Gin, the best bang for the buck?

[glpease]

Just a side note... love the site. Still pretty wierd thinking of Chef Greg.. I don't know why though, thats basically what a blend is I guess.

Thanks, B. It's been really fun putting it together, and sharing is always fun. I grew up cooking. I remember watching the Galloping Gourmet while my friends were watching cartoons. I guess taste and aroma are just in my blood. It's all the same, really.

You like spicy. You should try Alejandra's Sweet Chipotle Pickles. They're amazing, and a little bit addictive. I made some Wednesday when I was testing the recipe. The jar isn't likely to last the week. I had them on toast this morning with orange marmalade. Not sure how they'd go with a -tini, though.

 

[DoverPipes]

Hey I said Ice and Olive too.... :lol: :lol: :lol:

Touché, but I'm not sure those things qualify.

I did write up my Ideal Martini in the Epicure's Asylum. I admit to being a little opinionated about the things, but that's what makes it so much fun! Well, that, and actually drinking them.

Cheers!

Oh, Great Dark Lord!!!
Do you just swirl the vermouth or do you use a mister??? :drunken:

 

[glpease]

Hey I said Ice and Olive too.... :lol: :lol: :lol:

Touché, but I'm not sure those things qualify.

I did write up my Ideal Martini in the Epicure's Asylum. I admit to being a little opinionated about the things, but that's what makes it so much fun! Well, that, and actually drinking them.

Cheers!

Oh, Great Dark Lord!!!
Do you just swirl the vermouth or do you use a mister??? :drunken:

No mister here, mister. I actually use MEASURABLE amounts of vermouth, and stir it up real goooood. The only downside to the Lillet Blanc is that it tints the martini a little, but the flavour is amazing. I had a barman make one for me, and he was intrigued enough by the idea to try one himself. "Wow," sez he. "That's really good! Yours is on the house." Bonus!

 

[paddy-boy]

Boodles is my favorite
noilly prat
6:1 with three olives
I also like Plymouth gin a great deal

 

[gandalfpc]

Beefeater is (to me) the perfect gin. Fan of Bombay too

 

[Natch]

Must agree with PB's opening opinion (now, we're talking booze here, not politics, lets get that straight right up front!!!) Beefeaters is a good value and a very good, general purpose gin. I really like it in G&T's, but prefer a few others for martinis (especially if I"m not buying).

Natch

 

[adauria]

And, sorry PB, you're just wrong. A "martini" being made without vermouth isn't going to happen at my bar. A martini is a cocktail. A cocktail is not a single ingredient, no matter how much you may like it. If there's no vermouth in with the gin, it's not a cocktail, and therefore, not a martini. Full stop.

I have to agree here. I'm a 5:1 man, myself.

-Andrew

 

[Doc Manhattan]

So I caved and tried the Chef Pease Ideal Martini... Anchor Junipero and Lillet Blanc, dash of Fee's orange bitters, twist.

I'm ordinarily a three-spritz of Martin & Rossi from the mister dry guy.

I now stand corrected.

 

[adauria]

Incidentally, I tried a martini garnished with a pepperoncini hot pepper instead of the olives the other night. I had such high hopes, but in the end I decided I'll stick with olives from now on (they're classic for a reason).

-Andrew

 

[NeroWolfe]

Bombay for the first 5 drinks, then the cheapest rotgut gin for the rest of the evening. By then you will not know or care!

 

[Winslow]

"Gin Lane" from when the first
cheap distilled spirits became available to the common man.

Gin, cursed Fiend, with Fury fraught,
Makes human Race a Prey.
It enters by a deadly Draught
And steals our Life away.
Virtue and Truth, driv'n to Despair
Its Rage compells to fly,
But cherishes with hellish Care
Theft, Murder, Perjury.
Damned Cup! that on the Vitals preys
That liquid Fire contains,
Which Madness to the heart conveys,

Winslow :twisted:

 

[Justpipes]

That's why I don't drink clear liquors.

 

[glpease]

That's why I don't drink clear liquors.

And, precisely why I do.

Well, that and the fact that I like gin.

 

[Winslow]

That's why I don't drink clear liquors.

What about that "Shine" you all drink from those Mason Jars?
Don't tell me it comes out of the still all colored up like that. :evil:

Winslow :sunny:

 

[ftrplt]

What about that "Shine" you all drink from those Mason Jars?
Don't tell me it comes out of the still all colored up like that. :evil:

Winslow :sunny:[/quote]

What's with this "you all" talk? You live "down South" now, ya' heah!!! We'uns say "ya'll.' The plural of which is "all ya'll!" Now start talkin' like the home folks!!! :lol!: :lol!: FTRPLT

 

[Winslow]

All the neighbors I've met are transplanted Yankees.It is true what General Sherman said
about resettling the South with Yankees after the war to really conquer it.
And I think Justpipes is getting that colored up "Shine" from some old boys who are running
it through a rusty radiator in the distilling process.
And getting back on the Gin subject.......I knew an Irish bartender from Dublin who told me
that in Ireland,Gin is considered a whore's drink. :shock:

Winslow :sunny:

 

[Doc Manhattan]

And getting back on the Gin subject.......I knew an Irish bartender from Dublin who told me that in Ireland,Gin is considered a whore's drink. :shock:

And to think, I've been giving it away for free for all these years. "Lonely? Buy me a Tanqueray, miss?" :twisted:

 

[brennivin]

I'd have to say New Amsterdam as a bang for buck gin. Just seems so much easier drinkin' than Beefeater.

As for martini's, I'm of the 'must have vermouth' crowd. I swear by the gospel of Drink Boy Robert Hess when it comes to this kinda thing. But my fave is actually the smokey martini. A swish of scotch, gin, and a twist.

 

[glpease]

Over the weekend, I bought the "new" Noilly Prat vermouth, and while it's very, very good, it didn't work for me. It's not as sumptuous as Lillet Blanc, which, though it's not really a vermouth, makes a nice martini, more intensely flavoured than the old US version of NP, but not as musky or bitter. It's really good, mind you, and is great for exploring the classic dry martini, the way it used to be before the now discontinued US version became the vermouth those of us on this side of the puddle grew up on. (Not that it was in my sippy cup as a child, or anything like that...) But, it's intense. I found that my normal 5:1 martini was overwhelming with the vermouth's character, while a 7:1 or even 8:1 was much better, and much clearer. More experimentation is called for.

I also bought a bottle of Dion. It's more expensive than the NP, but to my tastes, it's worth every cent. It's got a wonderfully sophisticated flavour profile, and combines beautifully with a great gin for a refreshing, bracing martini that delivers. It's earned a permanent place on the shelf. Except, of course, when I'm taking it down to mix martinis...

The real surprise, though, was Citadelle gin. This stuff is remarkable. It's not as austere as Beefeater, and a not quite as hot. It's marvelously complex, comprising 19 botanicals and quadruple distillation. Clean, yes, but also loaded with nuance. The juniper is forward, but not aggressively so, and every sip seems to evolve from the previous. This is now my #1 gin, I think. Again, more research will be required.

It's not a bargain gin, but it's not expensive, either. A little more than Boodles, less than Beefeater.

As an aside, I find that Beefeater needs to stay on the ice a little longer than many gins, because of its higher proof, and this makes it easier to drink. To me, it's not a sipping gin, but a great martini gin.

 

[Doc Manhattan]

Far from a discount gin, but have any of you gin fans tried the gin that Rogue brewery is distilling now?

The trend in craft beer makers adding distilled liquor is one I welcome, but I wasn't feeling flush when I was in the package store.