The Philippines consumes more gin than any other country—43 percent of world market share, according to an International Wine and Spirits Research (IWSR) report. Most of the 22 million bottles sold every year are from Ginebra San Miguel with its bilog and kwatrokantos gin bottles. If we’re not drinking bilog gin straight from tagay (shots or chugs) glasses, we’re mixing it with juice.
Gin Pom became a hit in the ‘90s when a popular powdered juice brand launched litro packs of pomelo juice and it was made readily available in convenient stores. The drink was so popular that the Radioactive Sago Project even released a song in 2004 entitled “Gin Pomelo” with repeated lyrics of, well, just “gin pomelo.”
It doesn’t take a mixologist to make one. Just mix gin, water, powdered pomelo juice, and ice. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
CLASSIC GIN POM
Ingredients:
- 750 ml of water
- 2 packs of powdered 1liter pomelo juice
- 250 ml of gin
- Crushed ice
Directions:
- Pour water in a pitcher.
- Add the two packs of powdered 1litro pomelo juice and stir.
- Add gin and stir.
- Add ice, pour in glass, and enjoy!
If you’re a bit more experimental and want to make it into a classy cocktail you can use a real pomelo or suha, juice it up and mix it with gin, and then add simple syrup to sweeten the concoction.
Today, many local bartenders are reviving this popular concoction and serving it in their gourmet kitchens. M Cafe’s Kabila Filipino Bistro even has a Gin Pom Pi version, a mix of pomelo-infused gin, fresh calamansi cucumber juice, and honey garnished with pomelo fruit.
We got a little inspired so we made our own new version of the Gin Pom:
GIN POM GARDEN
*Gin Pom Garden is a fresh and well-balanced cocktail. It is sweet to the taste, floral, fruity, and tart with a hint of herbs from the gin’s coriander notes and fresh basil.
Ingredients:
- 45 ml Bombay
- 45 ml fresh muddled pomelo
- 15 ml lemon juice
- 5 ml rose syrup
- 3-4 pcs basil leaf
Directions:
- Put fresh pomelo in a tin shaker and muddle.
- Make sure to clap the basil to release its oils before you add it to the mixture. Combine all other ingredients.
- Add ice and shake vigorously to wake up your drink.
- Double strain into a coupette. Enjoy
Scoop: Booze Traveler’s Jack Maxwell visited the Philippines in 2015 to try Gin Pom on the streets of Tondo. Booze Traveler is a TV show on the Travel Channel that features the customs and cultures behind alcoholic drinks in different countries. Guided by DrinkManila’s resident mixology expert Icy Mariñas, and Ginebra San Miguel rookie player Jack Baronial, Maxwell sampled Ginebra Gin and mixed Gin Pom on a small street table.
Photos and Video by Star Sabroso
