Taste the sea with Stranger and Sons’ new AER Gin

Experience the new coastal-inspired Gin by Stranger and Sons at Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai's rooftop bar, AER

The rooftop bar at the Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai, AER is romantic, with a spectacular view of the sea. It is for that reason that Stranger and Sons, the noted gin brand from Goa, decided to collaborate with the bar to create a unique bottled spirit. This drink, also named AER Gin, is described as Spirit of The City by The Sea, and boasts coastal flavours. 

Gin, from its origins in the 17th Century, has always been infused with botanicals like juniper berries, and even sometimes spices like anise, caraway and coriander. Its light and tropical nature made it popular in British colonies, and for the same reason lends itself well to the Indian climate. So when we heard about a coastal-inspired gin, it made perfect sense. “AER Gin is a vibrant, citrus-forward spirit featuring pronounced notes of grapefruit, lemon, mint, kokum and tamarind. It delivers a bright bouquet of fresh flavours with a hint of mint and a soft, spiced finish, creating fresh and saline notes,” explains Kunal Chopra, who leads innovations at the Stranger and Sons distillery. These additions make the special edition gin very different from the gins available in the market and even the other offerings from the brand itself. 

Kunal takes us through the exacting process of making the gin, “The botanicals and spirit are added to our still and distilled with the single-shot method—a laborious technique that requires fresh botanicals for every batch and a hands-on process. This extra effort helps our gin to stay true to the botanical flavours. Demineralised water is added to cut our gin to bottling strength before it is left to rest for five weeks. This long period of rest allows the flavours to marry and settle into a cohesive spirit.”

The collaboration is also unique because AER is only available at the bar. Guests can choose from the cocktails the bar has created, the AER G&T and the grapefruit copa, along with classics such as martini, gimlet, spritz and negroni. Kunal says that the grapefruit copa has been the most popular with diners. 

The fresh notes in the drink also pair well with seafood. At the bar try the salmon tuna crudo that goes well with a grapefruit copa cocktail; baked prawns with AER Gin’s negroni, and the butternut and beetroot Tiradito with AER Gin’s gimlet. The drink also pairs with Italian food because of its fruity tang.

Stranger and Sons is always innovating and creating new variations, such as its popular Perry Road Peru and the Sherry Cask Aged Gin. Kunal says that they are always looking for more ideas, and hints at something new from the brand. “While we will continue to push forward the gin conversation, our objective is to be a house of brands — we are working on other major spirit categories which we aim to foray into in the near future,” he concludes.  

Cocktails are priced at ₹750 upwards. At Worli, Mumbai. For details, call 8976803858