Munakra
Chardonnay Cask
- MUNAKRA
- Vienna
Cask-agedOrchard fruit
The Chardonnay cask shows first: white grape, green apple skin, a wisp of oak and buttery weight over the juniper. Vienna dryness keeps it tight rather than sweet, with citrus peel and a faint white-wine acidity on the finish. Softer and rounder than an unrested gin, but still recognisably gin.
Serve
1:2 — low quinine so the cask notes stay audible
Garnish — A thin ribbon of green apple
Cocktails
Martinez
Sweet vermouth leads here, dark and herbal, with maraschino adding a nutty cherry weight underneath and orange bitters lifting the finish. It drinks rich and slow, more sipping than sharp. The gin needs backbone — juniper and spice enough to cut the sugar — or the vermouth simply swallows it.
The Chardonnay cask's oak and white-grape roundness meets sweet vermouth halfway, so the drink needs no help to feel wine-like.
Gin & It
Equal parts gin and sweet vermouth, stirred and served up: soft, rounded, faintly bitter, the vermouth's caramel and herbs sitting over the spirit. The gin has to push back — juniper keeps it from turning syrupy, while softer floral bottles let the vermouth do the talking.
The Chardonnay cask's buttery oak weight and white-grape roundness sit naturally against sweet vermouth's caramel, and the Vienna dryness stops the pair going syrupy.
White Negroni
Bitterness here is bright rather than heavy: gentian's clean, rooty bite against the honeyed weight of blanc vermouth, with grapefruit oil sharpening the top. The gin has to push back, so juniper and a firm spine keep it from turning syrupy, though a floral bottle finds room in the finish.
Green apple skin and that faint white-wine acidity meet gentian's rooty bite and blanc vermouth's honeyed weight as if the drink were built around a wine cask.
