Merchant’s Heart Spirit Enhancers
Merchant’s Heart is a new range of mixers created by Suntory. I was fortunate enough to be invited to sample the range by Abdulai Kpekawa, the brand ambassador. He explained that they are aiming for the premium market, not targeting any other brands but creating their own niche.
So, what do they taste like? First, a brief history. A boom in gin drinking in Spain in the 21st century lead to Schweppes developing its premium tonic range for that market. Suntory owns Schweppes but was unable to bring these mixers to the UK as Schweppes is licensed to Cola there, so Suntory developed another range, Merchant’s Heart. They are all highly carbonated and include some interesting and adventurous flavours that will complement today’s exciting new gins.
The products are:
Classic Tonic – good carbonation, strong but not overpowering quinine tailing off with a long pleasant citrus finish. This is a serious player. The sweetness does not taste artificial like some, and the carbonation is really long lasting. Expect it to be permanently resident in Theginman’s fridge. I have previously paired this with Brecon Botanical Special Edition gin; very special indeed (see Gin Reviews)
Pink Peppercorn Tonic – as above but the citrus finish is replaced by a light pink peppercorn that balances the quinine with a sweet spicy finish.
Floral Aromatics – the smell is, well, flowery as you would expect. Slightly less quinine, more fruit and citrus notes. Again, good carbonation and a long finish.
Hibiscus Tonic – light on quinine, more natural fruit flavours with a long, sweet finish. Maybe more suited to rum and vodka? I would like to experiment!
Lemon – the 5% fresh lemon juice gives it a natural, subtle taste. Not too overpowering and not too sweet. A great drink on its own but I suspect a pairing with Fifty Pounds or Fords gin would be a summertime treat.
Ginger Ale – a lovely hit of fresh ginger with a long, warm woody and smoky finish that points it firmly in the direction of whisky but again, experimentation time when I can get hold of some.
The mixers have been selectively distributed to establishments such as the Holborn Dining Rooms, the idea being to build up a following before general release in the spring of 2017. Abdulai said that the original brief was to design a tonic that would complement various gin’s to make a G&T “as good as you can get”.
I need to try these mixers with a variety of gin but I really think they may have fulfilled the brief…
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