Try This Shanghai-Born Gin at Superfly on Saturday, Jun 17
Deep in the tree-lined, quiet lanes of Shanghai’s Jing’an area lies Julu Lu. Home to food and nightlife spots like mammamia, JZ Club, and the legendary Found 158 complex and all its bars and restaurants, Julu Lu is also the namesake of a gin inspired by Shanghai. And this weekend, said gin – Julu Gin – is making its way to Beijing.
Joining in on the weekly Satur-Day Club parties at Superfly, Julu will be there serving up a variety of free-flow cocktails as part of a Botanical Carnival event.
We recently spoke with Julu Gin co-founder Lucy to find out more about this Botanical Carnival, and what makes this latest China-born gin special.
Q
We’re excited to hear about Julu coming to Beijing, what’s in store at the Satur-Day Club Botanical Carnival event?
A
We’ll be serving our special Julu G&T and and the Julu Gin Yuzu Fizz, a cocktail created by Superfly utilizing Julu Gin, as well as various beers, wines, and spirits available on free-flow for the duration of the event!
Julu's distinct botanicals allow it to work well in classics like a G&T and Negroni
Q
Turning to the gin, we know of a few other Chinese gins, namely Peddler’s and Pangolin. What sets Julu Gin apart from these other brands?
A
Julu Gin aims to be a truly local product. We use traditional Jinshan folk art for our visuals, and have taken inspiration from Chinese culture, its rich history of using spices and herbs in cuisine and traditional medicine to create a product that works as well for a classic G&T, as it does as the base of a mixologist’s entirely new and original creation. We’re the only gin that is truly distilled in Shanghai in a custom-built copper still, and use a batch distillation process to ensure a smooth and well-balanced gin. We want to be your first drink on a Friday -- escape the office, sit in the sun, get a G&T or a Negroni.
Q
How did you go about picking the 18 botanicals that feature in Julu? What's special about these botanicals?
A
As the founders of Julu Gin we’ve been in love with distillation and how choosing the right combination of botanicals can create a totally different drinking experience, we chose to use all the traditional base botanicals of gin, with the addition of a number of local botanicals that we love, to create a product truly distinct to China. The botanicals focus on spices and florals from across China. Heavier spices like cumin and black pepper are balanced with pink peppercorns, apple blossom, and honeysuckle, providing a full taste. The infusing of Madagascar vanilla beans in the Silk Road rounds and sweetens the mid-palate ending with floral notes.
Julu is distilled on Chongming Island in Shanghai
Q
So, you have a London dry style gin and another gin you’ve dubbed a “Silk Road” gin. What sets these two apart?
A
Our Julu Gin Dry style is a complex and bold gin that has spicy and floral notes that makes magic in a G+T and forms the backbone of a cocktail. Our Silk Road Gin is flavorful and smooth with notes of vanilla and citrus and makes an outstanding Negroni but will also stand well in cocktails with strong flavors.
Q
What sort of cocktails does Julu work best in? And will you be serving up any special cocktails this Saturday?
A
Both flavors are great in any kind of cocktail—from a simple Gin and Tonic to something more complex like a Last Word. The fun of drinking Gin is experimenting with different mixes, juices, and garnishes. There will be some delicious refreshing and cooling Julu Gin cocktails this Saturday which will be revealed when you come!
Q
Speaking of the event, how did Julu and Superfly become intertwined, and why was Julu selected to be part of their local gin program?
A
When we lived in Beijing 12 years ago, The Opposite House always represented a perfect East and West space, which is very much the DNA of Julu Gin. We were fortunate to travel to Chengdu four years ago and experience the unique “fly” restaurants there so it made sense for us to approach The Opposite House and Superfly to carry Julu Gin. Both embody how we want people to enjoy our gin. From there, discussions evolved into a summer-time local gin program that would showcase some of the best gins coming out of China. They picked a perfect week for a summer refresh of gin drinks.
Q
Is Julu currently available in Beijing? If so, where can people find it or get their hands on a bottle?
A
This event is our debut in Beijing. We hope everyone can find Julu Gin everywhere in the ‘Jing soon, but in the meantime, you can enjoy cocktails at Superfly until Jun 24, and for your own bottles you can go visit our mini program @JULU GIN 巨麓金酒 for direct home deliveries.
Satur-Day Club: Botanical Garden, Presented by Mala Disco, will be happening on Saturday, Jun 17 from 3-6pm at Superfly by the Opposite House. Free flow on wine, beer, spirits, and Julu cocktails is RMB 228/person. Scan the QR code in the poster to book.
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Images: courtesy of Julu Gin, Superfly
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