The Singapore Tourism Board has brought together Australia’s favourite Pastry Chef Anna Polyviou, and Singapore’s first gin distillery Tanglin Gin, to bring a slice of Singapore to Australians by creating a special, limited-edition Honey Bean Coffee Gin Liqueur.
Both partners have brought their unique set of expertise to the project: Anna’s ability to experiment with unique flavour combinations and her passion for Singapore, coupled with Tanglin’s world-renowned distilling experience and intimate knowledge of botanicals, producing an exceptional hand-crafted gin that is the perfect fusion of Singapore and Australia.
“With travel between Australia and Singapore temporarily on hold, it was important for me to be able to help give Australians access to the flavours and vibes of Singapore. I’ve really missed not being able to visit one of my favourite places for the past 18 months,” says Polyviou.
“I’ve never been involved in a collaboration like this before and it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. Being able to influence the creation of a new product, from concept right through to the packaging, has been very special and I’m really proud with what we’ve produced.”
Coffee was selected as the hero ingredient as it reflects both countries’ shared passion for the morning brew and it is something of a daily ritual for both cultures, so it was an obvious choice for Polyviou.
“We’ve relished the opportunity to work with a flavour expert like Anna,” says Singapore-based Aussie Bradley Young, Director of Operations at Tanglin Gin. “Anna’s experience has given her an intimate knowledge of flavour pairings that has hugely influenced our distilling approach for this gin liqueur. We feel we’ve developed a truly unique product, which we hope Australians will enjoy as much as we do.”
The Honey Bean Coffee Gin Liqueur is handcrafted using coffee sourced from the Atherton Tablelands in Australia as well as coffee from specialist roasters in Singapore. The smoothness of the Australian coffee beans balances the bitterness of Singapore’s well-known Kopi, while the addition of Singapore-produced honey mixed in with the creaminess of Australian macadamia nuts, creates a perfect infusion that is representative of both countries.
The honey used is sourced from Singapore bees produced by Xavier Tan, a self-taught urban beekeeper who left 15 years of corporate life to follow his passion and now conducts bee rescue operations in Singapore. Xavier rehomes bees to the three bee gardens he manages, which are The Ashram – a halfway house in Sembawang, Temasek Shophouse in Orchard Road, and another branch in Jurong.
“We know many Australians are waiting to travel overseas, and with borders still closed, we think it’s really important to bring a slice of Singapore to Australians so that we continue to inspire them about Singapore until they can visit again,” said Stephanie Yong, the Board’s Area Director Oceania.
“This gin is the product of a year’s worth of hard work by Anna and Tanglin and we’re delighted with the result – a specially crafted gin that celebrates the close bond between both countries’ and their unique flavours.”
The Honey Bean Coffee Gin Liqueur is perfect for any espresso martini: simply add ice and shake for one minute to create the Easy Beezy Espresso Martini.
Anna has also produced three special recipes with the gin liqueur as a key ingredient. See below for details.
Tanglin’s Honey Bean Coffee Gin Liqueur is limited to only 250 bottles and available from Dan Murphy’s online and selected stockists at RRP AUD $59.00.