Gin drinker coming for cocktails. Hendricks and ?

Withaque · Sep 17, 2011

I have a dear friends coming for a long day of cocktails, dinner and more cocktails. He is from England(if that matters) and drinks gin martinis.

I don't drink gin with enough frequency to know much about the different brands.

I have Hendricks, and want to add a second gin to offer. Last time we went out he asked for a specific gin(I didn't hear the name). It was not available and he settled for Bombay Sapphire.

What would you add to the the selection other than the Sapphire? I don't want to get anything to similar to the Hendricks. Martinis will be consumed before and possibly after dinner. Wine during the meal.

If it matters, dinner is filet mignon, horseradish potatoes, and mixed leaf salad. Dessert has not been decided.

Rambo · Sep 17, 2011

Beefeaters, Gordon's, and Martin Miller are all British, so it might have been one of those.

Hendricks is cucumber flavored, so pretty much any other gin will be a contrast. Get him something new and interesting to try like Junipero or Old Raj.

Withaque · Sep 17, 2011

Thanks Rambo.

Tangfastic · Sep 17, 2011

Plymouth Gin is the best bet.

erdawe · Sep 17, 2011

Tangfastic said:
Plymouth Gin is the best bet.

+1

Plymouth is wonderful.

cptjeff · Sep 17, 2011

My favorite martini ever was made with Seneca Drums gin, a craft gin out of the finger lakes. It's very different and very tasty, and makes a kickass martini.

Good luck finding it though. You'd probably have to special order. But your British friend won't have had it before!

But I don't think you'd ever run the risk of having something too similar to Hendrick's.

In terms of good old standby gins, Beefeater is outstanding. Gordon's is great too, but at 80 proof rather than the higher proofs often found in gin (beefeater, for example, is at a very traditional gin proof of 94), I feel that it sometimes fails to assert itself in drinks. I could break down which types, but I don't want to bore you.

N. McKay · Sep 18, 2011

erdawe said:
+1

Plymouth is wonderful.

Yes, make that thee in favour of Plymouth.

Withaque · Sep 18, 2011

Thanks for the replies. I couldn't find the Plymouth(sold out), Junipero, or Old Raj. Opted for Citadel because it was rated highly by a few publications.

Definitely a noticeable difference between the Sapphire, Hendrick's and Citadel. However, sometime after the the fourth or fifth round the tastebuds are much less discerning.

I would rate Citadel over Sapphire because it is a little easier to drink. Hendrick's flavor set it apart from the other two. Definitely a good change of pace.

Harold falcon · Sep 18, 2011

I am a fan of Gordon's. But Plymouth is nice too.

ironduke · Sep 24, 2011

What about Tanqueray? I think it has razor sharp flavour.

Svenn · Sep 24, 2011

N. McKay said:
Yes, make that thee in favour of Plymouth.

lol, your 40th post since 2006? It lends a certain gravity to your recommendation.

Does anyone have any recommendations for what to mix with Hendrick's that wouldn't be too sweet? I've almost always done gin and soda water (tonic is gross to me), to avoid hangovers, but it's getting dull.

cptjeff · Sep 24, 2011

Half a measure of dry vermouth? The hendricks people recommend garnishing with a cucumber slice for that one...

If you're sticking to long drinks, try a gin sling or variant thereof sometime. I use: 2 oz gin, 1 oz lemon juice, 3/4 oz sweet vermouth, tsp simple syrup, 2 dashes bitters, seltzer.

I also would mix gin with benedictine and a dash of bitters, than add seltzer. When I still had benedictine. Looking like I won't have it for a while thanks to the NC ABC crapola... Try a 2:1 ratio.

And the best way to avoid hangovers is to keep yourself hydrated. It has nothing particularly to do with what you're drinking, just how much and how much water is in your body. Also, vitamin C helps your liver process alcohol faster and the fats in milk coat your stomach lining and slows the absorption rate.

Cuttingboard · Oct 3, 2011

I really like Blue Coat American Dry Gin.

P-K-L · Oct 3, 2011

I like Tanqueray Ten.

Be sure to drink a Bloody Hendricks for breakfast - with lots of worcester sauce....

globetrotter · Oct 3, 2011

I am going to plug a friend - my friend opend this distrilary, and is making gin. it is very different, no juniper, very crisp, some cucumber and citrus. I highly recomend

http://www.fewspirits.com/

Gin drinker coming for cocktails. Hendricks and ?

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