After all, you don’t pick up an award for ‘Avant-Garde Drinks Menu of the Year’ and ‘Drinks Menu of the Year’ at the industry acclaimed Imbibe Awards completely by accident.
They stay true to Japan with their drinks. It doesn’t matter if it is their Asahi house pour, their profound idiom-inspired cocktails or their menu of Sake – Cottonopolis has the authenticity of Japan at its very core.
What’s more is they stock a range of spirits made in Japan. We all know that Japanese whiskey is highly regarded in every corner of the globe, but what I didn’t know was how delicious and unique Japanese gin was.
They have eight delicious Japanese gin’s to choose from, and I recommend you shuffle down to Cottonopolis at your earliest convenience to give them a try. Here are a few of my favourites…
Kuro by
Ki No Bi Kyoto by Kyoto Distillery
This Kyoto distillery is the first dedicated gin producer in the city. This gin is made from a rice base spirit and locally sourced botanicals including yuzu, hinoki wood chips, Bamboo leaves, green sansho and gyokuro tea as well as the juniper.
Jinzu by Jinzu Distillery Co
Ok, this one isn’t strictly Japanese, but it is a beautiful marriage of British gin with stunning Japanese ingredients. This gin gets its name from the Jinzu River which is lined with over 1000 cherry trees of which the blossom makes up the majority of flavour in the spirit along with yuzu and Junmai sake.
Ki No Tea by Kyoto distillery
Ki No Tea is made to the same exacting standards original dry gin and Kyoto distillery have worked with a master tea blender to produce this limited edition gin. This spirit is flavoured carefully with a selected blend of teas, including tencha and gyokuro. The botanical recipe includes hinoki cypress, yuzu and juniper which imparts an intense aroma and depth of flavour.
Roku by Suntory
Meaning “six” in Japanese, Roku blends six local botanicals which compliment a further eight major gin botanicals. Traditional flavours of juniper and angelica are mixed with the seasonal, floral notes of Sakura flower (cherry blossom), Sakura leaf, Sencha tea, gyokuro tea, sansho pepper and yuzu peel to form a light, balanced gin which is like nothing you’ve ever tasted before.
Cottonopolis, 16 Newton St, Manchester M1 2AE
0161 236 5144
www.cottonopolis-nq.com/
