In less than a year, the 30th Summer Olympic Games will open in London. As the pomp and ceremony begins on July 27, 2012 with the Parade of Nations and the Opening Ceremony, London will no doubt be compared to the last Olympiad held in China in 2008.
No one present there or watching worldwide can ever forget the stunning opening ceremony staged by Zhag Yimou, director of such legendary films as Hero and Curse of the Golden Flower.
Following the theme of “One World One Dream”, Zhag Yimou created a visual tableau that truly left millions of viewers breathless at the sweep of history and the display of beauty presented.
Yet have no fear because London is planning quite a show as well. Danny Boyle has been chosen as the artistic director for London’s opening ceremony. As the Academy Award winning director of Slumdog Millionaire, one can be assured of his sensitivity to an inclusive world view.
Because traditionally the heritage of the host country is highlighted at each Olympic Game’s first gathering, Boyle can draw on centuries of English history. One can only wonder if the Arthurian knights, Lord Nelson or the Tower’s venerated guards will appear in his event design.
But one image sure to appear will be the famed English bowler hat. First crafted in 1849 by the London hat makers Thomas and William Bowler (yes, that’s where the name originated) as a stiff protective hat for country gamekeepers, it was soon adopted by Londoners as a symbol for the composed style that has made London’s financiers (are you listening America?) famous around the world.
And now if hotel guests want some of that flare but aren’t necessarily hat wearers, they can celebrate with a new gin that is getting very popular as excitement over London's Games increases: Broker's Gin.
Distilled in small handmade batches, each bottle of this dry English gin is crafted in a 200 year old Birmingham distillery from an equally old recipe.
In order to follow this classic recipe, ingredients are sourced from around the world including juniper berries (but of course) from Bulgaria and Macedonia, orris roots from Italy, nutmeg from India, cassia bark from China, liquorice from Sri Lanka, coriander seeds from Bulgaria, orange and lemon peels from Spain and angelica root from Belgium and France.
Truly this is a beverage whose ingredients are almost as international as the Olympics and yet it’s the perfect gin to capture all the fun and excitement of the upcoming London Games. It’s so perfect the bottle is topped with an English bowler hat and you just can’t get any more English than that.
So enjoy the fun to come (Broker’s recipe for The Londoner Cocktail is listed below) and let us all hope that as the date for the game comes up, we find a world at peace and in harmony - at least for a few days. Cheers!
- 2 oz Broker's Gin
- 1 oz Pink Grapefruit Juice
- ½ oz Crème de Mure
- 2 Lime Wedges
Squeeze the lime wedges into a shaker and add the other ingredients. Fill the shaker with ice cubes and shake vigorously until the shaker is freezing. Strain into a chilled martini glass.
Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011
