The following selection of gourmet products will entice the palate and lift the spirit. Jinzu, a new British gin, Heroína premium Spanish olive oil, and Portuguese canned foods by Jose Gourmet are at the center of the current gastronomic scene.
Jinzu
The original British gin
Dee Davies, a renowned British bartender with a passion for Japanese culture, is the creator of a new gin that is garnering accolades for its remarkable uniqueness. Jinzu gin is made with sake, with citrus notes and a hint of cherry blossom, coriander, angelica plant fruits, juniper berries from Tuscany and secret botanicals. This unique distillate stands out especially in classic cocktails, as well as in more contemporary libations. The cherry trees that line the banks of the Jinzu River in the Toyama Prefecture, Japan, inspired the bottle design. Review our selection of new premium gins.
Heroína
The remarkable extra virgin olive oil from Spain
The history of Heroína is a love tale. It began when Angelo, a Dutch national of Chinese-Indonesian origin, arrived in Spain almost 20 years ago. He fell in love with Lola, a native of Villanueva de la Concepción, a small town of Malaga, south of the Sierra de El Torcal, where her family cultivated olive trees. Angelo, an agronomist by profession, started producing olive oil for his family’s use. The quality of his product was so remarkable that he and his wife decided to market it. Thus was born Heroína, an excellent oil tastefully packaged. The three types of Heroína oil–Hojiblanca, Ecological Hojiblanca and Hojiblanca Perdigón–are made using hojiblanca olives and have a slightly spicy flavor, with aromas of fresh grass, green fruit and fennel. The original packaging is a nod to the vintage style and reminds us of antique apothecary bottles. Each bottle comes in an original cardboard box sealed by hand. Heroína oil production is limited and very traditional: this year Lola and Angelo will be packaging 6,000 bottles as the orders arrive. More excellent olive oils.
Jose Gourmet
Portuguese artistic canned foods
Portugal’s canned products are famous for the quality of their raw materials. In such a competitive field, the brand Jose Gourmet is one of the most valued and appreciated. Canned fish and sardines are some of the label’s most popular products. They come in olive oil or tomato, spicy or with lemon juice. The brand also produces mouth watering pickled mackerel, tuna “ventresca” and stewed squid with olive oil and garlic. Jose Gourmet owes much of its success to its continued effort to offer excellent quality, and they select only the best ingredients. The packaging of these sublime products displays remarkable designs, with drawings by different Portuguese artists such as Bernardo Carvalho, Cristina Valadas, and João Machado, among others. ■
