the Gin is IN

Gin from an American perspective, since 2009.
Other Thoughts

Our 200th Post!

May
10
Posted in Other Thoughts 0

I kind of wanted our 200th post to be some sort of epic celebration of the past few years of writing gin! We’ve reviewed 54 Bottles of gin (3 bottles awarded our highest honors of 5 stars),made 16 cocktails by asking everyone we know (whether they have cocktail sense or not) and took a hell of a lot of pictures of good bottles of gin. I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of my readers and gin drinking compatriots for making the last few years such a huge success. There’s a lot of great gin coming up in [...]

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What do I drink For? The Kentucky Derby

May
03
Posted in Cocktails, Other Thoughts 3

  You’re sitting at home, or maybe at the bar. Alone, or with friends. You’re waiting impatiently for the sporting event that boasts the highest ratio of pre-game coverage to actual sporting of all sports events*. You’re not drinking beer, you’re a gin drinker so you’d prefer gin to Kentucky bourbon. So what do you do? The Derby Cocktail Sure this cocktail might be more apropos for a horse race in England, but hear me out hear. 2 oz Gin [preferably dry, and definitely chilled is best] 2 Dashes of Peach Bitters [Fee makes a good one] 2 sprigs of fresh mint [...]

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and 5 more Gin Advertisements

Apr
04
Posted in Other Thoughts 0

What’s in a Gin’s name? In particular a name like “House of Lords.” Which for those of you who aren’t familiar with the British system, the House of Lords  is the Upper House in the parliament, consisting entirely of appointed elites. Here Come the 1960′s. A time of revolution. And a name like “House of Lords” which at one point probably was aspirational for many British citizens, the name now embodied a sort of starchy entitled elite. Anyway, that’s enough government talk. Sometimes you can resist your name and rebrand yourself for a new market. Other times, you can try [...]

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How to Identify a Phony Bottle of Gin

Mar
28
Posted in Other Thoughts 0

I was intrigued a couple of months ago where a twitter friend of mine enlisted my help in identifying a bottle of gin that was seen on television. I (of course) boldly took on the challenge. But I failed. I tried to use the colors of the logo on the bottle to identify the probable make. I even cropped out the logo and used Google’s image search to find images which looked similarly. I also failed. So what was it? What bottle of gin could foil me? It was a prop from a television show. A fake. So next time, [...]

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5 Advertisements for Gins that Benefited from the Inclusion of Dogs

Mar
02
Posted in Other Thoughts 0

What can I say, since we last visited the annals of ginvertising (get it?!) I’ve uncovered a few more gems. Let’s hop back in our time machines and head back to the golden era of liquor advertisements. This short story seems wholly bizarre and unto itself. First we’re introduced to our characters. We hear a story about a dog, some police and Gerald’s adventuresome youth? When suddenly out of nowhere bursts this non-sequitur about Rose’s Lime Juice? Yeah. And instead of mixing, let’s basically dilute it. And so we did, in indifferent Greek! Fleischmann’s Gin seemed to be on to [...]

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Now on Pinterest

Feb
15
Posted in Other Thoughts 0

The Gin is In is on Pinterest  

5 Amusing Gin Advertisements from Yesteryear

Feb
13
Posted in Other Thoughts 5

I don’t like to get in a habit of making light of the past. I’m sure that in thirty years many of our modern tropes will be laughable; our advertising comical and outdated. Many good things have come from the past. Old Cocktail book? They sure don’t make them like the used to. Anyway, that aside there have been some particularly amusing moments from gin’s long and illustrious advertising history. Now a brief look at how far we’ve come and where our favorite liquor once was. “My Dear- why don’t you do as I suggest?” This sounds like an awkward [...]

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A little more on Philosophy

Jan
29
Posted in Other Thoughts 1

I mentioned previously that I was very close with doing away with number ratings for gins. I know that ratings are subjective and there are some people whose opinions on ratings range from “they’re useless” to “they’re stupid,” and all the way to “I don’t read them” and everywhere in between. Maybe its you. Maybe it’s not you. But perhaps I can offer an explanation to you, loyal reader: why bother to rate gin?  One> Readers, a lot of you seem to be looking for it. Again, as many of you know, I’m not a marketer. I don’t sell gin. I [...]

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A Gin Wife’s Retrospective

Jan
24
Posted in Other Thoughts 2

“A Year Two Years of Being a Gin Wife” I commented to the Gin-Husband today, “Gee your blog is a whole year old!” I thought, ah, I am such a supportive spouse. He will know that I keep a keen eye on his blog! I am interested in his works! He responds, “It’s…two years old.” <Insert a frowning face> Damn. Good thing I know, uh….I know how to….dust? Yeah, I kept our apartment free of dust. I’m good for something. Happy two years of gin drinking and writing. In the spirit of anniversaries, I’ve compiled a list of new experiences gin, and blogging thusly, has brought to [...]

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A New Way to Review Gin

Jan
12
Posted in Other Thoughts 3

I’ve struggled with the idea of how to review gin over the years. There’s a lot of subjectivity when it comes down to “what you like” and “what I like.” Though I’ve given numerical rating to every gin as a way of keeping track of what I like, I do my best to explain the flavors in a way that you can make a decision on your own. After all, I like to see the purpose of The GIN is IN as way of trying to help you find a gin that you’re going to love. So that’s why I’ve [...]

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