Let's Talk About Gin

[Jono]

Jeff, that is a great tagline

"Wine is not meant to be enjoyed for its own sake; it is the key to love and laughter with friends, to the enjoyment of food, beauty and humour and art and music. Its rewards are far beyond its cost."

Indeed...

Hmm, a dash of Worcestershire...interesting.

Tim, I was thinking the Gimlet would be more sour due to the lime...?

[ratcheer]

Tim, I was thinking the Gimlet would be more sour due to the lime...?

It is very sour and very sweet at the same time. Like Sweet Tarts candy. It is very simple to make (gin, Rose's lime juice, and ice), so just try one and see.

Tim

[robbyvirus]

It is very sour and very sweet at the same time. Like Sweet Tarts candy. It is very simple to make (gin, Rose's lime juice, and ice), so just try one and see.

Tim

Try a gimlet made with freshly squeezed lime juice...it makes all the difference.

[ratcheer]

Try a gimlet made with freshly squeezed lime juice...it makes all the difference.

Well, sure. But IMHO, that would not be a gimlet, it would be something else.

Tim

[mythrenegade]

I haven't had many gins, just regular tanq, tanq 10, and sapphire. Of those I like the ten, then sapphire, and don't care much for the regular tanq.

I do not drink cheap liquor, life is too short and I consume it too slowly. I just opened my second bottle of Sapphire (1750). I bought my first one about five years ago...

That said, I really don't know what would be a step up from the Sapphire I keep in my cabinet. I've only made a few martinis in my life, mostly I drink Gin & Tonics during the summer. I've found that Fever Tree makes a great mixer.

Joel

[jeff]

If you can find it try Junipero (pronounced: who-nip-er-o), made by Anchor Brewing in San Francisco.

Website

As the name suggests, it balances toward the juniper flavor, with some nice spice character on the finish. It is our favorite gin. Second would be Saphire and then Tanq 10.

[ILLfarmboy]

I have had a few gin and tonics in the past. Years back. We have a bottle of Tanqueray in the house. The wife likes a gin and tonic every now and again.

All this talk of gin makes me want to try a martini. I suppose the thing to do is get some dry vermouth and make one myself. The olive is what I find odd. I keep thinking of what a gin and tonic would taste like with an olive. A rather unappetizing thought.

If I should go to a bar or restaurant for my first martini and I don't want the olive do I just say "hold the olive"?

[TBoner]

Sure. Or order it with a lemon twist (some will tell you this makes it a different drink...I'm not too picky on name changes over a garnish).

However, make sure it's a good bar. Some places make shameful martinis (vodka aside, since the prevailing mainstream sentiment seems to be that vermouth should be kept at a bare minimum, many martinis are nothing but cold gin, as discussed elsewhere). I always try to specify my ratio (4:1 gin to vermouth, usually). Picky? Maybe. But most bartenders are used to making G&T and dry vodka martinis. So I figure it's helpful to let 'em know exactly what I want.

[cowdery]

I was surprised the other day to find Junipero at Binny's at a pretty good price. It's not out there like their ryes. I don't know why I didn't pick it up.

I'm pretty sure the Junipero is based on the same distillate as their rye, i.e., a 100 percent malted rye mash, though it's hard to say how much of that character remains at >190 proof. I recall the flavor as being very strong, but I had an early version of it.

[RoyalWater]

I experimented with the Boodle's a little. Mixing it with lemon Gatorade produced a drink very similar to a margarita, though I eschewed the salted rim. I'm thinking it would be received better than some of the cheap pre-mixed margarita brands. There is some lime under the coriander in the Boodle's finish. I think next I will ice a quantity of it and see if any new notes emerge after the primaries flavors are likely softened by the chill.

I theorize from my personal observation that most drinkers of mixed drinks prefer the alcohol to be thin or almost totally masked. This preference would likely explain why vodka has supplanted gin in a number of cocktails, since the more notorius vodkas seem to average about seventy proof, whereas the gins are in the neighborhood of ninety. Also, if the vodka has a flavor it tends to be a very syrupy and simple fruit expression, whereas gin is complex.

[New2Whiskey]

How about Plymouth gin? I heard that is suppose to be a superior gin for Martini's?

