What happens when Charmaine Thio, F.Scott Fitzgerald and Dorothy Parker gather in a bar booth? Besides the exchange of literary notes (Thio has a degree in English Literature), they are — for a lack of better phrasing — enamoured with gin: the “wild-west spirit that has less rules and restrictions governing it which means there’s plenty of room for flavour exploration and innovation.”
Here, Thio takes us through her love for gin — one cold sip on a sunny day at a time.
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It’s quite funny that you have a degree in English Literature because did you know that F.Scott Fitzgerald, Raymond Chandler and Dorothy Parker really loved gin?
Charmaine Thio: Yeah, they were gin fiends! Actually, many individuals in the literary world are gin drinkers and not just the authors but the fictional characters as well. Take for example Jay Gatsby from Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Mr Micawber in Dickens’ David Copperfield, Holly Golightly in Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s and of course James Bond from Fleming’s Casino Royale, and the list goes on really.
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Every now and then there’s this storytelling event we do at Hendrick’s called “Gin & Literature” where myself and one of my trusty thespian pals get together and tell an abbreviated history of gin through a literary lens.
We drop plenty of fabulous quotes from some of literature’s most gin-fuelled writers and we also get to try some of the cocktails mentioned in these literary works which is great fun!
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Did you have some kind of proclivity when you were young — perhaps as a child or young adult — for the spirit?
Charmaine Thio: I think gin might have been the first spirit I was aware of as a child. Mum loves gin & tonics and even though I had zero clue what gin actually was at the time I knew it had to be delicious just judging by how happy she was quaffing those G&Ts. Naturally the first drink I ever ordered in a nightclub was a G&T. I panicked when the bartender asked me what I wanted to drink, and I just said the first and only drink I could think of. Thankfully it was a pretty respectable order, and I didn’t end up embarrassing myself.
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Fast forward a few years and I’m a young adult living in Scotland where one would reasonably expect that I would’ve knocked back plenty of Scotch but on the contrary I drank a lot of gin. Actually, it was just this one very specific concoction of gin, muddled raspberries and alcoholic ginger beer served over ice in a coffee mug (the only drinking vessel I possessed as a student abroad).
Now that I think about it that was probably my first accidental attempt at cocktail creation…
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What is the most interesting thing about the spirit?
Charmaine Thio: To me, the most interesting thing about the spirit is how “wild west” it is. Compared to many other spirit categories, gin has a lot less rules and restrictions governing it which means that there’s plenty of room for flavour exploration and innovation. Not many gin producers took advantage of this fact until post 1999, after our master distiller Ms Lesley Gracie had the unexpected and rather bold idea of using the unlikely pairing of rose and cucumber essences to make a gin that was to be introduced to the world as Hendrick’s Gin.
Since then, we’ve seen all kinds of fascinating craft gins enter the market, reinvigorating a once stagnant category.
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With gin, as long as you have a keen sense of how to balance flavour components as well as a deep understanding of how botanicals behave and how to best extract their flavours, the possibilities are nearly endless. Thankfully for us, Lesley has an incredibly strong affinity with the plant world, a degree in chemistry and an impeccable palette to boot. Now that we’ve properly moved into our new distillery and Lesley has all the resources she needs to experiment; we can only expect that she’ll take full liberties with the “wild west” quality of the gin category.
In fact, Lesley has a literal cabinet we call the Cabinet of Curiosities, within the distillery where she keeps her most experimental gin concoctions from which she draws for future releases. The recent Midsummer Solstice gin launched in Singapore is one of the first releases from the Cabinet of Curiosities and we can hardly wait to see what comes next!
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How do people in America and Glasgow drink differently from Singapore?
Charmaine Thio: Whenever I go back to the US I always forget about the difference in portion sizes until I’ve gone and ordered my first meal and by then it’s too late and I’m stuck eating leftovers for the next two meals. Same goes for the portion size of alcohol in cocktails there. The same classic cocktail in the US could very well be 1.5 times as boozy as it is in Singapore, which makes a significant difference quite quickly.
As for Glasgow I must confess that most of the drinking I’ve ever done there was as a university student in student pubs and bars where Irn Bru was often featured in cocktails and as a mixer. Unfortunately, I really can’t attest to the drinking patterns of spiritually enlightened Glaswegian imbibers.
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How much of your background in literature, writing and theatre & performance cross into your work?
Charmaine Thio: Hendrick’s Gin has a very distinct tone of voice and we’re a brand with quite a penchant for the theatrical, so my degree has definitely come in handy when it comes to writing copy or crafting scripts for some of our events. A lot of what we do in Hendrick’s is about creating experiences that allow you to feel like you’ve stepped out of the realm of everyday mundanities and into a different reality that’s incredible yet believable.
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Fiction and theatre hinge on convincing world building and without it we’re unable to fully immerse ourselves in the narrative we’re being presented with. The devil’s in the details when it comes to building believable fictional worlds and creating an immersive experience requires a similar attention to detail, so I’d say there have been some useful crossovers. That and I’m really good at sourcing for/making props and costumes.
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Can you remember your first craft cocktail? How did it make you feel?
I don’t remember the first craft cocktail I ever had but I do remember the first craft cocktail that I ever made for a paying guest? Two bartenders had come into the bar I was apprenticing at and ordered Negronis. Up until that point I had only been allowed to make Gin & Tonics for guests but this time my mentor decided to throw me into the deep end. I was so nervous even though the drink was literally just thrre ingredients (gin, Campari and sweet vermouth) in equal measures, poured over a big block of ice and stirred.
