Trying something new. What is your favorite gin?

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Jocephus
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Re: Trying something new. What is your favorite gin?

Post by Jocephus »

i've gotten away from gin (really just vodka at this point) but sapphire is/was a favorite. good price for the product and i know it's secondary but i love how it looks in that bottle. i can't say i notice the tonic that much but schweppes is usually my go to, though fever tree is good too. heck, i've used lemon sparkling water (with my vodka) and it's just fine.

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Re: Trying something new. What is your favorite gin?

Post by Michael »

33anda3rd wrote:If you drink gin and tonics the biggest question isn’t the gin but the tonic. Those high fructose corn syrup ones are garbage and it’s crazy to put that stuff over a lovely distilled spirit. Get Fever Tree or
Fentiman’s.
This is so true. Mixers are way underrated.

Another example - with cocktails often the quality of sweet vermouth is way more important than the quality of the spirit. Drinking a Manhattan with refrigerated Carpano Antica is leagues better than a Manhattan with warm Rosso that's been sitting on a bar shelf for ages.

Given the choice of these two Manhattans:

1) Jim Bean with Carpano Antica
2) Knob Creek (or whatever small batch stuff) with a standard Rosso

I'd take #1.

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33anda3rd
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Re: Trying something new. What is your favorite gin?

Post by 33anda3rd »

Ok so. Typing this on the el
Please forgive typos.

Asking what gin you should try is like asking what sporting event you should watch. It’s a big universe and someone who loves cricket or men’s beach volleyball can give you a good but wrong answer.

There are four gins.

Genever—malty, the original that the Dutch spread through the world as they were colonizing. Still around, called for in some ultra old school recipes, but a fringe product outside professionals and ultra geeky prosumers.

Old Tom—sweeter, the stuff the Brits loaded with sugar (or their publicans heavily sweetened) because they failed at making genever. Historically had a short window but is coming back now. Essential in a Tom Collins and the Martinez and a lot of fun in craft cocktails. Haymans and Ransom Barrel ages are great.

London Dry—what we think of as gin. Juniper forward and dry. For tonics, Martinis, Negronis. Most are fine. Beefeater, Brokers, City of London, Bombay, Tanqueray are all great juice. #s 2 and 3 on that list are the ones I prefer and Beefeater next.

New American—All the new crafty stuff. Don’t like the dry juniper but want the flavor vodka lacks, or you’re looking to mix with a specific modifier, this is your category. Hendricks is smooth. Deaths Door has cooling fennel notes. Brooklyn Gin is grapefruity. These all have juniper since they’re gin but juniper isn’t so pronounced.

As an aside if you’re Vermouth washing a glass and shaking gin, Gin Mare from Spain can’t be beat. They make several distillates and blend. Basil, thyme, rosemary, juniper, one of them is arbequina olives. It’s got salinity, herbaceousness and that olive flavor that will make that particular drink sing.

There’s also Navy Strength which is just high proof London Dry. It’s great in cocktails because of the added backbone. Great in a tonic or other cocktail that’s got more dilution or lengthener. Haymans is best.

Basically there’s a better gin for the results you want in every cocktail.

Negronis are my favorite gin cocktail and I and most of my peers have shunned the 1:1:1 ratio of gin, campari, sweet vermouth. I go respectively 1.25 : 0.75 : 1. More spirited for a generation of drinkers who have a palate for gin and don’t want so much Campari covering up the gin.

If you guys have a particular cocktail or application in mind I can try to help

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Jocephus
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Re: Trying something new. What is your favorite gin?

Post by Jocephus »

just thought of one called The Botanist. got it for my pops a few years back, he enjoyed it. if it's not scottish, it's crap!

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33anda3rd
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Re: Trying something new. What is your favorite gin?

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Botanist is VERY good.

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Tim
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Re: Trying something new. What is your favorite gin?

Post by Tim »

33anda3rd wrote:Ok so. Typing this on the el
Please forgive typos.

Asking what gin you should try is like asking what sporting event you should watch. It’s a big universe and someone who loves cricket or men’s beach volleyball can give you a good but wrong answer.

There are four gins.

Genever—malty, the original that the Dutch spread through the world as they were colonizing. Still around, called for in some ultra old school recipes, but a fringe product outside professionals and ultra geeky prosumers.

Old Tom—sweeter, the stuff the Brits loaded with sugar (or their publicans heavily sweetened) because they failed at making genever. Historically had a short window but is coming back now. Essential in a Tom Collins and the Martinez and a lot of fun in craft cocktails. Haymans and Ransom Barrel ages are great.

London Dry—what we think of as gin. Juniper forward and dry. For tonics, Martinis, Negronis. Most are fine. Beefeater, Brokers, City of London, Bombay, Tanqueray are all great juice. #s 2 and 3 on that list are the ones I prefer and Beefeater next.

New American—All the new crafty stuff. Don’t like the dry juniper but want the flavor vodka lacks, or you’re looking to mix with a specific modifier, this is your category. Hendricks is smooth. Deaths Door has cooling fennel notes. Brooklyn Gin is grapefruity. These all have juniper since they’re gin but juniper isn’t so pronounced.

As an aside if you’re Vermouth washing a glass and shaking gin, Gin Mare from Spain can’t be beat. They make several distillates and blend. Basil, thyme, rosemary, juniper, one of them is arbequina olives. It’s got salinity, herbaceousness and that olive flavor that will make that particular drink sing.

There’s also Navy Strength which is just high proof London Dry. It’s great in cocktails because of the added backbone. Great in a tonic or other cocktail that’s got more dilution or lengthener. Haymans is best.

Basically there’s a better gin for the results you want in every cocktail.

Negronis are my favorite gin cocktail and I and most of my peers have shunned the 1:1:1 ratio of gin, campari, sweet vermouth. I go respectively 1.25 : 0.75 : 1. More spirited for a generation of drinkers who have a palate for gin and don’t want so much Campari covering up the gin.

If you guys have a particular cocktail or application in mind I can try to help
Wow. So much to try. I really enjoyed Hendricks, but not so much Tanqueray.

There is a gin made here in Charleston called Hat Trick. I liked it, but not as much as Hendricks. Maybe I'll try Deaths Door next

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stlouie_lipp
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Re: Trying something new. What is your favorite gin?

Post by stlouie_lipp »

I need to start expanding my cocktail universe.

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Tim
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Re: Trying something new. What is your favorite gin?

Post by Tim »

I’m here at the RBC Heritage PGA tourney in Hilton Head and just enjoyed a Bombay Sapphire and Tonic while watching Charlie Hoffman bogey

Delicious

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Re: Trying something new. What is your favorite gin?

Post by stlouie_lipp »

Tim wrote:I’m here at the RBC Heritage PGA tourney in Hilton Head and just enjoyed a Bombay Sapphire and Tonic while watching Charlie Hoffman bogey

Delicious
Nice. It might snow here this weekend.

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Re: Trying something new. What is your favorite gin?

Post by cardsfantx »

i'd rather be stuck in snow, than have to drink gin

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