the Gin is IN

Gin from an American perspective, since 2009.
Monthly Archives: October 2011

Oxley Gin

Oct
31
Posted in Bottles of Gin Comments Off
Juniper Spice Heat Citrus Floral
Gin Flavor Profile

Lots of lemon and juniper notes up front and plenty of heat on the palate and the nose.

Oxley gin holds a special place in this blog already. It was the gin we chose to take on vacation with us, which means that from the outset it met a very specific set of criteria. Firstly, we wanted something that was classically styled, and capable of “tasting like gin” in any cocktail it was put in. Second, it had to be versatile and capable of doing many things well.Finally,we wanted a gin that was capable of keeping gin devotees interested. Oxley accomplished all of these things and was a good companion on this trip. We put it to work [...]

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Pink Gin w/ Death’s Door Gin

Oct
27
Posted in Gin in the Kitchen 3

The Pink Gin was boozy spoonful of sugar designed to help sailors keep the seasickness medicine down. But I wanted to see if something could be done to perfect the beverage. So rather than shaking with ice and diluting the gin, I put my bottle of Death’s Door Gin in the freezer for a few hours prior to making the cocktail. I chose Death’s Door gin, because I felt that the notes in the Death’s Door would not have been too overwhelming, and would allow the Angostura’s flavor to really come through. Unlike sailors, I want to taste the bitters. [...]

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Book Review: All the Gin Joints

Oct
25
Posted in Book Reviews 1

I had the pleasure of receiving a review copy of Michael Turback’s latest book All the Gin Joints: New Spins on Gin from America’s Best Bars. Casablanca reference aside, All the Gin Joints looks firmly forward into the present and future of gin mixology. There’s a bevy of cocktail books out there for the interested mixologist- many of them quite good.  Many of these catch-all cocktail compendiums tend to offer some ratios for the standards (Tom Collins, Negronis, etc)  with perhaps a few elegant variations or nuances. Some dig up exotic cocktails from long forgotten dusty cocktail manuscripts, working furiously to make [...]

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Cocktails by Consensus: Pink Gin

Oct
23
Posted in Cocktails, Cocktails by Consensus 1

The Pink Gin is a deceiving cocktail in only one way: the name The word “pink” doesn’t conjure up notions of strength and potency. But in this case, it should. For the uninitiated Pink Gin is a cocktail which dates back to the British Royal Navy. Similar the Gin & Tonic, where the quinine was designed to help stave off diseases, the Pink Gin also evolved for medicinal purposes. Angoustra Bitters supposedly alleviate seasickness, and to make the bitters more palatable to Navy conscripts, they added gin. Lots of it. Pink Gin   Elizabeth Stewart Wikipedia David T. Smith David [...]

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What we’re drinking right now….

Oct
22
Posted in Other Thoughts 0

Gin Music Fridays w/ The Gin Club

Oct
21
Posted in Other Thoughts 2

So usually on Friday, I try to highlight a song with gin in the lyrics or in the title. But today we’re going to change things up and pay homage to a band that pays homage to gin in their band name. The Gin Club is from Brisbane, Australia and they play what wikipedia describes as “folk music”  though I might posit that the songs I’m linking to below have more in common with American Blues and Country music and modern British Punk. But forgive me, as I’m a gin critic, but hardly a music critic. Enjoy your Friday w/ “Ten [...]

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Pegu Club Cocktail w/ Oxley Gin

Oct
19
Posted in Gin in the Kitchen 0

Going along w/ Yesterday’s “cocktails by consensus” post, I thought some documentation of an actual cocktail in action was necessary. [Please take note of the festive pumpkin in the background...] I chose Oxley gin because it had a lot of the elements of the classic London Dry style. I recommended a couple of gins yesterday that tend to emphasize and embrace their citrus side. Oxley embraces its juniper side. Firstly, this is a particularly sharp tasting cocktail. Even the strong orange of the Cointreau did little to hide the spice and burn of the gin. The fresh lime provided a [...]

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Cocktails by Consensus: Pegu Club Cocktail

Oct
18
Posted in Cocktails, Cocktails by Consensus 4

  Pegu Club Cocktail Site FooBooz Esquire Bitter Truth Pegu Blog: Classic Pegu Blog: Modern Wichita Crave Gin “Long Pour” 2oz. 2 oz. 3 oz. 3 oz. 1.5 oz. Cointreau 3/4 oz – - 1 oz. 1 oz. .5 oz. Lime Juice splash 3/4 oz 1/3 oz 1 oz. 1 oz. .75 oz. Angoustra Bitters 1 dash 1 dash – 2-4 dashes 2-4 dashes 2 dashes Orange Bitters 1 dash 1 dash 2 dash – - – Orange Curacao – 3/4 oz. 3/4 oz. – - – “Aromatic Bitters” – - 1 dash – - – Egg White – - [...]

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Madam Geneva

Oct
04
Posted in Bar Reviews 0

Madam Geneva on Bleeker Street (NoHo to be super precise) is a gin lover’s dream. While officially I believe this is considered a speakeasy attached to Saxon + Parole, its entrance is neither particularly hard to find nor particularly mysterious. You just open the door. What’s Good : Apparently this bar trades on the reputation of its jam cocktails, which nearly every other review talks glowingly of.  My omission of this wasn’t intentional- I just didn’t know about them until I had already had my share of cocktails. So while the jam cocktails should be enough to intrigue anyone who walks [...]

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Hot Gin Top 10 / October 2011

Oct
02
Posted in Other Thoughts 1

I did this last in September 2010. Since then I have tasted a preposterous amount of New gins, and felt that it was time to revisit it. While some old-favorites have dropped a bit on the chart, it’s not to say that I dislike them or that they have fallen out of favor. There’s just so many more gins out there that are also extremely good. There are 5 new gins in my top 10. Coming up with a legitimate top 10 is very difficult, but I’m going to try anyway. Without further ado, the hot gin top 10 for [...]

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