February 22, 2007
We just got ourselves a bottle of G'Vine Gin, and we're looking forward to checking it out. For those of you who haven't heard of it, G'Vine is the first white liquor distilled from grape vine flowers, which makes it a pretty close relative to wine. We wonder if it's going to offer us the same health benefits as a glass of red wine. We'll let you know if we feel any more vim and vigor after we conduct our review.
Read a bit more about G'Vine after the jump, including what our good friend Rick from Martini Lounge had to say. Plus, for all you Internet marketers out there, find out why comment Spam isn't a good way to go when you're promoting a product!
Continue reading: "G'Vine Gin Arrives for Review"
February 7, 2007
DH Krahn
Ultra-Premium Gin with Juniper, Coriander, Citrus, and Ginger
80 Proof (40% ABV)
Typical Price: About $27 for 750ml
Website
Our Editor in Chief is not usually the jealous type, but sometimes we like to make him feel that little green tinge. It usually happens when someone gets to drink something he didn't get to try - especially when it's something he's heard as many good things about as DH Krahn gin.
We've been hearing nothing but positives about this stuff, and the Interns made a little wager with the EIC about whether he'd be able to try it or not. We won't share the details of the bet itself, but the Interns split the bottle and drank it all without sharing a single drop with our taskmaster. So what did we think of it?
Continue reading: "Review: DH Krahn Gin"
November 15, 2006
For a drink that everyone professes to love so much, there's a lot of confusion and just plain myths that center around the martini. From choosing whether to make it with vodka or gin to deciding exactly how much vermouth belongs in there (consensus seems to say 1-2 molecules), everyone seems to have their own snooty way of mixing one.
We've found a great Q&A from Jeffrey Morganthaler, a pro bartender, centered around martini myths and how you can craft the perfect frosty beverage. We also like the fact he seems to share our sentiment that if you don't put any vermouth in your martini, it's just a shot of gin with an olive floating in it. Same goes for your typical "vodka martini."
As an aside, please note that it’s not possible to “bruise” gin. This is just a bullshit myth perpetuated by Martini “connoisseurs” who want to impress you with their “knowledge” and “sophistication”. It’s a meaningless term, trust me. However, they’re right about not shaking a martini - they just don’t get why.
via Jeffrey Morganthaler -
Ask Your Bartender: Martini Advice
November 9, 2006
Bulldog Gin
London Dry Gin with Poppy, Dragon Eye and Citrus
80 Proof (40% ABV)
Typical Price: Around $30 for 750ml
BulldogGin.com
It just sits there staring at you. Squat, grey, mean-looking, with that tough little studded collar giving it an extra air of menace. No, we're not talking about your neighbor's pit bull...we're talking about that bottle of Bulldog we got in last week, and the added bonus is that unlike your neighbor's dog the bottle is full of gin.
On the plus side before we even tasted it, we found out Bulldog has poppy in it (which they make heroin out of), and it has Dragon Eye (aka Longan, which is related to lychee, which they make Lichido out of). Find out how Bulldog measures up after the jump.
Continue reading: "Bulldog Gin Review"
November 2, 2006
It seems like just yesterday we were telling you about Bulldog Gin, and now here we are sitting with a bottle in our hands itching to give it a try. We've gotten some more information about the mysterious juniper liquor, including the fact that it's imported from London and it's currently available in New York and Georgia. We're looking forward to trying out some of their Bulldog cocktail recipes, including the Dirty Dog Martini and the Hair of the Dog, which features Tabasco sauce and a chili pepper. We bet that'll get the juices flowing.
We're all pumped up to start the reviewing (OK, drinking) process, but our Editor in Chief is holding us up because he has a cold that's blowing his sense of smell and taste. We'll get the review done and up ASAP so you can find out how much bite this bulldog really has.
October 30, 2006
We just got word that there's going to be a new gin prowling the streets soon, and it goes by the name of Bulldog. According to the press release it's a London Dry with some crazy botanicals in there including Poppy and Dragon Eye (not sure what they are either). Between the exotic ingredients and the cool-looking bottle, we're definitely down to give it a try - hell, we'd try it even if they told us every bottle contained real bulldog fur.
Right now, we don't have much more to go on than a bottle shot (pictured), a website that won't be up for another two weeks (check back November 15) and a statement that it's available at Astor Wines in NYC.
Check out the press release after the jump for more information.
Continue reading: "Growl for Bulldog Gin"
October 20, 2006
Sorry for the late notice, but if you're going to be in the New York area on Monday we highly recommend checking out the Polished Palate's Vodkafest with Gin. It's Monday October 23 at Manhattan's Valbella, and will feature a bunch of smaller vodka and gin distillers and distributors, as well as the typical 800 pound gorillas of the industry.
