November the 17th, 2021 - Ever seen an Istrian flying goat? Probably not. You've probably never seen a flying goat from any location if we're being honest, but you can now taste one if you should so desire.
As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marta Duic writes, in the Bokoon tavern, which is part of Valamar's Premium Camping resort in Funtana not far from Porec, the cooperation of two Istrian craft brands was presented - the Istarska kapljica distillery and Count’s drinks. The new Istrian flying goat gin is the result of the hard work of Istarska kapljica from Kastelir, which already produces fourteen brandies and liqueurs, for which it has won as many as 76 awards in just five years.
In order for the Istrian flying goat story to remain completely autochthonous, along with this gin, craft drinks and juices by Marko Bratovic, who also produces ginger beer and ginger ale and the tonic brand Count’s drinks, were presented in Kastelir.
“Our story started with my grandfather making wine and brandy, and when I decided to play around with ingredients like cherry maraschino and elderberry we slowly expanded the range. Marko Bratovic is responsible for the gin, and he suggested that we start the project together and present a new original Istrian story to the market,'' says Goran Spehar from the Istarska kapljica distillery.
The Istrian flying goat, named after the famed Istrian goat symbol, is a gin consisting of eleven ingredients that were presented to the market back in mid-August, and they plan to increase the quantities for the next tourist season in 2022. The distillery produces 20,000 bottles of liqueurs and brandies for which they use exclusively domestic raw materials - their own and those from subcontractors, and instead of sugar they sweeten them with honey. They cooperate with the hotel chains Valamar and Aminess, and their products are also on the shelves of six specialised stores.
“We're mostly present on the domestic market in Istria and in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, we export to Austria and Germany, and our web shop delivers to all EU countries. Our plan for next year is to expand to the Zagreb market, but in several locations because we want to remain a premium distillery, maintain quality and not drastically increase our quantities,'' reveals Michael Tasic from Istarska kapljica. Craft production and quality is also the foundation of the Count’s drinks philosophy.
“Our production coincided with the expansion of craft gins, and the last product of ginger ale, ginger beer, we made because the market was heading in thar direction. However, we still have limited quantities and production related to natural ingredients, so it's quite difficult for us to keep up with consumer demand,'' explains Marko Bratovic from Count’s drinks. On the blossoming Croatian craft scene and market, production and interest in gin are constantly growing, and in addition to the latest, Istrian flying goat, the Aura distillery from Buzet can also boast of a number of awards brought to Istria by its gin - Karbun.
An additional note of authenticity was given by the place of presentation, the Bokoon tavern, which offers exclusively Istrian products and gastronomic specialties. This is a new concept of the Valamar hotel chain, with which they wanted to bring local traditions closer to their guests who come from all over the world.
"We also wanted to attract small producers because we offer only local food, from paseratta and gineta to Istrian prosciutto and sausages, Malvasia and Teran, or homemade brandy. Our guests have recognised the concept, and in addition to tasting these dishes at our tavern, they also attend tastings and buy our products directly from the producers themselves. A good tourist season is now behind us, and we plan to open such taverns and restaurants in other locations where our chain operates,'' reveals Karlo Grebec, the director of Istra Premium Camping Resort in Funtana.
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