Gin

Originally Posted by IUtoSLU

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I have to disagree with you. Hendrick's is not a very typical gin at all IMO and should not be propped up as a standard bearer for an ideal gin. The writing on the bottle itself says as much. It is a sort of spin on gin, much like Rangpur is gin PLUS limes. All things considered, I do very much enjoy Hendrick's, but would refuse to call it an ideal for what gin is "supposed to taste like."
Fair enough. Keep in mind though that this was years ago when I was an idiot in college and had only had really craptacular rubbing alcohol gin or Bombay (which I've never liked and believed to be among the best out there with its marketing pizzazz). I was about to write off gin for life until Hendrick's came along one night... and now gin drinks (I usually use Plymouth) are in my faves.

I had Hendricks for the first time recently it is my new favorite. Previously I like Bombay best.

Hendricks is amazing. So is Tanq 10. I like Tanq Rangpur fine.

A gimlet is probably my favourite cocktail. I'm still experimenting with brands though. Bombay Sapphire is my favourite at the moment, but I intend to try Junipero soon; from what I've heard, it's easily the best.

IutoSLU, you should check out NS 11 if you see it in a bar or anything. It's got that really assertive juniper smack upside the head that Junipero does.

Not a giant fan of gin but I love me some Hendricks

I'd also recommend Tanqueray 10. It's the most flavorful gin I've tasted.

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

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IutoSLU, you should check out NS 11 if you see it in a bar or anything. It's got that really assertive juniper smack upside the head that Junipero does.

I bought the NS#6 on a trip to visit a friend in Chicago a few months ago. I was disappointed that the store (a big one, I forget the name) didn't also carry the 11. I am planning a trip to visit the same friend in a about a month and I will persevere in finding it this time.

If you like Bombay Saph, I recommend Broker's Gin. The derby hat bottle cap is an added bonus.

I had some Cork Dry Gin with a Irish lass that had a bottle squirrled away in the back of her dorm closet. It was wonderful and I associate it with many fond memories. Unfortunately I do not believe it is available in the US at present. Worth a try if you come across it.

Originally Posted by Huntsman

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Can't say I've ever had gin on the rocks before.

My favorite gin for mixing in cocktails (other than the Martini and variants) is Martin Miller, while my favorite gin for Martinis and other nearly-neat applications is Junipero. Sapphire goes in my G&Ts, and Beefeater in my Aviations (why, I don't know).

~ H

I gather you'd classify a Vesper in the latter category?

Citadelle RÃ serve
Quite rare and not exactly following the norm. for gin but really excellent in my opinion.

I've recently been put on to Hendrick's and it's a beautiful spirit that provides for such a clean high. It's amazing. Although, i'm relatively new to Gin -- I'm defintely curious to try T10, NS6,11 and Junipero -- since those seem to be pretty highly rated on this thread..

bombay sapphire.

My namesake thread.

i started on London Gordon's dry gin lol...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/market...09_story6.html Transforming the G&T Artisanal gins and more-flavorful tonics are changing the classic cocktail. By Elin McCoy Bloomberg Markets, September 2009 The gin and tonic has always been my warm-weather go-to cooler, what I crave on the patio after a hard afternoon of tennis. This ultimate refresher with a 150-year history is ridiculously easy to make: Just throw gin, tonic, ice and a lime slice in a tall glass. Developed as a way to get Englishmen in tropical colonies to down a daily dose of quinine to counter malaria, it’s always been popular, though not always fashionable. Now, the G&T is being updated with some 21st-century components. Boutique Gin The hottest liquor trend is the explosion of craft distilleries that produce high-quality artisanal spirits in small batches. Many new ones in the U.S. and England are specializing in gin, a white, grain-based spirit flavored with a half dozen or more botanicals. The dominant U.K. and U.S. style is London dry gin, which is lighter than Dutch genever and ideal for mixing. Each brand guards its recipe of ingredients; juniper berries, which give gin its trademark bracing scent and character, are a constant. Coriander and angelica are still common, but the traditional mix is shifting -- especially in the U.S. -- and with it, the flavor of a gin and tonic. Many new gins add in the unusual -- lavender, baobab fruit, green tea, grapefruit peel -- and downplay the bite of piney juniper. As a result, some new bottlings don’t have enough tang to make a satisfying G&T. Assertive, creamy Bulldog; smooth, mellow DH Krahn; citrusy and spicy Bluecoat; lush Sacred Gin; and delightfully herbal No. 209 all do. And Hendrick’s, a Scottish-made brand that started the trend of using unusual botanicals 10 years ago with infusions of cucumber and rose, is another top pick. All-Natural Tonic The movement away from mass-produced, artificially flavored mixers has inspired a half-dozen brands of all-natural tonic water. They’re sweetened with cane sugar or agave nectar instead of high-fructose corn syrup and get their quinine, which gives tonic its sharp bitter note, directly from cinchona bark. My favorites: Edgy, very bubbly Q Tonic (four-pack, $10) works better with a more delicate gin, while floral, citrusy and slightly sweeter Fever-Tree (four-pack, $8) can handle stronger flavors. Still, making your own tonic has the most cachet. Michael Cecconi, 36, of New York’s Savoy and Back Forty, boils cinchona bark powder in water and then adds citrus, sweetness and fizz. A Gin-Appropriate Garnish The traditional G&T recipe is two parts tonic to one part gin, over ice, with a wedge of bright-green lime. But bartenders are now matching the garnish to a particular flavor element in the brand of gin: for example, a cucumber slice with Hendrick’s and a grapefruit-rind twist with DH Krahn. Outstanding Ice Quality ice is bartenders’ latest fascination. “The perfect ice cube for a gin and tonic is one big spear that runs the length of the glass,” says Eric Alperin, co-owner of Los Angeles’s recently opened The Varnish. “That has less surface area so it melts more slowly.” Dilution, Alperin, 33, says, destroys the G&T’s delicate flavors. The clearest, highest-quality ice is made from water that’s been freed of minerals. Alperin’s solution is to run it through a reverse osmosis machine. The resulting cubes are ultrapure and extra dense, which also slows melting. Nonfanatics use distilled or filtered water. Many mixologists freeze ice in large blocks and carve chunks for individual drinks. In Japan, serious drinkers like ice balls formed in special molds, such as those made by Taisin ($168 and up). For the best small cubes, bars turn to the Ferrari of ice machines: Kold-Draft. A home version, the under-the-counter Ice Butler, costs $1,700. Columnist Elin McCoy is based in New York. [email protected]