Wired Gin

Review: Broker’s Gin

7 April 2009 – 4:04 am
Broker’s Gin comes to you with personality. It stands out on your local retailer’s shelf with a clever little black hat on top. The hat screams out “try me – I’m not like all those bare-headed gins!” What other gin takes such fashion risk? Nevertheless, Broker’s Gin is a vintage gin in every way. Made at a distillery near London in a copper still, it is everything a gin needs to be. The time-honored juniper basis has been skillfully blended with traditional botanicals of coriander, orris root, nutmeg, cassia bark, cinnamon, licorice, orange & lemon peel and angelica root to produce a quality product from classic ingredients. They even claim that the water comes from an underground stream beneath the distillery. As for cocktails, this gin is perfect for traditional fare. The mouth feel is heavy - some describe it as oily.  The juniper-forward yet friendly flavor makes for a great martini and ...

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The Martini

7 October 2008 – 9:23 am
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 drink is so strongly associated with that distinctive long-stemmed glass that to many people it's "a martini glass," and by extension, anything that goes in it can be called a martini.  We suffer the tragedies of appletinis, Cosmotinis, Cowboytinis, and the like -- but the true martini hasn't been forgotten. The martini is probably the offspring from the wrong side of the sheets of two older drinks, the Martinez (named for Martinez, California) and the Manhattan.  A sweet drink for its time, the Martinez used sweet vermouth instead of dry, maraschino liqueur, and Old Tom gin; the Manhattan uses whiskey and ...

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Review: Whitley Neill Gin

22 September 2008 – 10:32 pm
Whitley Neill gin was launched this year in the United States. It was created just a couple of years ago by someone who decided to save his “deteriorating eyesight from the joy of more mind-numbing spreadsheets”. I’m glad spreadsheets can have such inspiration! This gin is “made in London” and “inspired by Africa”, bringing innovative botanicals like gooseberries and baobab fruit to its flavorings. Other flavors include standards such as juniper, coriander, lemon & orange peel, angelica root, cassia bark and orris root. Despite its exotic positioning and slightly higher alcohol content (42%), this gin starts silky smooth. After lingering in your mouth a bit, the flavor wakes up. Once is does, yow – what fun! Tart gooseberries dance delightfully with the bright and citrusy botanicals. With less of a juniper bite, Whitney Neill is a good starter gin, but the flavors are interesting enough to captivate experienced gin lovers as ...

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Not Your Grandfather’s Still

16 September 2008 – 12:14 am
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 "more floral".  The patented process is on its way to commercial scale production.  Now that's better living through chemistry! The full article can be found here.

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Sippin’ on Gin and Juice

31 July 2008 – 7:51 am
Though hip hop's role in the resurgence of gin since the early 90s is an oft-neglected topic, I want to talk more broadly about combinations of gin and fruit juice. Fresh juice, while it may seem the furthest thing from revolutionary in this age of flavor labs and umami and turkey-flavored soda, has been a key component of the modern cocktail movement, which includes both the cocktail revival (a return to traditional spirits like gin and long-forgotten ingredients like creme violette and maraschino) and the modern mixologists doing new things with new ingredients -- whether lychee-and-Bulldog martinis with a spritz of yuzu juice, or lavender Dry soda with Citadelle gin and a dash of Campari. It's all part of the modern drinker's insistence on flavor, not just a cheap drunk. You can, of course, simply add gin to a glass of your favorite juice and see what happens. ...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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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.

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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 ...

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