Umodzi Gin is the perfect gin for tonics ⋆ Jupiter & Dann

*AD – the item in this review was gifted to our household for this post. All opinions, as always, are our own.

Gin is definitely the in thing at the moment when it comes to spirits. and unlike the cider fad, there are plenty of new flavours, companies and combinations coming to the table. UMODZI Gin is the latest in that long line of new gins, but it does a few things different than a lot of its contemporaries; For a start, the South African gin pulls its botanicals in from the entire continent, with its 21 botanicals coming in from 12 different countries.

That’s a lot of botanicals, and it means that Umodzi makes for a complex, peppery and earthy flavour. It also has – much to my liking – a slight bite and burn to it that you normally have to look to spirits like tequila or mezcal for. That’s because among those flavours, alongside black pepper, there’s Selim and Wongo Pepper. On the citrus side of things, there are staples like lemon and orange peel, however, coriander seeds are not the subtle notes here, instead, there’s mango, from Malawi, and grapefruit from South Africa. The latter is very noticeable and is exactly what we chose to mix a light tonic (plain, or cucumber/watermelon) with it and garnish with grapefruit, although leaning into mango or even lime would probably work well.

My favourite thing, perhaps, about Umodzi Gin is that it holds up well when mixed with tonics. Other gins, especially some of the older, less-complex brands, tend to not hold up when mixed with certain tonic brands and can lose themselves in the carbonation. Umodzi does well with the carbonation and the sometimes-bitter charge is quickly covered over by the citrus before we even talk about the spice or earthy notes.

I’m nowhere near enough of a gin connoisseur to be able to pick out the difference between a normal gin base and what happens when you build it on cane sugar instead, but its incredibly clear that a lot of decisions went into making the flavour profile of Umodzi exactly what it is, and this is actually a gin that I can see myself adding to the shelf as – of all things – an alternative to mezcal for sipping through ice. It’s a premium product, so don’t expect to see it splashed around often, but if you’re looking for a gift for somebody who regularly chats about the flavours that go into a gin while drinking it, then you don’t need to look any further than Umodzi Gin.

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15 thoughts on “Umodzi Gin is the perfect gin for tonics”

Rhian Westbury says:

We’re big gin fans in our house but I don’t think either of us has tried Umodzi Gin. I’m up for trying all varieties of gin so I may have to give it a try x

December 31, 2021 at 9:45 am