Wired Gin

Top Gin Drinks for Summertime

18 July 2008 – 8:11 am
As we approach the dog days of summer, it is time to venture beyond gin & tonics. Not that we're against a frosty G&T - its just that there's so much more gin can offer for summer refreshment. Light mixers let you enjoy the nuances of gin in a less alchoholic form so you can quaff a little more enthusiastically than in other seasons. So, if you're feeling the need to explore this summer, try these five tasty treats:     1. The Spring Tao recommended by our friends at Hendrick's provides a refreshing mix of 50/50 Hendrick's Gin with grapefruit juice aloong with a small does of simple syrup and a bit o' rhubarb. The bitterness of the rhubarb complements the gin nicely.     2. Pimm's & Lemon: Everyone on the other side of the pond knows about this one. As they recommend over at Pimm's, fill a jug with some ice and add one part Pimm's Cup ...

Posted in recipes | No Comments »

The Gimlet

17 July 2008 – 4:39 am
The martini is the public face of gin, the iconic cocktail -- deservedly so, to be sure. Its popularity is approached only by the gin and tonic, that refreshing and pleasantly bitter concoction of the British. But my favorite everyday gin drink - the one that requires no special ingredients, unlike a Last Word or an Aviation - is the gimlet: gin and Rose's lime juice (known as "lime cordial" outside the USA). This is a drink with a longer history than you may realize. Rose's lime cordial, a mix of lime juice and sugar, has been around since 1867, when it was used to provide a citrus ration to British sailors, in an attempt to prevent scurvy. (The use of limes in British sailors' diets is where the term "limey" comes from.) Although many people will make a gimlet these days with fresh lime juice, which is a perfectly good drink, ...

Posted in recipes | 4 Comments »

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

23 June 2008 – 7:24 am
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 juniper and the bite of the bitterness make for such a compelling summer refreshment. In this age of appletinis and vodka-laden ice cream drinks, gin's thirst-quenching powers are too often overlooked, but they're at their strongest when paired with a bitter complement. The Italians have always appreciated bitterness, from broccoli raab to radicchio to Sardinia's corbezzolo honey, which has a tawny caramel sweetness but finishes as bitter as crushed aspirin. Italy is home to a number of bitter liqueurs, often called amari or aperitif bitters, and of those, the one best known outside the country is Campari. Made from the ...

Posted in Toast of the Town, recipes | 1 Comment »

Orris Root: Perfume for Gin

11 June 2008 – 8:38 am
Orris root is a botanical used in the manufacture of perfumes and potpourris. It is also used as a flavoring in gin, imparting the scent of sweet violets. More importantly, though, it binds the aromas of the other botanicals together, keeping them from dissipating too soon. Orris root was banned in parts of Europe; the sale of pure orris root was also banned in the US. The reason it was banned is because of its highly allergenic nature. It causes severe reactions such as hay fever, asthma and cold symptoms and even death. Cosmetics labeled hypoallergenic have to leave this ingredient out of their product. Orris root is the root of an iris plant. The plants are dug up in late summer, the third year of the plant’s life and are dried for 2 years until they have a chalky appearance. They are ground up and the resulting powder is used ...

Posted in Gingredients | No Comments »

The New Gins – An Overview

4 June 2008 – 1:32 am
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 the American palate. While the mainstays are still with us -- Tanqueray, Beefeater, Gordon's, Boodles, Bombay, they're certainly not going anywhere, and bless them for that -- the new offerings result in more variety among available gins than the drinking world has seen since London dry gin overtook all the other styles. One of the more popular examples among fans of mainstream gin is Hendrick's. A traditional gin in most respects, Hendrick's subtracts nothing noticeable from the blend of botanicals we've come to expect -- but it adds cucumber and rose, and the cucumber in particular isn't a background ...

Posted in Toast of the Town | 1 Comment »

The Citrus Element

28 May 2008 – 10:04 am
Citrus is the second most important botanical used in making gin; the first is always juniper. Sweet orange, bitter orange or lemon; one brand of super premium gin even uses grapefruit in its secret blend of botanicals. The cheaper labels will use essences of orange or lemon and may use cold compounding rather than infusion or distillation; you won’t find that with the better spirits. Tanqueray uses hand-picked fresh fruit botanicals for it’s popular No. 10. The oranges are from Florida, limes and grapefruits from Mexico. Sweet orange is native to Asia, but is cultivated in the US and southern parts of Europe and in the West Indies. For botanical purposes, the outer rind is the part of interest. Orange peel is dark orange and has bitter taste, some varieties more than others. This bitterness is desirable as it adds an aromatic, pleasant aspect. Orange peel is mostly used for ...

Posted in Gingredients | No Comments »

The Perfect Martini

28 May 2008 – 9:23 am
No blog devoted to gin would be complete without a martini recipe. But, why re-invent a classic cocktail? Near the dawn of the internet age, Mr. Lucky eloquently delivered the perfect recipe for a classic martini, including advanced instructions for those with a greater thirst for knowledge.

Posted in recipes | No Comments »

Gin: The Basics

24 May 2008 – 12:00 pm
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 being infused with its flavorings (differentiating it from flavored vodka); it is not noticeably sweet; and in addition to the juniper berries, it's flavored with a number of botanicals. Because the spirit used is neutral in flavor, the botanicals become the hallmark of the brand, the thing that sets Bombay Sapphire off from Bulldog, Citadelle, Hendrick's, Junipero. Think of the botanicals as being like chili powder. Everyone has a good idea of what chili powder tastes like, and certain combinations, even if they included many of the same ingredients, wouldn't "taste right." A little more or less onion ...

Posted in Toast of the Town | No Comments »

Gin vs. Vodka

3 May 2008 – 2:09 am
The history of American cocktails after World War II is very much a tug of war between gin and vodka.  As gin's popularity waned, and the ingredients used in gin cocktails became obscure, vodka soared on the strength of its marketing campaigns, its mixability, and the ease of hiding it in the most mundane drinks.  That's all well and good, and will hopefully soon be behind us as gin returns to prominence -- but in the meantime, vodka has supplanted gin in a good many drinks.   The martini is the most obvious, of course; while a martini was for decades a gin drink and only ever a gin drink, by James Bond's time vodka had begun to appear, and by the age of the three-martini lunch, one or two of those tax-deductible martinis were probably vodka spritzed with the breath of vermouth and floating a plastic-sword-speared olive.  The gin and tonic, ...

Posted in Toast of the Town | No Comments »

Why Are We Here?

24 April 2008 – 10:42 am
We're here because gin is underappreciated, if not insulted by the current vodka-centric cocktail generation.   Sure, gin is a neutral grain spirit, like vodka.  But that's where the similarity ends.  There's much more fun in gin.  Unlike vodka, it's usually redistilled after being infused with its flavorings. In addition to the juniper berries, it's flavored with a number of botanicals.  Because the spirit used is neutral in flavor, the botanicals become the hallmark of the brand, the thing that sets Bombay Sapphire off from Bulldog, Citadelle, Hendrick's, Junipero.   Think of those botanicals as being like chili powder.  Everyone has a good idea of what chili powder tastes like, and certain combinations, even if they included many of the same ingredients, wouldn't "taste right."  A little more or less onion in the mix won't make anyone flinch; but add peppermint or lemon peel, and it may no longer be recognizable.  Classically, gin botanicals ...

Posted in Toast of the Town | No Comments »