarin Gin pairs beautifully with dishes such as Peking duck, xiao long bao and siu mai.”
mandarin peel.
How the team created a unique Chinese-inspired gin
Big River Distilling Co. Chief Beverage Engineer Clyde Morton said the process was deeply involved from both sides. “Lotus Dining Group came to us with a clear vision to create a unique Chinese-inspired gin to serve at their seven Sydney venues. Aromas can be quite evocative – when I tasted the first batch I pictured myself standing in a Chinese kitchen. The Lotus team came down to our distillery to work through options for botanicals, then sample the results of the Mandarin Gin’s small-scale trials before producing the full volume.”
Mandarin Gin will be poured exclusively at all seven Lotus Dining Group venues across Sydney. Providoor customers can also order Lotus Dining Group’s Mandarin Gin for $88 per bottle. Click here to find out more.
About Big River Distilling Co.
Big River Distilling Co. was established in 2017 and is located in Canberra near Lake Burley Griffin and the Molonglo River. The distiller creates artisan spirits of uncompromising quality using ingredients sourced from Australia and afar.
Curious and independent, Big River is guided but not bound by tradition and creates spirits that reflect the unique Canberra environs to enliven the senses and evoke a sense of time and space.