Fast forward to our home in Calcutta, India
1971
With regard to cocktails, I recall there were numerous books on how to make them and I do remember one in particular called ‘Giggle Water’! It was a small, reddish book with a simple drawing of a glass on the front. I can still picture my father mixing drinks himself using this particular book after which he then carefully instructed the Bearer on how to perfect the various cocktails recipes which he would recreate and serve to his guests.
He would invariably insist that his own Gin (which actually was pink due to the addition of hibiscus in the process of production) was to be served neat over ice. He called it "Pinkers" which I later learnt was the popular name for his gin served at his Officers' Mess during WW2.
His constant experimentations led him to convert one of the bathrooms in our house in order to work on his beer as well as his spirit concoctions. It used to drive my mother mad with the smell of fermenting beer mixed with odours of the botanicals doing their work on the Rendle’s gin!! She hit the roof one day when some beer bottles started to explode, shattering glass everywhere. The beer had carried on fermenting in the bottle and the pressure proved too much. His escapades often proved to be a messy business!
Chris Edgcumbe-Rendle
Monday 19 December 2016
Wednesday 23 November 2016
Why is Rendle's Original Gin pink?
Why is Rendle's Original Gin pink?
My Father, Captain Frank Edgcumbe-Rendle invented the recipe in 1942 whilst serving in the 16th Light Cavalry, Indian Army. Prior to joining the Military, Captain Frank plied his trade as a professional tea taster. Dissatisfied by the quality of the gin available at this time, he embarked upon a mission to utilise his tea tasting skills to create his own superior Gin. The exotic combination of botanicals in the recipe gave the Gin it's distinctive flavour and appealing pink hue. In this way, it was instantly recognisable but more importantly, Captain Frank knew that it was his Gin being served in the Officers' Mess with no risk of dilution!
Captain Frank's recipe has endured the test of time and is still available today for gin connoisseurs and cocktail lovers. The heady blend of botanicals originating in India and the Orient make Rendle's Original Gin "Distinctly Different" in both taste and appearance. Indeed, as well as delivering a classic G&T, Rendle's is the perfect base for a host of exotic cocktails. Alternatively, it can be enjoyed neat over ice.
Chris Edgcumbe-Rendle
My Father, Captain Frank Edgcumbe-Rendle invented the recipe in 1942 whilst serving in the 16th Light Cavalry, Indian Army. Prior to joining the Military, Captain Frank plied his trade as a professional tea taster. Dissatisfied by the quality of the gin available at this time, he embarked upon a mission to utilise his tea tasting skills to create his own superior Gin. The exotic combination of botanicals in the recipe gave the Gin it's distinctive flavour and appealing pink hue. In this way, it was instantly recognisable but more importantly, Captain Frank knew that it was his Gin being served in the Officers' Mess with no risk of dilution!
Captain Frank's recipe has endured the test of time and is still available today for gin connoisseurs and cocktail lovers. The heady blend of botanicals originating in India and the Orient make Rendle's Original Gin "Distinctly Different" in both taste and appearance. Indeed, as well as delivering a classic G&T, Rendle's is the perfect base for a host of exotic cocktails. Alternatively, it can be enjoyed neat over ice.
Chris Edgcumbe-Rendle
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