Gin of the month October
THE RASCAL GIN
Orange, warm spice and one botanical I didn’t expect to find in my gin.
“Leef, je bent langer dood.”
Literally: “Live, you’ll be dead for longer.”
It is the family motto behind The Rascal Gin, and I had to smile when I read it.
There is a little mischief in it, but also a reminder to get the most out of life.
That is how I like to live. Spending time with the people I love, or the people i share interest with.
A good glass poured because the evening is worth enjoying. A bottle is rarely just a bottle to me; it is part of the story we tell, the memory we make around it.
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The makers of The Rascal grew up with the herbs and spices their nenek "grandmother" used in her Indonesian cooking. They carried those family memories into a gin distilled in Schiedam. So their motto feels right at home here: a family story, made to be shared while we are busy living.
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It is the family motto behind The Rascal Gin, and it feels particularly fitting now that the evenings are getting shorter.
Close the curtains a little earlier. Make something good to eat. Pour a drink that gives you a reason to stay at the table.
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The story starts with the makers’ Indonesian family kitchen. They grew up with the herbs and spices their nenek, grandmother, used in her cooking. Later, those memories became the starting point for a gin distilled in Schiedam.
It is their own take on the flavours they remember, made with the distilling craft of a Dutch city that knows its way around a still.
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There is juniper, of course. Coriander, angelica and orris keep it in familiar gin territory. Then come orange, cardamom, cinnamon, liquorice and ginger.
And cumin.
That last one made me wonder. I know what cumin can do in a kitchen. I was curious to find out what it would do in a gin.
The Rascal’s ingredients draw inspiration from Java, Bali and Sumatra; the gin itself is bottled at 40% ABV. therascalgin.com
It sounds like a bottle made for this time of year. The question was whether all that spice leaves enough space for the juniper.
The Rascal Gin
Premium gin met Indonesische roots
A little warmth for the shorter days
Tasting notes
When I open it:
Orange is the first thing I go looking for, but I give the glass a moment before
making up my mind.
There is the familiar fresh, pine-like side of juniper, followed by citrus and a warmer smell underneath.
The cardamom gives that warmth some lift, cinnamon sits further back., and somewhere
among the bright and sweet-smelling notes is a savoury edge.
Knowing cumin is in the recipe, I am tempted to give it all the credit.
but I needed another sniff to finnd confirmation.
When I taste it:
The first sip starts fresh, with juniper and orange.
Then The Rascal changes direction.
The spice builds through the middle of the sip.
Cardamom keeps it lively, cinnamon brings warmth, the cumin adds a small earthy turn.
It reminds me why the story behind this gin begins in a kitchen, though it never makes me feel as if I have been handed a glass of dinner.
There is a gentle sweetness too, which rounds the spices without turning the gin sugary.
I take another sip to find the juniper again. It is still there, doing its job while the more mischievous ingredients have their moment.
When I swallow it:
The orange fades first.
The warm spice stays a little longer, along with a dry, lightly savoury note.
Then the juniper returns at the end.
I like that order. It gives the gin a beginning, a change of pace and a finish that still belongs to gin.
Mouthfeel
The Rascal feels rounded through the middle, with enough freshness to stop the warmer botanicals from becoming heavy.
You should try it neat first, at room temperature, just to follow where the spice goes.
Then I would bring out the ice and tonic.
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Gin.Whis notes
I keep coming back to the cumin.
It is the ingredient I have questioned on paper and the one that makes the family story more interesting in the glass.
The Rascal does not need to taste like an Indonesian dish to carry a memory of that kitchen.
A little familiar warmth among the juniper and citrus is enough to make me curious about the next sip.
And with the days shortening, this feels like the moment to give that warmer side of gin some room.
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Best serve suggestion
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The Shorter Days G&T
The Rascal’s giftbox comes with dried orange slices and star anise.
Both belong in this serve, but I would let the star anise speak quietly. It has a habit of taking over a conversation.
For one glass
- 50 ml The Rascal Gin
- 100 ml dry tonic
- Plenty of large ice cubes
- 1 supplied dried orange slice
- 1 supplied star anise
Fill a glass with ice and add the gin. Pour in the tonic slowly, then add the orange slice.
Drop in the star anise, stir once and give it a minute.
At first, it is crisp and citrus-led. As it sits, the orange softens and the star anise brings a little more warmth to the gin’s cinnamon and cardamom.
Taste it as it changes. If the star anise is getting too loud, take it out. It has already done its work.
This is the G&T I would make when daylight has disappeared before I was ready for it: still refreshing, but happy to stay indoors with me.
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Gin: The Rascal Gin
Style: Premium spiced gin
ABV: 40%
Origin: Distilled in Schiedam, Netherlands
Website: therascalgin.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therascalgin/