Inspired by this thread and more specifically this post I want to find out more about gin. For years I have turned up my nose at gin and gin drinks based on a few bad experiances with (I think) Beefeater when I was in college. I have never really been a Martini person either, but I am in the process of putting together a well stocked bar at home and if I am going to have gin (and any well stocked bar should) I am going to have something I will actually drink. Beyond that I am curious about what I am missing out on. I did have a Hendricks martini once on vacation and didn’t hate it, so that might be a starting point. What’s out there, what are the labels I must try, what should I run away from?
I am ready to have my mind changed.
When this is done look for my follow up thread, “Tell me abou Rum.” It’s another drink that I have probably dismissed out of hand. But one thing at a time.
The coolest thing about gin is that you can make your own by stuffing your cheeks full of potpourri and guzzling vodka.
I enjoyed Bombay Sapphire, back before I connected the dots between all those gin drinks and all those splitting headaches le lendemain. I was disappointed to discover that the gin itself wasn’t actually blue, though.
The first thing to understand is that Gin is simply Spiced Vodka. Different Gins use different spices in different ratios to establish their trademark flavor. Take each one as an individual product and taste them straight up, or slightly diluted with ice, if you want to learn what they actually taste like.
Personally I almost never drink Gin because I loathe Tonic with every shred of my soul. If I accidentally get handed a G&T instead of my usual Citron & Soda my night is ruined and my taste buds will take weeks to recover. However, this is an indictment of Tonic, not of Gin. Most people who claim to hate gin actually hate tonic, I wonder if this is the root of you initial problems.
Sorry I can’t give specific advice on different brands of gin, I drink Vodka and Scotch thanks, but I want to make sure you know to divorce the abomination that is tonic from your worthwhile education on the subject.
Haters, away with you! Not your thread. Fascists.
Why don’t you go out and taste some straight up sometime? I love, personally, Hendricks and Plymouth. I also like Dutch ‘jenevers’ (I like the young stuff, some people like the old) and eau de vies, which are similar in a lot of ways to gin.
Hate of tonic might be the root of my problems. I have to say I can’t think of drinks I have had with tonic in the past.
Mostly I wanted to let you know that I feel your pain re: hatred of an item beyond all reason (at least to the outsider). I have similar feelings about sour cream.
I like tonic well enough and might make a quickie G&T on a really roasting summer day if I’m waiting for beer to get cold, but mostly I drink my gin straight, as I do with most liquor. If you don’t like the way it tastes drink something else says me.
There’s already some awesome suggestions in this thread, but I also grok on Booths, Boodles, and Coates Plymouth. I usually have Bombay Sapphire and Hendricks on hand though.
If you are going to taste test a variety of gins you should be sure to taste them in a variety of ways. Like all spiced liquors adding things to them can dramatically alter the way you experience them. One gin might be your favorite straight up and lose it’s appeal when mixed with tonic, juice or water. Many drinkers have one they drink neat and a totally different brand they prefer soiled with tonic.
I suggest getting a handful of half-pints or pints of different gins and 3 or 4 mixers. Pour yourself small half-cocktails of each until you find a fave. Start with a ounce of each brand straight up, then with ice and then with each mixer. Should make for a entertaining and educational night and a highly-suspect next morning.
See, THIS is the kind of thing I was hoping to get from this thread. Good suggestion. Other than a splash of tonic and having a bottle of vermouth in the same room, what are the traditional mixers for gin?
Gin & Tonic is additional proof that God loves us. If that’s not to your liking, try a Salty Dog: gin and grapefruit juice in a salt-rimmed glass. Or visit a good martini bar and have the bartender make you a classic martini, without all the froo-froo.
If you want gin cocktails, try the lists on the right of this page. Never heard of a Bronx before, but a gin and tonic with orange juice sounds pretty good…
Gimlets, which are 2 oz of gin and 1/2 oz of Rose’s lime juice, are incredibly simple and simply incredible. On a hot day, I like them a lot better than gin and tonics, and I like gin and tonics a lot. I’ve enjoyed them up in a cocktail glass, and on the rocks in a tumbler – either way, they’re my favorite summer drink (and cheaper gins are great for gimlets).
Anyone else ever drink Gin & Bitter Lemon? It was one of my dad’s favorite summer drinks, but finding Bitter Lemon is getting to be an impossible task these days.
I’m a traditionalist when it comes to gin.
Gimme a wet martini, 2 to 1 gin to dry vermouth, stirred, not shaken, with a wedge of lemon. (Some folks like olives, lots of brine, not me).
Do not under any circumstances shake your gin, because it will taste like gasoline. If you don’t believe me, experiment! Shake up one gin, stir another, set up side by side and taste the difference.
