Gin, Gin, O Glorious Gin!

A Few of My Favorite Friends

The Twilight Lounge – December 16, 2011

Gin, sweet, juniper laced, glorious gin.  Bombay gin.  Beefeater gin.  Tanqueray gin. Gin Wigmore (just checking to see if you are paying attention).  Hendricks gin.  New Amsterdam gin.  Seagrams gin.  Plymouth gin.  London Dry gin, local gin, craft gin…gin, gin, gin.  Invented by the Dutch, co-opted by the British, where would we be without it?  No martinis – the only civilized way to end an uncivilized day.  No gin and tonics.  No Aviations.  No Singapore Slings or Sleigh Wrecks!

The invention of modern gin is credited to Franciscus Sylvius in the 17th century, although its roots go back to 11th century Italian monks who used juniper berries to flavor crudely distilled spirits.  The term gin is derived from the Dutch word genever, their word for juniper.  Originally used for what was supposed to be medicinal purposes, the British came upon it during the 30 Years War and called it “Dutch courage” for the effect it had on their bravery when taken before battle. 

Gin’s popularity in Britian soared during the reign of  William of Orange, who assumed the British throne in 1689.  With the taxes placed on brandy from France and on beer being quite heavy, locally distilled gin became the spirit of choice throughout England.

From 17th century England, gin has seen its ups and downs.  It its high point in the quintessential martini as enjoyed by FDR and Churchill to it’s low point as bathtub gin during Prohibition, gin has been a staple of cocktail culture for centuries.  Over the next few weeks I’ll explore the different styles of gins and include a number of gin reviews as well.  In the meantime, have a gin question?  Then fire away and I’ll do my best to answer!

Cheers!

Brick a Bat

Monday, May 2, 2011

Yeah, I know, I’m going backwards in time…I got a little out of order so that I could get my Kentucky Derby Mint Julep post in while it was still fresh.

So, last week I was in the Twin Cities for a series of customer meetings.  Fortunately, I had the chance one evening to try out a local spot near where I was staying.  Bricks American Pub, in Blaine, MN was suggested by my good friend Ashish and it lived up to his recommendation.  They have a well stocked bar and can serve up craft beers, wines and classic and speciality cocktails.

The cocktail I had was an off menu drink mixed up by Dave, our bartender for the evening.  It consisted of Tanqueray Ten, lemon juice, bar syrup and muddled basil.  It was very tasty as the fresh basil was perfectly balanced with the lemon and offset the flavor of the Tanqueray to perfection.  Not too sweet and not too boozy, this cocktail was just right!

I also sampled their brandy Old Fashioned along with my associate Mikhail.  Mikhail is from Russia and fortunately the Bricks Old Fashioned was a terrific introduction to this classic cocktail.  Dave made our Old Fashioneds properly, muddling the orange and cherry in the glass and not using premixed sour.  It was well done and was bursting with the fruit flavors along with the brandy. 

So, if you happen to find yourself in Blaine, MN in the future and are thirsty, definately check out Bricks – it will be worth your time!