While I consider myself primarily a bourbon man, I like variety now and then. I love a nice clean, cold Bombay Sapphire martini, and in the summer I favor gin & tonics on a hot day.
Today I was perusing the local liquor store shelves and I saw a few gins I never paid attention to before. One was Hendrick’s (Scotland) and another was Steinhäger (Germany). Anyone ever try these brands? They both claim to be different than your typical gin and I’d like to know what’s so different about them.
I haven’t tried those, but I did pick up some Tanqueray Rangpur. Shortly thereafter I picked up a bigger bottle of Tanqueray Rangpur. It definitely has a more citrus-y note to it, making it perfect for a G&T or martini with a twist.
I’m interested to see what those other brands might be like . . .
Hendrick’s has as a botanical base cucumber. It’s interesting, and you should try it with a slice of garlic pickle instead of an olive in a martini. It’s a little expensive as an every day gin. I prefer Beefeater’s for a martini, and Tanqueray in a gin and tonic.
I’m not a fan of gin generally, but Hendricks is a very nice option. The cucumber note is refreshing and it’s best served dry and garnished with a freshly cut cucumber slice. Think about the water served at sushi houses but with booze in it!
I’m a huge fan of Bombay Sapphire, but I’m far too cheap to drink it everyday. I find Seagram’s Gin (believe it or not) to be a nice compromise of good flavor yet popularly priced. I always keep a bottle in my freezer…TRM
Someone on here recommended Hendrick’s once, and I’m a convert. It tastes kind of refreshing, like a summer drink. They’re an independent distillery too. Fun fact: they use a Carter-head still, of which there are only 4 in the world. I think Bombay has another and Reyka vodka.
I love gin and have sampled many brands but do you which brand I’d really like to get my mitts on? “Old Raj”.
It has an exclusive mystique, is infused with saffron and gets rave reviews. Of course it’s impossible to find in Canada as far as I can tell, and I’ve looked hard.
I’d like to try it with some of that gourmet tonic water from “Fever Tree” and maybe one of those wrinkly-skinned limes.
I just came home with a bottle of Steinhäger. I will be tasting it later. I’m going to do a taste test against the Bombay Sapphire. I will report back with my findings.
Well, that was… disappointing. While the Steihäger bottle is clearly labeled as dry gin, and it speaks of juniper berries, the elixir is decidely un-ginlike. The aroma is reminiscent more of a mild tequila, with none of the citrus/herbal notes of gin. The flavor is mild and neutral. It’s not unpleasant, and I’m sure would be fine in a mixed drink as a substitute for gin, vodka or tequila, but I wouldn’t sip it on its own.
Sure is, just saw it the other day on the shelves. I really dig Boodles.
If you like the flavor of juniper (and to me, if you don’t then why are you drinking gin?) stay away from Bulldog and New Amsterdam. They’re American gins and marketed as ‘smooth’… which means little botanical flavor. If that’s what you want, walk on over to the vodka shelf.
I still have not tried Hendricks. I have a lot of Boodles left in the house and the smallest bottle I’ve been able to find is the .750ml, which is too large and too much $$ for me to buy just as a lark to try. I need to find someone or some bar that has it so I can try before I buy.
I still have not tried Hendricks. I have a lot of Boodles left in the house and the smallest bottle I’ve been able to find is the .750ml, which is too large and too much $$ for me to buy just as a lark to try. I need to find someone or some bar that has it so I can try before I buy.[/QUOTE]
Same here. It’s about $30 here for the 750ml, which is a bit much without knowing I like it. I asked about smaller bottles but they didn’t have any.
Not actually a huge fan, and the only actual gin I could name is Bombay Sapphire. I would like to try it though and get more into it, since I mostly drink whiskey or beer.
Hendrick’s is excellent. Makes a GREAT martini. You can serve it with cuke, but I think it goes fine with olives as well. The sublty of the botanicals means it’s probably wasted on a G&T, though.
Beefeater is a classic and is still the “ginniest” gin I’ve had.
If you in the Chicago area, a few places carry North Shore Distillery’s Gin, which is worth trying. Very strong on the lime peel flavor, making it the best G&T gin I’ve found, although it’s a little too pricey for that.
Bombay is okay, but I personally think the Sapphire stuff is $5-10 extra with no real benefit.
The only time I drink gin is in the summer, and Beefeater’s goes into my G&Ts. The wife prefers vodka martinis, and I drink Manhattans, so a bottle will likely last an entire summer.
mmmmm I love Gin. Boodles Gin.
My last name is McCormick… so one time I saw McCormick’s Gin at the liquor store. BIG mistake… BIG! Where’s the barfing smily?
For Martinis, Mr Moto tuned me onto Citadelle. It’s French, which totally blew my mind. I figured the French would know as much about making gin as the do about making beer. Turns out I was pleasantly surprised.
It definitely has a more citrus-y note to it, making it perfect for a G&T or martini with a twist.