GIN

[gweilgi]

On a related note, here's a list of utterly fantastic places to enjoy your gin...

 

http://www.craftginclub.co.uk/ginnedmagazine/2016/8/16/13-places-to-have-a-gin-before-you-die

[Easttide]

I grew tired of Hendricks. I enjoy Gordon's and Plymouth but must admit I order what my grandfather, Rosario, did- Tangueray, splash of tonic, shaken not stirred with a twist of lime. Never disappoints.

[AbeFromen]

On August 17, 2016 at 6:16 PM, Raginaharjar said:

You have to try Moneky 47. The GIN of all GINs. Pour up with some ice, drink as it is or just a splash of tonic. Amazing gin.

Agreed! Monkey 47 is near perfect gin. Worth the price tag. 

[Jeremy Festa]

20 hours ago, Ken Gargett said:

anyone else try the bloody shiraz gin? so far out of left field. 

I have it.

Yet to open it. 

[Ken Gargett]

15 minutes ago, Jeremy Festa said:

I have it.

Yet to open it. 

it won't drink itself!

[Jeremy Festa]

42 minutes ago, Ken Gargett said:

it won't drink itself!

Ha

No need to tell me. 

But as I have every single other Four Pillars too, I thought I would open this one in Spring. 

In saying that, I walked outside this morning and was pleasantly surprised at the temp. 

 

 

 

[Fugu]

12 hours ago, gweilgi said:

If the regular G&T is too sweet, maybe you are adding too much tonic?

 

Haha, good one, would need me to have about >80% gin in the G&T...

Not at all a sweet-drinker here. I can't stand pure Coke and take Sprite, 7 Up & Co usually heavily diluted with mineral water. 20 % of that soft drink stuff is usually the maximum of what I can bear.

Wil certainly try the angostura, thanks for the tip!

 

[Cletus]

I always thought a Gin and Tonic should be 1/3rd gin to 2/3rds tonic. 

Wikipedia is all over the map:  "Suggested ratios of gin to tonic are 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, and 2:3"

Gin and Tonic - Wikipedia

 

For the record, Bombay Sapphire is my go-to gin.  For special occasions I choose a local distillery:  Spirit Hound Gin

 

[JohnS]

54 minutes ago, Cletus said:

I always thought a Gin and Tonic should be 1/3rd gin to 2/3rds tonic. 

Wikipedia is all over the map:  "Suggested ratios of gin to tonic are 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, and 2:3"

Gin and Tonic - Wikipedia

 

For the record, Bombay Sapphire is my go-to gin.  For special occasions I choose a local distillery:  Spirit Hound Gin

 

Gin is such a subjective spirit, according to palate, I find. Just as there's no 'universal method' for preparing a gin & tonic, similarly, the method for making a gin martini varies greatly too.

[gweilgi]

11 hours ago, Fugu said:

Haha, good one, would need me to have about >80% gin in the G&T...

And what is wrong with that, prithee?

Whenever I find myself in an imbibery upmarket enough to have decent gin, I always make sure to order tonic on the side -- and NEVER NEVER NEVER let them serve me tonic from the dispensing gun!!!  That way, I can have a ratio of gin to tonic that pretty much matches the current betting odds on the next Bledisloe Cup match...

 

11 hours ago, Fugu said:

 

 

Not at all a sweet-drinker here. I can't stand pure Coke and take Sprite, 7 Up & Co usually heavily diluted with mineral water. 20 % of that soft drink stuff is usually the maximum of what I can bear.

Wil certainly try the angostura, thanks for the tip!

 

Straight up gin with five or six drops of angostura equals one of the oldest cocktails: Pink Gin.  If you feel adventurous, also give orange bitters a try.  With the right gin, that can be very tasty.

As for sweetness, I am very much with you on that.  It's why I insist on diluting my Pimm's (yes, another gin-based drink) with equal parts lemonade, ginger ale and more gin.  Guests at summer events hosted by me have been known to get quite legless...

[Fugu]

19 hours ago, gweilgi said:

On 23/08/2016 at 2:07 PM, Fugu said:

Haha, good one, would need me to have about >80% gin in the G&T...

And what is wrong with that, prithee?

Haha, am still considering a G and T a highball and not a antifreeze...

[gweilgi]

4 hours ago, Fugu said:

Haha, am still considering a G and T a highball and not a antifreeze...

 

Stick to normal strength gin then, not the overproof navy strength stuff.  That, I agree, requires rather more dilution ....