Our good friend Dave Schmier from Orange V vodka (see our Orange V review) will be pouring, and while they're apparently only allowed to pour 1/4 ounce shots for tasting, there are a lot of vendors there (wink wink). See below for the libations available, directly from the Polished Palate site:
We're shakin' and stirrin' at our VodkaFest-featuring Gin. Taste Vodkas from Sweden, Poland, Holland, Ireland, Finland, Switzerland, the USA & France. Vodkas made from corn, rye, wheat (one made from only 5 varieties of wheat)...some from fruit orchards like wild berries, ruby red grapefruit, banana, clementine, mango...some from your garden (cilantro, dill, rosemary & fennel) and more.
We keep meaning to make it down to NYC for these events and the PP's Rumfest but we haven't been able to get there yet. Please make up for our lameness - tickets are $40 in advance or $50 at the door and doors are at 6:30 - or if you want an extra hour of face time, do the VIP ticket for $60 and start the drinking at 5:30. For more Vodkafest information, head on over to the Polished Palate site.
October 13, 2006
Do you like gin? Do you know someone who does? If you're not sure, here are some signs that you or a loved one might be enamored of gin:
- Breath constantly smells of pine cones
- Wears a bandolier of tonic bottles
- Tends to wake up in other people's vomit
If you or anyone you love is into gin, let them know they have a chance to win a free bottle of gin from Gintime. What is
Gintime, you might ask? It's a site dedicated to the consumption and appreciation of gin, we might answer, and it is dedicated to such luminaries as Beefeater, Gordon's, Hendrick's and Whitley Neil.
All you have to do is sign up to receive their monthly newsletter in October and you're entered to win one of three bottles from that last brand, which we've never heard of but we're sure each bottle is chock full of ginny goodness. Oh, and you can also check out the site for news, features, and giveaways related to your poison of choice.
September 27, 2006
There's been a spate of gins released lately that are trying to take the grimace out of your gin drink. It seems like no one wants to taste like good old juniper anymore, and everyone's making gin that tastes like something else, from Beefeater Wet (which tastes like pears) to Tanqueray Rangpur (which tastes like limes), Bluecoat (which tastes like oranges), and Hendrick's (which tastes like cucumbers). All of these gins are great in their own way, but sometimes we want a gin that tastes like gin the way we remember it - up front, evergreen, sharp and dry.
That's where Citadelle comes in. Developed in France and taking a swing at being the Grey Goose of gins, it comes in a haughty bottle, packs a hefty price tag, and was created based on a 1771 recipe. Now that's classic.
The brand's pitch claims it uses more so-called botanical infusions than any other gin, 19 to be exact, including savoury, cumin, violet root, almond and fennel. That compares with 10 for the popular Bombay Sapphire. It's full-bodied (at 44-per-cent alcohol) and complex enough to enjoy at room temperature, though it's much better in an ice-cold dry martini. We're talking classic, assertive gin flavour here, led by a wallop of juniper followed by a complex and nuanced mid-palate, finishing with a peppery kick.
Read on at the
Globe and Mail.
Oh, and the Citadelle Website claims Citadelle makes the best gin & tonic in the world. That's a tall order - we hope they can back it up.
September 21, 2006
We've been hearing more and more lately that gin is making a comeback on the lips of discerning martini drinkers who are sick of vodka getting all the good press. One up and coming contender in the growing gin market is Bluecoat, an American gin that doesn't even try for all that London Dry BS.
In fact, they're swathing themselves in Revolutionary American terms to discern themselves, taking their name from people who fought the Londoners in that war way back when:
Its claim to fame - besides its Philadelphia (rather than London) pedigree - is that its botanicals are organically sourced and that, while the flavors of premium gins tend to emphasize the crisp juniper end of the spectrum, Bluecoat moves toward the kinder, gentler citrus end. In that pursuit, a sweet orange peel is in the recipe, rather than the traditional bitter orange or rind of lemon.
Bluecoat is so named to associate it with the home-grown colonists who battled the redcoats hereabouts. It comes in a square, cobalt-blue bottle ($25 a fifth) and, I'm assured, is craft-distilled in the only legally operating pot still in Pennsylvania, a rotund, onion-shaped copper rig tucked in an anonymous warehouse behind the National Guard Armory on the far-northeastern reaches of Roosevelt Boulevard.
via
Philly.com
What do you think is next, Brown Coat gin? Anyway, check them out at BluecoatGin.com, and we're definitely going to have to get our hands on a sample bottle.
G'Vine Gin Arrives for Review
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