"Gin used to be the terminal stage of alcoholism, in Brazil." This is how bartender Márcio Silva jokingly describes how the spirit was considered in the country. "This is what I usually heard, before this new boom."
But this reputation turned around, especially after 2016, with the help of brands, both domestic and imported, like the Savvy, a new gin from Portugal. The rediscovery of classic cocktails, like gin and tonic, is also lending a hand.
"It's a refreshing drink, that imparts elegance," says Domingos Meirelles, owner of Sóshots & Gin Club, in São Paulo. He will open a second branch in the posh Jardins neighborhood, later this year. In both, he offers a comprehensive gin and tonic list, made with 40 different brands, both domestic and imported.
G & T, a bar that paved the way for this gin renaissance as a pop-up experiment in 2016, will move to a permanent address in Rua Oscar Freire next month. The new location will be open all day, offering 95 different types of gin.
Although gin consumption is in an ascending curve in Brazil, the market is far from saturated, according to Angélica Salado, senior analyst for the drink industry at Euromonitor International. Giant Diageo, for example, doubled the sales of the company's flagship brand Tanqueray in the country, last year.
The next challenge will be, according to Euromonitor's analyst, teach old gin new tricks, gaining space with new uses beside the good old gin and tonic.
Translated by NATASHA MADOV