New Generation Gins

[cdh]

What is it that you recall disliking about gin?  Is it bitterness? a particular flavor?

 

American market gins aren't something to drink straight, so you need to pick your cocktail, and then figure out the gin to try in it. 

 

I'm a fan of the Pegu Club family of drinks...  gin, something sweet fruity and syrupy, some bitters and some citrus juice.  I find that something with as muted a flavor profile as Bombay  Sapphire doesn't work there... but a really christmas-tree-flavored gin like Beefeater plays very well.  Your mileage may vary, of course.

[KD1191]

I don't think of Ransom Old Tom gin as particularly juniper forward.

 

That's what I was thinking. I'm also quite partial to Leopold Bros., which is far from juniper-heavy.

[brinza]

Some might think that Bombay Sapphire is over-hyped or over-rated, but it really is a delicious, low-juniper gin.  They were one of the first (if not the first) to come out with a gin like that, and IMHO they really did achieve something special.  It's got a wonderful mix of botanicals and a level of juniper that does not overwhelm a drinker who is not braced for an intense gin.  Plus it's got a higher ABV than their dry gin and even though the flavor is subtle, it is not weak.  It can easily be enjoyed straight (which I sometimes do).  Definitely not a G&T gin, though.

[EvergreenDan]

Ransom's botanicals are challenging, at least to me. I like it, but it's not "easy."

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I acquired my first liter of Malacca tonight, and is my custom with any new spirit, I just had a glass.  Very nice!  Not at all what I was expecting based on my remembrance of gin past.  The Malacca is very smooth and low proof, even on an empty stomach.  The scent and taste are mildly floral.

 

If there is juniper in there it may take another glass or three to find it.

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:William_Hogarth_-_Gin_Lane.jpg

[lesliec]

Welcome to the gin world, Jo.  I rather suspect Malacca is a slightly different beast to what Hogarth had in mind.

 

Malacca isn't available in shops here, but my favourite bar has a bottle they got from a customer back from a trip.  To my taste it's a very gentle gin; the drinks I've been enjoying it in are Perfect Martinis, which I recommend (try 50ml gin/10ml dry vermouth/10ml sweet vermouth), but I think it would also go rather nicely in a Gin Old Fashioned.

 

I suspect it wouldn't handle something assertive like a Negroni very well, but others who have done the experiment may disagree.  This is not to say you shouldn't try a Negroni - everybody should - but I'd use a gin with a bit more flavour.  Our local Lighthouse works nicely, but good luck finding that.  Bombay should be fine.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

My computer was down for a couple terrifying hours.  I made what was supposed to have been an Allen:

 

http://forums.egullet.org/topic/88883-stomping-through-the-savoy-20062007/?p=1255267

 

 

It turns out what I put together was rather different but still nice:

 

2 oz Malacca

3/4 oz Maraschino

3/4 oz lemon juice

 

 

I can't say I taste the gin, I can't say I taste the alcohol.  There is a however a pleasantly complex sweet almond note, and the drink is most refreshing.

 

If I can get my body out of bed in time before work I'll try to check the store for another style of gin.  I have to say though that I like the Malacca a lot, at least when I drink it neat.

 

Thanks for everybody's help!  This experiment has been a success.  (Wish I could say the same about the computer.)

[choux]

Has anyone tried some of the barrel aged gins that are out there? I'm wondering what it adds to the gin, and how would you use it?

[Yojimbo]

Has anyone tried some of the barrel aged gins that are out there? I'm wondering what it adds to the gin, and how would you use it?

This should probably become a separate thread, because it's rapidly becoming a category of its own. 

 

I tried NY Distilling Co.'s Chief Gowanus neat and in a cocktail:  to me it's like a less in-your-face version of Anchor Steam's Genevieve.  My best recollection is that it's smooth, somewhat malty, spicy, but with less paint thinner elements. 

 

I heard good things about Smooth Ambler in general, and their Barrel Aged Gin in particular, and got a chance to try it and buy a bottle recently.  In the store, the bouquet was just awesome:  heady juniper and spice notes jumping out of the glass.  It's even closer to a whiskey in profile than the Chief Gowanus, both in the way the rye base came through, and the heavier oak flavors from the barrel. 

 

Neither has taken the place of my beloved Ransom Old Tom, which, even though it's technically a different animal, arguably helped jump start the whole aged gin movement.