Still, in my mind these were experts that I was making drinks for and I really didn’t want to mess up. They finished their drinks, and I didn’t get fired so I guess those Negronis couldn’t have been that bad right?
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What is the most common misconception about gin?
Charmaine Thio: That you can’t drink gin neat. There’s really no reason why you shouldn’t be able to enjoy a good quality gin without adding anything else to it, if anything that lets you experience all the flavour nuances of the gin without any other distractions. A glass of Hendrick’s Gin poured straight out of the freezer really hits the spot especially in our warmer climate.
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What is the best way to drink gin?
Charmaine Thio: The best way to drink gin is whichever way you like most, even if that means pairing it with burnt kaya toast. Have it neat or over ice, a few drops of water could also be nice. In a Gimlet or a Martini, with fancy steak dinner or with tabao-ed Hokkien Mee.
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Perhaps a French 75 at dimsum brunch, or a cheeky G&T at lunch. The best way to drink gin is whatever you make it to be, as long as you drink it responsibly. I’m not afraid to say it, no one likes a messy drunken git.
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What makes Hendrick’s Gin so appealing?
Charmaine Thio: It’s just so damn delicious! It’s a really refreshing and well-rounded gin; the warming citrus elements, subtle pepper spice and delicate floral notes come together really harmoniously, and the crisp cucumber adds an inexplicable freshness to the entire drinking experience. It’s a gin that doesn’t exhaust your palate and it pairs well with plenty of other flavours so it’s easy to play around with whether you’re a professional bartender or a cocktail enthusiast mixing drinks up at home.
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You don’t have to wait for a specific occasion or setting to drink it, it’s like that one sleek but trusty blazer in your closet that will take you seamlessly from day to night.
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Did you know that a study by psychologists in Arizona have related drinking gin…to…. tendencies towards everyday sadism? Do you think gin drinkers fall into a trope?
Charmaine Thio: Oh, bless you Arizona. I’ve not actually heard of this particular study, but I have heard of people who believe that gin makes them angry or sad. I don’t think this is an actual trope that gin drinkers fall into though. I think the only reason why gin might have that effect on a person is if it’s a poorly made gin. If that’s the case, then I completely understand because I would be angry and sad too.
Did the psychologists ensure that the individuals studied were imbibing on delicious, good quality gin? I need to see some receipts…
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Was growing the brand perhaps, tough for you? Or was it easy considering how Hendrick’s is so popular.
Charmaine Thio: I think trying to grow a brand that will stand the test of time is never going to be a walk in the park. Of course, it’s fantastic to see Hendrick’s gaining popularity in recent years. However, what’s really important is to ensure it remains a favourite amongst drinkers until the end of time. With the influx of new craft gins entering the market every couple of months, the present-day drinker has plenty of new and never before sipped options at their fingertips.
I think that’s wonderful and that drinkers should try new things wherever possible.
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But to ensure that people still come back to you at the end of the day despite having numerous other options, you not only have to have a unique and delicious product, but you also need to lay solid foundations and build meaningful connections. That’s one of the reasons why I love sharing all the quirky stories that surround Hendrick’s Gin because people like stories, we relate to stories and we feel connected through stories. It’s like building any long-lasting relationship, you’ve got to be patient, be honest, be open, and always stay true to yourself.
This is even more important now that we’re releasing new limited-edition expressions of Hendrick’s Gin as part of our Cabinet of Curiosities series. It’s important that the stories and inspirations behind these expressions are shared because that ensures that drinkers will continue to resonate with our brand and our values as we navigate the waters of modern day imbibing together.
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How far do you think Hendrick’s Gin is gonna evolve, let’s say, in the next decade?
Charmaine Thio: I think it’s going to be a really exciting decade ahead for Hendrick’s Gin! We’ve always taken pride in our innovative spirit and over the years we’ve released a couple of limited-edition liquids ranging from Quinetum, our quinine cordial to Kanaracuni, an extremely small batch expression of Hendrick’s Gin that was infused with Scorpion Tail, a botanical that Lesley encountered and fell in love with during her trip to the Amazon jungle.
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We’re honestly just getting started and if Midsummer Solstice, our first limited edition release from the Cabinet of Curiosities series, is anything to go by there’s undoubtedly plenty to look forward to in the next few years. That said, no matter how much we grow and evolve we’re always going to stay true to what makes us unusually and wonderfully us. Every expression will always be recognizably Hendrick’s in nature as we continue to work in our unconventional ways.
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What is your favourite way to drink Hendrick’s?
Charmaine Thio: In a very cold Hendrick’s martini with dry sherry instead of dry vermouth, no citrus zest and garnished with a slice of cucumber. Preferably by the fire in a castle in the middle of almost nowhere Scotland with my fluffy lounge slippers on, The XX playing in the background and polite snow falling outside.
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Lastly… what is the quickest way to get a bartender’s attention?
Charmaine Thio: Attention’s easy. Snapping your fingers, yelling “Oi!” or throwing money across the bar top are sure-fire ways of rousing the attention of a bartender who will likely proceed to ignore you at best. Quickest way to get your drink order taken though is honestly to just endeavour to make eye contact with the bartender, raise your hand politely or just say “hey, when you have a minute!” Just be nice and polite, bartenders definitely notice and appreciate that.
This story about Charmaine Thio and her love for Hendricks Gin first appeared in our March 2021 issue!
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