Archive for the ‘Toast of the Town’ Category

The Best Tonic Water Recipe

Friday, June 4th, 2010

It's nearly summer - and Gin & Tonic season! So, why not make your own tonic water? The Gin & Tonic has probably has the richest history of any gin beverage. Tonic water's history in Europe dates back to the 1600's, but it has been in use far longer by the ...

Let’s Face It, Gin Contains Juniper

Friday, April 9th, 2010

In the recent article Gin Time, Cheers Magazine reports on the increasing popularity of gin, attributing it to a combination of classic cocktails and the rise of New Western gins like Bluecoat, Beefeater 24 and Aviation.  They have it half right. Classic cocktails are the foundation of gin's rise in popularity. Interest in all ...

Gin Quotes

Saturday, September 12th, 2009

The proper union of gin and vermouth is a great and sudden glory; it is one of the happiest marriages on earth, and one of the shortest lived. -DeVoto, Bernard In Harper's Magazine, Dec. Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine. -Epstein,JuliusJ Humphrey Bogart as ...

Upside-Down Martini

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

Two big events last month bring the Upside-Down martini (aka Reverse Martini) front and center these days. First, the last month's release of the movie Julie and Julia showcases the cocktail's creator and advocate, Julia Child.  I've always appreciated the fact that she attributed her longevity to "red meat and gin". ...

Top Five Gin Drinks for Autumn

Friday, October 31st, 2008

The leaves are falling and we're all thinking about spooky ghosts, picking apples and killing turkeys. Time again to consider gin, which can help you through these increasingly darker days. Avoid Pumpkin-tinis and other creepy sweet concoctions. Instead, try some of these stellar recommendations: 1. Stellar Apple Speaking of Stellar, Stellar Gin recommends ...

The Martini

Tuesday, October 7th, 2008

The best known of David Embury's six basic drinks everyone should know (the others are the Jack Rose, the Manhattan, the Old-Fashioned, the Daiquiri, and the Sidecar), the martini is synonymous in the public imagination with cocktail culture.  Neon signs depicting cocktail glasses and olives advertise cocktail lounges, and the ...

Not Your Grandfather’s Still

Tuesday, September 16th, 2008

Chemical & Engineering News reported that gin technology took a big step forward last month. In an article published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry last month, scientists concluded that distilling gin in a high vacuum, low temperature still resulted in a gin that tasters considered "less pungent" and ...

Bitters: The Negroni, Pimm’s Cup and Pink Gin

Monday, June 23rd, 2008

Gin has a long-attested affinity for bitter flavors. The British introduced the gin and tonic for medicinal reasons, but it's remained one of the most popular and iconic drinks -- needing little accompaniment except perhaps a wedge of fresh lime or a wheel of orange -- because the coolness of ...

The New Gins – An Overview

Wednesday, June 4th, 2008

The recent revival of cocktail culture and the sudden American interest in new flavors -- viz: orange Kit Kats, purple Mountain Dew, chipotle Doritos, chicken on pizza -- are probably the two main factors in the wave of new gins on the market following the resurgence of gin's popularity to ...

Gin: The Basics

Saturday, May 24th, 2008

In the simplest terms, gin is a neutral grain spirit, like vodka, which has been flavored with juniper berries. Nothing else is required or excluded by the definition. In practice, we can say a few other things about gin: it is nearly always unaged; it's usually redistilled after ...