 

[Danimalia]

I had to quit drinking, but I used to like gin quite a bit. One of my favorites was the Anchor Steam Junipero. Same folks that make the Anchor Steam beers in San Francisco. Used to run for ~ $30 for a fifth.

[Cletus]

Just tried The Botanist for the first time.  I was kind of expecting a gingasm from all the positive comments.  Although my socks are still on, The Botanist is certainly better tasting to me than my go-to gin Bombay Sapphire.  The Botanist makes a smoother and more nuanced G & T. And I found it at a similar price to the Sapphire.  I think this will be my new favorite gin next to my locally distilled Spirit Hound.

[Drexl2000]

On 20. august 2016 at 1:59 PM, ayepatz said:

Got to give a shout out to Silent Pool. They started up a couple of years ago in Surrey, not far from where I live. It's a lovely, flavourful gin that still packs a punch. Wonderful with tonic and lime, even better in a Negroni. 

http://silentpooldistillers.com/silent-pool-gin/

x2 Best gin I ever tasted!

[Ken Gargett]

from vinepair -

 

7 Gins Bursting With Botanicals

Emily Bell Never Miss A Story:

2 minute Read

---

---

What qualifies gin as “gin”? Juniper. That’s pretty much it. OK, well not entirely, but the one identifying characteristic of all gins is juniper. Without juniper, you’re drinking infused vodka (which, heads up, is exactly what gin is, plus juniper). Once you’ve got the juniper baseline, though, it’s a bit of a free-for-all in terms of infusing other flavors into your gin.

And that’s exactly where gin gets fun. It’s also, not coincidentally, where gin is often grossly misunderstood. And we use “gross” with an intentional double entendre, since many of us remember gin as the cheap, sharp, piney stuff we poured out of a plastic jug and quickly masked with tonic or juice or whatever the hell was lying around that didn’t reek of pine solvent and rubbing alcohol.

Thankfully, those days are over, and we’re all a lot classier now. (Can it be a coincidence that millennial salaries have risen in tandem with monocle sales? No. No it can’t.) Gin has a lot more to offer, not just in terms of styles but in terms of depth within a style, in this case the classic London dry style in which juniper predominates alongside a typical mixture of citrus peel, spice, and botanicals. What most of us aren’t realizing as we choose our gins is the incredible variance in final flavor profile — almost akin to comparing regional Scotches (and yes, I’ll get hate mail for saying that). It’s a spicy, citrusy, botanical wonderland out there. Time to take a gin-spin.

Greenhook Ginsmith’s American Dry Gin

An especially aromatic gin produced using 17th century-French parfumerie techniques, so there’s some street cred already. And the aromatics are pronounced, albeit delicate, with florals like chamomile and cinnamon bark mingling over a bracing, refreshing juniper edge.

Corsair Artisan Gin

A Tennessee gin made in the “gin-head” style, meaning the botanicals are suspended over alcohol vapors rather than infused into the gin itself. A classic juniper-cucumber-citrus trio of flavors, with some pepperiness and a hint of cardamom bringing those citrusy, orange-rind notes forward.

Dillon’s Unfiltered Gin 22

Dillon’s gets extra points here for locally sourcing its grapes (gin, like vodka, can be distilled from just about anything) and for not filtering its gin, which leaves a cloudier appearance but also, theoretically, extra flavor. The mélange (we said it) of 22 botanicals accents the juniper backbone with hints of thyme, fresh mint, citrus and peppery baking spice.

Farmer’s Botanical Small Batch Organic Gin

The name seems to suggest that some serious care is taken with the infusion here, and the taste seems to confirm that. Fresh with lemongrass and pine, but overlaid with soft florals (they note elderflower) that belie the surprisingly high 46.7% ABV.   Precious, but not too precious.

Brockman’s Intensely Smooth Premium Gin

Here’s a gin from the berry patch. Seriously, in addition to more classic flavor notes like juniper, lemon peel, and coriander, Brockman’s infuses its gin with blueberries and blackberries, imparting a fruity roundness and aromatic berry-skin notes intermingled with dry spice and citrus. Unique.

Tanqeruay No. 10

If you like straight Tanqueray, one of the more reliable and  juniper-clean gins out there, definitely try the No. 10 variant. It’s softer than classic Tanqueray with more citrus and spice on the nose and a soft sweetness. The citrus is king here, with grapefruit and lime (whole fruit) infused along with softening chamomile.

