Dionysus Tales and Whinberry Cocktails

One of the most important things that distinguishes our esteemed God of Wine Dionysus, from other Hellenic deities, is the tales that were told of him.

I recommend that you look up these myths yourself, in order to learn and appreciate their fuller detail.  But they all follow very similar themes and tropes.

In much of the early adult stage of his legend, Dionysus travels east, mainly to Asia, and shares he gift of wine with the peoples across that region - possibly as far as India, where it’s rumoured that he founded a city on the river Nysa, which would not be known again to Hellenic civilisation until Alexander the Great conquered it.  Dionysus then returns from his travels, to Greece going via the kingdom of Thebes.  The ruler there was his brother Pentheus, who shunned Dionysus, and forbade his worship in their lands, fearing that he would drive Theban women to madness.  

Really this leads into a fable of Pentheus’s hubris and lustful curiosity - such is the weakness of any man who presumed he can tell women such as the Maenads what they can or can’t do.  Dionysus takes advantage of Pentheus’s curiosity, and convinces him to try and watch the Maenads in secret.  But their ritual ecstasy had indeed driven them to madness.  Thinking Pentheus to be a mountain lion, the Maenads set upon him, and tore him to pieces.  Even Pentheus’s own mother and aunts had been tricked into this brutal act of murder.

In Homer’s Iliad, it was told that in Thrace, King Lycurgus tried to imprison the resident Maenads.  When Dionysus learned of this on his arrival, he brought a drought to Thrace, turning the people to open rebellion, and then further exacted revenge upon Lycurgus, with an insanity which convinced him that his own son was an invasive patch of Ivy.  Since Ivy is a plant holy to Dionysus, the maddened Lycurgus thought it to be another intrusion by Dionysus.  And so, unwittingly, he cathartically chopped his son to pieces with an axe. 

Only with the brutal execution of Lycurgus, did the great droughts of Thrace end.  

(Pictured) Pan and Dionysus depicted on the Lycurgus Cup, 

kept in the British Museum

And the most well known of Dionysus’s tales, is of course that of King Midas. Now Dionysus did in fact help Midas, and offered him any boon of his choosing, for rescuing Silenus, who had been a guardian and mentor to Dionysus since the demi-god was but an infant.

But as it is so well known, Midas’s greed and obsession with material wealth led him to make a very poor choice.  Even as Dionysus advised him that he might choose a gift more special, Midas still insisted that he wished for all that his hand would touch, to turn into gold.  A fable still so relevant today - for though Dionysus eventually reversed Midas’s blessing, when he recanted and confessed that it had become a curse, the king had learned by then that although he did not have everything before having his desire for this gift fulfilled by Dionysus, when his touch had turned even family, food, drink, and all the most truly important things in his life into solid gold....  Midas truly realised that this gift did not prove he was a man who had everything.  It proved he had nothing.  Such is what the true curse - selfish desire - does to us all.

The theme that’s most important to remember, running through all these tales, whether violent or heartwarming, is that although Dionysus embodies foolishness; since his presence always brings frivolity, whimsy, rapturous ecstasy, and the party fever, he is also a god that makes fools of kings.  

Just because the gifts of his vines are a luxury, and just because the arts, theatre, and festivities of which he is a patron seem so indulgent, does not mean anyone should look down on him.  To belittle him, indeed, would be a perilous mistake.

So I’m grateful to have kept plenty of the Whinberry Gin after our first tasting, to try some cocktails recommended by Batch Distillery, and see if they might satiate the blood thirst of Maenads, or perhaps delight even Dionysus himself.

Whinberry Gin with Ginger ale

This combination produces a surprisingly moist and sticky palate, which perfectly compliments the fizz.  I would say don’t serve this with any flat or non-sparkling ginger ale - it won’t hit the tongue so well.  The ginger helps deliver little hits of tannin, backed up by the whinberries, and the cognac hints - which i’ve been informed by Batch Distillery themselves, is from the Cognac barrels in which they’ve been aged. This gives an added complexity to the gin’s flavour profile.  Mixed with a ginger ale, I would say the gin is no less a sipping drink than it is neat.  But the moreishness makes it hard to stop sipping!  Dionysus would be quite proud of this compliment for cold nights!  Once you’ve put the glass down, you just keep wanting to go back for one more taste!

Prosecco with Whinberry Gin 

Now I’m giving Batch’s gin a genuine challenge.  I’m using a 10.5% abv, relatively low cost, Prosecco Frizzante Treviso.  So it’s a very imperfect Prosecco to pair with the gin.  The nose immediately picks up bitterness in the mixture.  Don’t be too surprised at what’s to come!  

The flavour definitely “leaps” onto the tongue.  That is a surprise.  It’s a very nice thump of darker berry flavours, with a big splash of red grapes.  It’s a little aggressive.  And then, of course, the bitter flavours come along.  But they sort-of drop asymmetrically.  A sparkling wine pairing no doubt makes the palate for this gin a much less predictable experience - probably something you’d want with a fusion course at a meal.  Although you could get away with serving it as a more fancy change from red wine.  Possibly a bit of spice garnish would make it even more delectable - something one could drink in place of a Malbec.  

The finish doesn’t lose any sparkle, but I expect a stronger gin would carry a bit more evaporation, if you happen to be looking for that.  Personally, I find this combination entirely wine-ish.  But once again, it’s very Dionysian!  It’s surely a good way to get a little taste of Chaos.  Consider it a solid choice for occasions where loose and whimsical is the name of the game!

In my next post, I’ll be explaining how another Hellenic myth, of Persephone and her mother Demeter, is the reason why a certain fruit may be such a critical addition to your mythical cocktails....