Our recent survey discovered that many of you drink gin in the summer, and for good reason. Gin's crisp, herbal flavors are perfectly refreshing on a hot day, paired with lime or cold, sparkling tonic.
We remembered this article from the San Francisco Chronicle which ran back in January, and we wanted to share. It's a great overview of both classic and contemporary gins: The other white spirit. The author gives some tasting notes at the end.
We're partial to traditional, juniper-heavy gins, although the cucumber and rosewater Hendricks has been in serious rotation lately. We'd like to check out Aviation (lavender and cardamom?) too. What kind of gin do you drink, and why?
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Bombay Sapphire, hands down. Reasons are simple: it's the best one available through the SAQ (the provincially-controlled liquor commission) and the pale blue bottle is just so darned pretty.
I thought I was the only one! I get such weird looks when I order gin at the bar. I usually prefer Tanqueray over Bombay, but I'm not sure why. Just smells a little nicer to me. Maybe I'm the one person in the world who thinks Tony Sinclair is hip.
Lately I've been having a love affair with Plymouth. So crisp and clean, it's by far the best gin and tonic I've had. I tried Tanqueray Rangpur a while back and it's not as flavored as I thought it would be (that's a good thing). I guess that's because the rangpur limes are added in the distillation process, not afterward like flavored liquors. It's really pretty refreshing and I still took a slice of lime in my g t.
My god, I want a bottle of Hendricks so badly. Has anyone tried it? What's the review?
I like tanqueray best. Michelle, I had forgotten about the SAQ! When I was in Montreal I loved the SAQ, except when it was on strike for about 4 months and we drank a lot of wine from the dep.
Personally, I'm not a huge gin fan...a little too floral for me and it brings out the devil in my personality :-p
That said, I will partake in a Hendricks and tonic once in a blue moon...cucumber garnish required. Since I'm not much of a gin drinker, I'm poorly suited to offer up a real review. I will say that the Hendricks kick is full-on in western New York state; lots of bars in the area stock it.
Dang, I'm in Arizona. The only thing you can count on in bars here is Buuuuuud Lite.
i love a good gin and tonic, or a gin martini in the summer. vodka is too benign for me, gin has character. I had a great hendrick's cucumber martini not too long ago, it was fabulous. mostly though I stick to tanqueray and tonic with lime of course. goes great with a sunburn and sandy feet.
My husband and I recently did a little informal gin tasting (blind for me, but not for him) at home with the ends of 7 different bottles. My current favorite is Aviation, with Junipero and Bulldog closely behind. Hendricks is always wonderful in the summer with, as mentioned above, thin slices of cucumber.
Hendricks is my favorite! Last summer we went through an indulgent 4 bottles in 4 weeks. (hey, it was really hot!) The price difference between it and Sapphire isn't enough for me to sacrifice.
Try gin and tonics with lemon as well...it's like grown up lemonade.
Hendricks . . .
but just rocks and cucumber.
Tonic is too strong for those delicate herbaceous flavors!
Two points:
1) Funny. It seems like g&t was an old man's drink so recently ago. Although, I've been drinking it since it wasn't so cool and getting ribbed for being weird. My memories convince me that I am correct on this point. Any alternative experiences? I'd love to hear them.
As I recall, gin wasn't quite a late-20s-something drink for quite a while (80s, 90s, up 'til now). No?
2) Anyway, I have to agree with the crowd: Tanq is a pleaser. Perhaps it's because that was my first gin experience? All subsequent experiences compare to the first high? In this case, yes.
I've always liked gin best, and I'm currently in love with Martin Miller's, which is very citrusy and makes a killer G&T. It's just started being imported to the US in the last year; I had gotten it as a gift last year and only now need to find a source to buy it. Mmm. Definitely worth a try if you spot it!
BTW, my summer drink of choice is a Greyhound (gin and grapefruit)--very refreshing.
Ooooh. How you mock me, ATkitchen. Here I am suffering from a seriously overdone evening of gin and tonics and what should appear the very next morning? The guide to gin drinking. Cruel.
I vote for tanq and tonic, lime and ice cold. Mmmmm.
I still love Bombay. I started drinking it in college. This article reminds me that it's time to restock the freezer!
mycflatcats, that reminds me: for those new to gin-drinking, remember: gin goes in the freezer, tonic goes on the counter! Refrigerating your tonic will just make it flat and funny-tasting. Try making tonic ice cubes, though, it's a nice spin on the drink!
There was a good article in the New York Times last month about martinis. I'm not a huge fan of gin, but those of you who are (and enjoy a martini) might enjoy this article: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/02/dining/02wine.html?ex=1183003200&en=dcc94b50a90b9cfe&ei=5070
I'm trying to break out of my Bombay gimlet routine, and I've been using an article I recently read in the June '07 issue of Bon Appetit as my guide.
All four styles (London Dry, Plymough, Old Tom and Genever)are explained in great detail, in reference to both classic and newer artisanal gins. There was a also a helpful sidebar with gin recommendations and tasting notes for five classic cocktails:
Martini-Tanquerey
G&T-Gordon's (80 proof)
Aviation-Plymouth
Negroni-Beefeater
Tom Collins-Beefeater
Sorry, I couldn't find a link to this article on their website, but maybe a few of you still have this issue??
Melanie, glad you mentioned something about not refrigerating Tonic... I always have so I'll have to try it on the counter next time. Does freezing it keep it's fizziness? I've never thought to freeze mixers, that's a great idea... would keep it cold without watering it down if you felt like sipping slowly.