 

Mixing with aged gins is something I find a bit tricky, since they don't fit easily with the standard London Dry pairings, but need tweaking to sub for brown spirits-based recipes.  I'd love to hear of any experiments done by others, and will probably continue conducting my own tonight.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Perhaps not a new generation gin, but a new gin for me:  I brought home a bottle Bombay Dry to compare with my Malacca.  Having a glass of it earlier I did not find the Bombay as smooth as the Malacca.  With the Malacca I felt I could enjoy glass after glass, which I did not with the Bombay.  I could taste the pine notes though.  And I might have enjoyed the Bombay more if it were cold.

 

The funny thing is I had reason to bring out my Shop Vac earlier this evening, as mentioned in another spirits thread.  I use pine oil in my Shop Vac as an odorant and disinfectant.  Not cheap stuff, mind you, lovely real organic pine oil.  The Shop Vac smelled just like the Bombay Dry.

[Hassouni]

Bombay Dry is a pretty typical London dry gin. If you recall not liking gin in times past, the chances are high that the gin you had was also London dry - that's all that was available in the US for most of living memory until the most recent cocktail renaissance.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I don't find Bombay vile or anything.  I'd say it is OK.  I don't mind the pine oil at all.  Just that compared to the Malacca the Bombay is a bit rough.

 

If folks could help me find recipes to use up the Bombay, I would appreciate it.

[Hassouni]

Pretty much any recipe calling for London dry should do

[Chris Hennes]

Have any of you tried the G'Vine Nouaison? I love gin to begin with, in all its variety, but this stuff is fantastic, in my opinion. As usual for me the descriptions note laundry lists of botanicals that my palate can't effectively discern, but the overall effect was remarkable both straight and in a martini (5:1 Noilly Prat, no bitters). 

[nickrey]

Jo, the Bombay Gins have the dry as well as the Sapphire. I tend to prefer the non-dry sapphire as it tends to have a slightly longer finish.

 

Chris, the Nouaison is more dry than the floral Floraison that we've talked about above. It uses: nutmeg, cubeb berries, ginger roots, liquorice, lime, juniper berries, coriander, cassia bark and green grape flower and from reading reviews probably has more juniper forward than the floraison. It would be good to compare the two to see what the differences are.

[Kerry Beal]

Think we can find some grape blossoms to try to copy this?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Jo, the Bombay Gins have the dry as well as the Sapphire. I tend to prefer the non-dry sapphire as it tends to have a slightly longer finish.

 

The reason I bought Bombay Dry rather than Bombay Sapphire is that I thought, rightly or wrongly, Sapphire would be closer to Malacca (which I really like) and I wanted to try a different style of gin.

[Adam George]

Neither are anything like Malacca.  Try Hayman's Old Tom

[JoNorvelleWalker]

We may be misunderstanding each other.  I like Malacca very much but was looking for a different style of gin to try.  Spliflicator, as I recall, says Old Tom is similar to Malacca.

[Adam George]

Misread you;  sorry.

 

 

I prefer Dry to Sapphire, for what it's worth, but like Sapphire just fine at the 47% you lot get it at.

[FrogPrincesse]

A Pink Gin with Williams Chase Elegant gin. Very interesting; it is distilled from apples and you can absolutely taste it. It was very enjoyable in this drink.

 

 

[Craig E]

10 minutes ago, FrogPrincesse said:

A Pink Gin with Williams Chase Elegant gin. Very interesting; it is distilled from apples and you can absolutely taste it. It was very enjoyable in this drink.

 

How much bitters do you use in your Pink Gin?

[FrogPrincesse]

Just now, Craig E said:

 

How much bitters do you use in your Pink Gin?

Just a few dashes.

[brinza]

22 hours ago, FrogPrincesse said:

A Pink Gin with Williams Chase Elegant gin. Very interesting; it is distilled from apples and you can absolutely taste it. It was very enjoyable in this drink.

 

Interesting.  A friend recently brought me a bottle of Karner Blue gin from New Hampshire, which is also made from apples.  Yes, there is a decidedly different taste.  I'll have to give it a whirl in a Pink Gin.

Edited December 1, 2016 by brinza (log)

[brinza]

For Pink Gin, I usually follow Ted Haigh's recommendation of "six goodly dashes" of bitters.  It sounds like a lot, but try it!