[cowdery]

Most of the corporate overlords have somewhere on their web site, after they have touted their key brands, maybe even their second-tier brands, a place where they list every brand they currently sell. Beam does it, Diageo does it, even places like Luxco and McCormick do it, but Pernod Ricard does not.

It took some digging but I was able to confirm (to my satisfaction, at least) that Seagrams gin and Boddles, which I think are no. 1 and no. 2 respectively in U.S.-made gin sales, are both Pernod Ricard products (so is Beefeater). I know both are still made at the plant in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, now owned by CL Financial (Angostura), and CL wants to keep it that way. Pernod Ricard has moved all of its bottling from Lawrenceburg to Fort Smith, Kansas, where they make the Hiram Walker liqueurs.

[jeff]

I have just learned that, according to cocktail lore, three olives in a martini represents health, wealth and love. I'll drink to that :toast:

[Vange]

Ive had many gins and Plymouth is so far the smoothest by a long shot. So, if you want a SMOOTH, easy drinking martini Plymouth is the way to go.

Regarding, Anchor Junipero, I do have this in my bar. It is a bit stiffer than most gins. I am pretty sure its over 100 proof and kind of tastes that way. Pretty good though, makes a great martini.

[libertybar]

Boomsa Oude: aged gin, it smells like whisky. it has a bit of a bite. i cant see it being a typical martini gin. maybe on the rocks? maybe a different cocktail would compliment this genever gin? experimentation needed.

You know, the Bitter Truth folks have a great solution to the Boomsa Genever question. It's called a 'Bittersting', and it's damned good, I must say.

Bittersting

3oz. Boomsa

1tsp. Simple Sugar

5 dashes Orange Bitters

1 ginger peel

1 orange peel

Fill an old-fashioned glass with sugar, ginger peel and orange bitters. Muddle gently. Then add ice and then the Genever. Mix. Garnish with long orange twist over glass.

This is a very pleasant drink - but I have to say that I used the young Genever, so I can't really tell you what it tastes like with the aged Genever. Since it's tough to get a lot of Boomsa here in Washington State, I will probably use the really great Old Raj when the Boomsa is in short supply.

Kensington XO: A sippers gin! Near impossible to find and very pricey.

Great stuff. Really - the most floral and beautiful smelling gin that I have ever had the pleasure to have. That said, I just checked the bottle, and I have the regular Kensington - I have not tried the XO. Makes a great cologne, too.....ha.

[libertybar]

How about Plymouth gin? I heard that is suppose to be a superior gin for Martini's?

Absolutely (in my opinion, at least). That and Bootles are the most clean and solid of the gins for a classic gin cocktail.

After that - I'd also suggest if you'd like to taste a really nicely balanced more herbalicious gin and you can find these, they're worth a try:

South Gin - distilled in New Zealand I do believe. Good stuff. Slightly sweet, but really tasty in a mixed cocktail.

Zudium Gin - distilled in ... Holland? Really great. It's a great balance between the dry gins and the more junipery gins. If I had it around all the time, I'd drink more of it.

Blue Gin - This is a slighty aged and rather special gin - akin to Kensington - that comes out of Austria.

Here's a kinda tasty gin drink - slightly sweet:

Continental

3oz. Plymouth Gin

1tbsp St. Germain Elderflower

1tbsp. Amaro Nonino (any Amaro will work)

Mix and pour into a cocktail shell (martini glass) over a long lemon twist.

Enjoy.

[Vange]

Great stuff. Really - the most floral and beautiful smelling gin that I have ever had the pleasure to have. That said, I just checked the bottle, and I have the regular Kensington - I have not tried the XO. Makes a great cologne, too.....ha.

Here is a pic of the Kensignton Reserve XO. Beautiful bottle too.

[goldenwill]

That's a good one, Libertybar. I am also fond of Bulldog Gin, which also has an herby feel. Some of its ingredients are unique to gin, including lotus leaves and "Dragon Eye"—which is said to be an aphrodisiac. But it makes for a smoother finish.

Here's a good recipe, similar to yours, that i like it with, called the Brindle:

4-6oz Bulldog gin

1oz St. Germain Elderflower

3/4oz simply syrup

1/2oz Creme de Cassis

Combine first 3 ingredients into shaker with ice, shake. Pour into martini glass over ice. Lightly pour in Creme.