Four Pillars is one of Australia's favourite gins, with complex botanicals and a lovely acidity. But where do all those botanicals and oranges go once the gin has been distilled through them? They're fed to heritage black Berkshire pigs, possibly the happiest in regional Victoria. Well, for a while, anyway, because then those pigs are fed to the gin-loving public.
The pigs are going to be cooked up for a three-course meal at St Kilda's Stokehouse restaurant, and each course is paired with a Four Pillars cocktail. The flavours of the botanicals – juniper, coriander seeds, cardamom, star anise, lavender, lemon myrtle, occasionally some turmeric and ginger – come through in the meat, which is the star of the show at the dinner.
Four Pillars has been running gin pig dinners at different restaurants ever since they decided to collaborate with a pig breeder up the road. The (possibly apocryphal) story goes thusly: the pig breeder walked into Four Pillars for a drink and got chatting with the bartender. The bartender asked about the pigs and asked what they ate. The pig breeder: Anything. The bartender: Would they eat spent botanicals from gin making? The pig breeder: Let's give it a whirl.
However that occurred (and perhaps it was exactly like that), we are pretty glad it did. And if flavourful pork is your thing, you will be too.
