Toast Tuesday: Gin

I’m going to tell you honestly, I really didn’t read this chapter in the book. I just looked in my liquor closet and followed my tastebuds. I have three gins and a genever in my collection.

When New Deal began making gin, I was certain I didn’t like gin. What I soon realized was I hadn’t had any good gins. I’d only had old school gins that tasted only of rubbing alcohol and juniper. New gins were a beautiful balance of flavors and different notes that just juniper.

When New Deal was experimenting with the gins, we’d pour them in the tasting room to get people’s feedback. We made two gins; one of the gins is a little more traditional, and the other something very unique and herbaceous, that really took folks by surprise.  I fell in love with Gin No, 1, the weird kid.  Before I moved I stocked up on #1. It has a soft green hue and is quite versatile.  It is great for a martini, in a Bloody Mary, or with savory elements.  I know the thing you are scratching your head about there is the Bloody Mary, but a good bloody has layers of spice, and so does No. 1.

Another gin that is great in a bloody is the barrel aged Abernathy Gin from Tenn South Distillery.  This is made in the New American style where juniper is not the only flavor element.  This has a soft hints of floral and citrus.  I knew at first sip this was going home with me.

The other thing I drank this week was Bols Genever. Genever is the precursor to the gin we know now, first made by the Dutch. It’s very malty, both on the nose and the pallet. You can make an interesting Old Fashioned with it. What I did was the Improved Gin Cocktail and followed cocktail historian David Wondrich’s tasting notes and mixed it with maraschino liqueur and bitters.  The maltiness came through and made a delicious little cocktail.

I also made a cocktail called the Jasmine, that I found I had saved in my drinks file a couple years ago and again last week.  Clearly if I’ve saved it twice, it was time to make it.  I used Martin Miller’s Gin.  This is my favorite commercial gin a soft juniper flavor and citrus flavor.

This week I am hosting my ladies group for my Happy Hour at home. I’ve really struggled with what to serve this week. I want to make classic cocktails that are intended to be savored and sipped. Most of these ladies want koolaid that can be sucked down in a flash. So as a compromise for myself, I’m making one classic cocktail, one simple cocktail, and one fluffy, but interesting, cocktail.  oh the decisions…

Be sure to see what Meg drank this week.  I’ll keep you posted on how the ladies fare with the gin.

Here’s to another great Tuesday and drinking adventurously!