Gin from the Great Ocean

Gin? You probably think it’s just something you drink with tonic or in a fancy cocktail, right? Well, that’s limiting yourself—and you might be missing out on some amazing flavors! In this course, you’ll learn about ways to enjoy gin that you most likely haven’t tried before. You’ll also understand why some gins are cheap (and not so good...) while others cost a bit more (and you can definitely taste the difference!). You’ll learn what MUST be in a gin—and, just as importantly, what CAN be included. With a focus on craftsmanship and local ingredients, you’ll get to deeply taste two of our gins, as well as experience how they work in a “normal” context—as ingredients in drinks. In total, you’ll get four tasting samples. By the end of the course, we hope you’ll understand that gin isn’t just a mixing ingredient, but can also be a brilliant flavor experience in its own right.

About the instructors: Roar Larsen is a former SINTEF researcher and chemistry professor who made a major life change mid-career. Together with his wife, Trude Tokle, they have spent the last 10 years producing one of Norway’s best gins in a tiny fishing village far out on the Helgeland coast—with only 11 other residents for company. They make gin “from scratch” and set requirements for one of their gins that it only contains ingredients grown on the island—which is just 2 km long and 400 m wide. This means gathering treasures from both land and sea. Their products have impressed Vinmonopolet’s tasting panel on multiple occasions and have made many people reconsider their view of gin as an exciting flavor experience. What started as a product to pass the time while waiting for the island’s whisky to mature has evolved into a crowd favorite. With handpicked ingredients, they craft a drink best described as an Arctic midsummer distilled into a bottle.