Since living in Japan for over 20 years now, some crazy shit has happened back in Blighty.
Apparently, people who aren’t homeless are now drinking gin!?
When I left, gin was the sort of liquor you’d drink while being covered by a brown paper bag, probably sitting behind a bus stop and arguing with a pigeon.
Now the youth are drinking it.
Pretty girls are drinking it.
But why?
Apparently, because it’s not full of sugar.
Fun fact: alcohol itself has almost as many calories per gram as fat. Gin didn’t become low-calorie, it just stopped bringing a bunch of sugar to the party.
Or maybe because a can of Quitto Gin & Soda is only 89 yen!?
Um.
Alright then.
Bought at Genky, by the way. Nice shop. Feels like the sort of place where you can buy shampoo, batteries, frozen gyoza and a questionable alcoholic beverage for less than the price of a sandwich.
Anyway, as I’m ideally trying to get myself down to the same sort of proportions as Brad Pitt in Fight Club, while also saving a few yen here and there, I thought, fuck it. Let’s give it a go.
The can is white, there’s a rather respectable 7% alcohol content, and there’s a picture of some sort of grass on it.
Or are they peas?
I don’t know.
Maybe this is the future of gin.
Pouring it into a glass with five small ice cubes, it looks suspiciously like 7UP.
Is it 7UP?
I highly doubt it.
So, in the interests of scientific research, I tested it with my finger first.
No.
My finger isn’t sticky.
That’s good, I suppose.
It’s definitely something far less sweet than 7UP, anyway.
So what does it taste like?
Well…
Cheap gin mixed with cheap soda water.
Which, to be fair, is pretty much exactly what it is… Almost… (cough, vodka in the ingredients)
There’s no pretending this is some sophisticated botanical experience. There’s no juniper dancing across the palate, no subtle citrus notes, no elderly English gentleman appearing in the background to tell you about the history of gin.
It tastes cheap.
Because it is cheap.
And at 89 yen, I’m not entirely sure you can complain.
It’s not particularly offensive. It’s not particularly good either. It’s basically alcohol-flavoured fizzy water for people who have looked at the price of a proper drink and thought, nah, fuck that.
So, 2/5.
But…
3/5 if you’re skint and can’t afford anything better.
…
Oh wait.
Full circle.
Where to Buy
🇯🇵 In Japan:
Look for it at GENKY drugstores across Japan.
Genky Homepage
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