PrintPutting the "In" in "Gin"
In case you’ve somehow missed all media coverage of drink trends in recent years, let me fill you in on something: gin is in. In today’s Los Angeles Times, staff writer Betty Hallock notes the continuing fondness for the juniper spirit among bartenders nationwide.
For decades, starting in the 1950s, it looked like gin was on the ropes, its once-strong grip on the culture of mixology eclipsed by the more approachable vodka. But with the current cocktail renaissance, gin is again in vogue. A quick glance at the shelves of your liquor store could tell you this much: new brands and bottlings of premium and artisan gins are continuing to push the tired cases of Seagram’s and Gordon’s aside.
But while the hype about gin being the next vodka may be overstated, there’s no doubting that creative bartenders are finding a lot to love with this classic spirit. Hallock mentions one of the nation’s most prominent gin cheerleaders, Audrey Saunders of Pegu Club in New York; Saunders’ bar is named after a venerable gin cocktail, and her own creations include modern classics such as the Gin Gin Mule, made with fresh mint and house-made ginger beer. And as today’s gins begin to explore new directions in flavor and balance, bartenders are likewise introducing fresh herbs and off-the-beaten-path mixers into gin cocktails, such as the self-explanatory Cucumber, Gin and Sherry Twist at BLT Steak on Sunset Boulevard, or Akasha Restaurant’s Emerald City, which mixes gin with lime juice and Thai basil-infused simple syrup.
There’ll always be a place at the bar for the classic gin martini or a tall, sparkling gin and tonic, but the options are wide open. What’s your favorite gin drink? And have you had anything new that’s been especially memorable?
About the author: Paul Clarke blogs about cocktails at The Cocktail Chronicles and writes regularly on spirits and cocktails for Imbibe magazine. He lives in Seattle, where he works as a writer and magazine editor.
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17 Comments:
A French 75--knocks you out
curlygirl at 4:05PM on 04/02/08
I like to taste the gin rather than disguise it with sweet mixers so I'm a classic Gin Martini with olives girl but I can be swayed by a Gin & Tonic (Plymouth's). I had a brief flirtation with a Negroni made with dry Vermouth last December and I love sloe gin fruit poured over ice cream.
modernemama at 4:17PM on 04/02/08
Ah, I've just developed a taste for gin recently -- and wow, why did I even bother with vodka before?
So far I'm still trying different brands of gin instead of trying different gin cocktails (though martinis and g&ts are always good). I just tried Hendrick's yesterday and... wow. It's different. Can't say if I like it for it though... still would probably come back to my favorite, Bombay Sapphire.
If anyone has any recommendations for what to try next (in my price range, which is about ~20-30/750mL), that would be fantastic!
cafepeach at 7:38PM on 04/02/08
and oh, for the g&t crowd, are diet tonics actually any good? i was so surprised that tonic water had normal-soda-amounts of sugar in it to begin with!
cafepeach at 7:39PM on 04/02/08
I'm a gin and tonic girl, ever since I started drinking. I ordered a gin and tonic and a loud and busy club and they gave me literally gin and tonic in a cup. I asked for a lime but they couldn't hear me so I spelled it in the air with my finger and they gave me... a lemon.
ag3208 at 9:48PM on 04/02/08
I'd like to add, I saw the movie Jumper and the main character asks a woman what she drinks and she said gin and tonic, so he ordered a Tanqueray and Tonic, do you think that was product placement?
ag3208 at 9:49PM on 04/02/08
The Richmond Gimlet - a Eugene, Oregon classic credited to Jeff Morgenthaler and truly "imbued with sunshine."
From his website:
2 oz Tanqueray No. 10 gin
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz simple syrup
large sprig mint
Shake ingredients well over ice and strain into a chilled 9-ounce (at least) cocktail glass.
In a pinch though, a big pitcher of gin and limeade is pretty good too.
flood at 9:37AM on 04/03/08
I did not care for Gin until I tried Hendricks - infused with Rose & Cucumber, yum!! http://www.hendricksgin.com/us/about/distillery/distillery_adding_infusions.asp
Tartar at 10:04AM on 04/03/08
i'm a big gin and tonic gal, and i recently "invented" something i've been calling the Gin Blossom. It's basically a gin and tonic with a splash of OJ and a whole hell of a lot of lime squeezed on top. A yummy refreshing drink!
crafty at 10:49AM on 04/03/08
try junipero gin--absolutely delicious and very very junipery.
curlygirl at 11:33AM on 04/03/08
Cadenhead's Old Raj gin with Vya dry vermouth martini (3:1 or 2:1)-- lemon twist, well-shaken. Be careful, though, because the Cadenhead's gin is substantially more alcoholic than regular gin. Hendricks is also tasty, with the strong cucumber element.
haneway at 1:09PM on 04/03/08
a gimlet made with plymouth and fresh lime juice
sloppy at 4:24PM on 04/03/08
Gin has properties that other booze does not, not the least of which is that it in above average doses will make one insane...of this I speak from experience. Instead of *the spins* it gives you *the buzz* (Tanqueray in particular) it basically feels like an electric charge going through you and vibrating.
I've seen many a hard drinking type that could handle large quantities of alcohol lose it completely on Gin. The only other booze that rivals it in the inducing of maddness is Tequila/Agave.
Note: The term *Gin blossom* was a canotation of the small burst capillaries on the nose of an alcoholic.
Stiv61 at 6:58AM on 04/04/08
Nothing like the first G+T of the summer at an outdoor bar. When I make them at home, I garnish with thin slices of cucumber in a tall glass.
Does anyone know why limes are traditional garnish, but never lemons?
Kerosena at 9:26AM on 04/04/08
I'm strictly a Beefeater and tonic girl, always have been! And cafe-peach, I can't tell the difference with diet tonic. It's maybe a little less potent, but a good squeeze of lime solves that! Also sometimes I add a splash of cranberry--Marks and Spencer's, a British department store, makes pink gin that's colored with cranberry, and it's fantastic just with tonic. My mom has always had Gordon's straight on the rocks, but I don't think I inherited that gag reflex!
embolini9 at 11:14AM on 04/04/08
cafepeach
I always buy the diet tonic and can't tell the difference.
soirees at 12:02PM on 04/04/08
@kerosena--all my ex-pat friends from the UK only use lemons, never limes in their gin and tonics.
I always keep Bombay Sapphire on hand b/c that is the martini I prefer. Very dry, very cold, up, one olive.
Love Hendrick's for its lighter profile and as the base for a cucumber martini.
One I can no longer find, but which I love for its lovely floral character is the Tanqueray Malacca. Notable absence of juniper, but with an almost viscous body and lovely floral notes. I like to think of it as feminine because it is so perfumey.
The Citadelle gin is different in that it uses the most botanicals, I believe 19 total. The end result is quite clean with a good balance to the juniper.
I like the Tanqueray 10 if a bar does not have the Sapphire.
wookie at 6:39PM on 04/06/08