GIN

[King Bob]

I always thought gin was nasty, but recently discovered Hendricks
http://www.hendricksgin.com/ and it is excellent. Made with not only juniper, but also an infusion of cucumber and rose petals. It's so smooth that you can drink it straight. And a martini with it is far superior to a vodka one.

I think gin may be a drink I need to look into. There may be other good ones.

[Drunk Monk]

The whole history of gin and tonic as a medicinal makes me feel healthier when drinking them, especially with that fresh citrus twist (fights scurvy you know). I haven't had any gin for quite a spell, but I hear grand things about the gin made by Anchor distillery. Junipero Gin - that reminds me. My b-day is coming up soon. Or better put, that reminds you.

[King Bob]

Much as I'd like to try the Anchor distillery products, they are too rich for my blood.

[Drunk Monk]

Junipero Gin is only $30 a bottle. That's not too bad. Not like a $70 bottle of Old Potrero. Most gins are around $25, no?

[Drunk Monk]

Hong Kong gin brand’s name ruled offensive in UK

• The name Fok Hing Gin ‘is clearly intended to shock’, said a complainant to a UK trade body, which agreed it was inappropriate to link a name to a profanity
  
  
• ‘We strive to be a brand that celebrates the language, culture and heritage of Hong Kong,’ the gin’s maker said, pointing out it was named after a city street
  

Kylie Knott
Published: 12:24pm, 15 Nov, 2021

[img=1098x0]https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1098,format=auto/sites/default/files/styles/1200x800/public/d8/images/canvas/2021/11/15/a31a5127-76fe-4eda-91ad-cee9449da664_6482b82c.jpg?itok=wvL_3_bQ&v=1636949247[/img]

Fok Hing Gin is made in Hong Kong by Incognito Group. A British drinks trade body ruled its name offensive. Photo: Facebook/Fok Hing Gin

A brand of Hong Kong gin has come under scrutiny from the British drinks industry watchdog after it was deemed offensive.
Fok Hing Gin, produced by Incognito Group, came under scrutiny from the Portman Group – a trade body composed of alcoholic beverage producers and brewers in Britain – after a complaint from a member of the public who is a licensing officer.
“The name of the product is clearly intended to shock and be pronounced as an offensive term,” the person making the complaint said.
“Personally I wouldn’t want to see this product on family supermarket shelves or being promoted in an environment where children have access – such as most social media sites.”

The complaint was made in relation to rule 3.3 – that a drink’s name, its packaging and any promotional material or activity should not cause serious or widespread offence, according to a statement on the Portman Group website.
It is the first time a complaint about a drink’s name has been upheld in relation to causing serious or widespread offence.

Commenting on the decision, the chairwoman of the Independent Complaints Panel, Nicola Williams, said: “This is the first time since the addition of the rule on serious or widespread offence that a product’s name and packaging was considered under the rule in terms of offensive language.

“It is not appropriate for marketing materials to purposefully link a name to profanity and no responsible marketing should cause serious or widespread offence.”

Posts on Fok Hing Gin’s social media pages addressed “To the Karen who got offended by our name …” said the gin’s name paid homage to Fuk Hing Lane, a street in Causeway Bay, on Hong Kong Island.

The post on Fok Hing Gin’s social media pages. Photo: courtesy of Facebook/Fok Hing Gin

On the Portman Group website, Incognito Group explained that the name had been changed from ‘Fuk’ to ‘Fok’ to differentiate it from offensive language used in Western culture.
“We strive to be a brand that celebrates the language, culture and heritage of Hong Kong. We are grateful to our UK consumers who have warmly welcomed us into their gin collection and we are delighted to continue serving the market.
“Through consultation with the Portman Group, we have agreed to update the reverse label to be more descriptive of the details that inspired our brand, and look forward to introducing our UK fans to a little bit of Hong Kong history whilst they enjoy FOK HING GIN during the forthcoming festive season and beyond.”

The company was recommend to change the back label to incorporate more of the brand heritage story.







Kylie Knott
After many years with the Post, Kylie Knott found her calling on the culture and lifestyle desk. She writes about the environment, animal welfare, food and the arts. 

FYI, the 'Hing' is the same character as in my middle name. 


This is now on my xmas list.

[Greg]

The Streisand effect.

[Drunk Monk]

I always thought gin was nasty, but recently discovered Hendricks
http://www.hendricksgin.com/ and it is excellent. Made with not only juniper, but also an infusion of cucumber and rose petals. It's so smooth that you can drink it straight. And a martini with it is far superior to a vodka one.

Hendricks has been aggressively marketing to the hipster set. They've had lavish booths at BottleRock and Outside Lands, all with a sort of steampunk theme, with clowns, jugglers and burlesque. I got a promotional folding fan from them at BR - it's quite nice with real wood tines and a tastefully decorated paper sail that proclaims "HEART of ROSE, SOUL of CUCUMBER" Are you still drinking this KB? You can have the fan. It's in pristine condition. I keep it above my desk as a memento of my glorious 2021 festival run.

[King Bob]

No booze swag for me; I had to give up drinking because I got to liking it too much. It's been a couple of years now. I think quitting sharpened my mind a bit, and I sleep better. Truthfully I think I never handled booze or drugs very well. I guess I could be straightedge, except I don't like punk music.

Hendricks is good. Tanqueray Rangpur is also very nice, and quite a bit cheaper than Hendricks.

[Drunk Monk]

Alas, I forgot you gave up drinking. Good on you. 

I have a bottle of Tanqueray Special Dry that I recovered from my dad's liquor cabinet. It's only got a few swallows left. Not my thing really. Not really a gin guy.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

H is a gin fan, so I've been exposed to the variety of the current gin market. It mostly smells/tastes like lighter-fluid to me, but one in particular, "Monkey 47" is so complex and different in it's taste that I almost like it.

It probably doesn't help that gin was my fathers tipple of choice. The tipple that eventually had him pushing a shopping cart and dying in County rehab.

Yeah, me & gin got beef.

[Drunk Monk]

I'm not a big gin person either, but I do enjoy a good gin and tonic. It's medicinal. Srsly. Add a slice of lime and it helps prevent scurvy.

That being said, I am intrigued by Fok Hing Gin. I've never had Hong Kong gin. All the distributers on their site (https://fokhinggin.com) are in Hong Kong. They have a great sense of humor about it.

From the streets that brought you
Ham Lun Kok (Oral Sex Corner) 
and Ngau Shi Wan (Cow Sh!t Bay) 
comes FOK HING GIN (damn tasty)

A city. A port. A harbour. A home. A tourist destination. A workplace. A peninsula. A former colony. The world’s 7th largest trading entity (yes, we’ve been on Wikipedia).

But one thing it’s not is a gin making city. It’s better known for ginseng than gin. For Kung-Fu Masters, not Gin Masters. When it comes to making it, Hong Kong has always been happy for that to happen elsewhere. 

Hong Kong and Great Britain will forever be connected - not just in the history books, but now in gin too. Distilled in Great Britain with the spirit of Hong Kong, let East meet West the next time your pour yourself a gin!

I have yet to find somewhere to buy this.