Caorunn Small Batch Scottish Gin

A Scottish gin made with Celtic botanicals. Still detectable juniper and a splash of citrus on the nose, since this is gin after all, but then slightly more savory. Peppery, heathery, and a bit rounded thanks (maybe) to Scottish rowan berries. Enticingly delicate, very shippable. If you find it, and you’re a gin drinker, absolutely worth a try. Notes of cassia bark and maybe some wild herbs tufted at the back end. Yes, tufted

[gweilgi]

3 hours ago, Ken Gargett said:

from vinepair -

 

7 Gins Bursting With Botanicals

 

Nice article, with a couple of brands that were new to me.  She missed one, though: if you want tons of botanicals, give Monkey 47 a try ....

[Ken Gargett]

6 hours ago, gweilgi said:

Nice article, with a couple of brands that were new to me.  She missed one, though: if you want tons of botanicals, give Monkey 47 a try ....

agreed. in fact, i was drinking monkey 47 at the best bar ever! true.

[Cletus]

5 hours ago, Ken Gargett said:

agreed. in fact, i was drinking monkey 47 at the best bar ever! true.

Best bar ever?  You should tell us about it sometime.

[Fugu]

On 18/08/2016 at 0:16 AM, Raginaharjar said:

You have to try Moneky 47. The GIN of all GINs. Pour up with some ice, drink as it is or just a splash of tonic. Amazing gin.

Had been out to dinner lately, and noticed they had the Monkey 47 on the drinks menu. Wifey and I ordered....

WOOOOHOOO, WOW !!! What a revelation! Literally blew us away, we stared at each other and couldn't believe it. We were sure, that must be the 'Best Gin Ever', at least which we had drunk so far. A completely new dimension, such a depth and complexity to a "simple" spirit such as gin! And smooth as silk. Dunno how that one could have escaped us, being made virtually "round the corner". Deeply ashamed.

Strongly recommended! This one is a MUST, even to non-gin-drinkers.

[BuzzArd]

Ah, gin....   A huge favorite around the house here.   Really like Bombay Saphire as mentioned already.   Sipsmith is top notch. HATE cucumber, but Hendrick's is good with a lime squeeze IMO.  Have really been enjoying Waterloo gin in both the regular and barrel aged varieties (interesting sipping experience) although that brand may not be available outside of TX at this point....  Pretty much any tonic suits me as long as it is not diet (or flat!).  

Love remembering gin exists when summer starts to pour on the heat....

[JohnS]

On 22/08/2016 at 4:36 PM, Ken Gargett said:

the four pillars range - not just because the blokes behind it are great mates. anyone else try the bloody shiraz gin? so far out of left field. have more four pillars than just about all other gins combined.

I've somehow managed to source some bottles of Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin recently. I consider this a 'modern day' miracle on account of the fact that you can't find any in stores and it's not available on Four Pillars site, at the moment. I look forward to the second batch in Autumn (March to May) 2017. Yes, it's bloody good gin!

[Ken Gargett]

9 minutes ago, JohnS said:

I've somehow managed to source some bottles of Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin recently. I consider this a 'modern day' miracle on account of the fact that you can't find any in stores and it's not available on Four Pillars site, at the moment. I look forward to the second batch in Autumn (March to May) 2017. Yes, it's bloody good gin!

are you going to share the secret of how you managed that! but great score.

[Lotusguy]

Had been out to dinner lately, and noticed they had the Monkey 47 on the drinks menu. Wifey and I ordered....

WOOOOHOOO, WOW !!! What a revelation! Literally blew us away, we stared at each other and couldn't believe it. We were sure, that must be the 'Best Gin Ever', at least which we had drunk so far. A completely new dimension, such a depth and complexity to a "simple" spirit such as gin! And smooth as silk. Dunno how that one could have escaped us, being made virtually "round the corner". Deeply ashamed.

Strongly recommended! This one is a MUST, even to non-gin-drinkers.

Another convert

I agree 100% - any gin drinker should try this. I haven't found anything better (intrigued by that bloody Shiraz gin mentioned above but no chance to try it yet).

[jschrader510]

Living in London for four months now, I can say they certainly love Gin over here. Concur on the Monkey 47, one of my favorites, but you somehow feel Pernod Ricard is slighting you with the 50 CL bottle. Bathtub Gin is also quite good, as is the aforementioned Sipsmith. I also really enjoy FeverTree tonic over here and Q Tonic when I am home back in the states.