Yet Another Cycling Forum

Off Topic => The Pub => Food & Drink => Topic started by: Kathy on 31 July, 2009, 12:13:37 pm

Title: Gin!
Post by: Kathy on 31 July, 2009, 12:13:37 pm
For those of you who haven't been following it, there has been a pleasant debate in the Telegraph about how to make the perfect gin and tonic. Now, it's not been going on as long as the "dry martini" debate some years ago, nor has it produced a letter of the quality "SIR - if ever one is lost in a jungle, take a warmed tumbler, and pour in equal quantities of vodka and vermouth. Immediately half a dozen people will appear and shriek "that's no way to make a dry martini!" and one will be rescued." (paraphrasing from memory here), but I quite like two of today's efforts (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/letters/5941385/David-Cameron-has-failed-to-articulate-a-fundamental-Conservative-philosophy.html):

Quote
SIR – The attraction lies not in lemon or lime, or angostura in or out, but in its being served by an attentive husband with expertise born of long experience.

Father’s ruin is Mother’s comfort.

Margaret Taylor
London NW5

SIR – I have tried the recommendashuns of your readersh an conclude that drinking gin strait from the boottle is the only shensible way. An leave me alone. I’m tyred out now. Go away....

Mervyn Woodward
Teignmouth, Devon

 ;D
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: RJ on 31 July, 2009, 01:20:55 pm
Shplendid!  ;)
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: epa611 on 31 July, 2009, 01:51:51 pm
As long as it's Hendricks Gin (http://www.hendricksgin.com/uk/about/index.asp)  :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: her_welshness on 31 July, 2009, 01:54:10 pm
Na - it has to be Bombay Sapphire  :-* Hoh yessh.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Jurek on 31 July, 2009, 01:58:44 pm
A capful on your early morning grapefruit, perhapsh?  :)
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Andrij on 31 July, 2009, 02:55:08 pm
A capful on your early morning grapefruit, perhapsh?  :)

Don't you mean "a rack-bag full for the DunRun"?   O:-)
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 05 August, 2016, 07:47:19 pm
Thought it was time we had a gin thread - didn't realise there was one already, nor that it was so old. So I thought possibly Ian & I could trade gin noms on here, plus anyone else who cares to :D

So, y'day I had 2 new gins, Isle of Harris, which was OK but nothing special I thought.
The 2nd was Electric Spirit Co. Achroous, made in Edinburgh. This one I really liked, very prominent juniper to start, with a licorice finish. If you like your gin very ginny like me, it's a winner.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: IanDG on 05 August, 2016, 07:50:26 pm
Thought it was time we had a gin thread - didn't realise there was one already, nor that it was so old. So I thought possibly Ian & I could trade gin noms on here, plus anyone else who cares to :D

So, y'day I had 2 new gins, Isle of Harris, which was OK but nothing special I thought.
The 2nd was Electric Spirit Co. Achroous, made in Edinburgh. This one I really liked, very prominent juniper to start, with a licorice finish. If you like your gin very ginny like me, it's a winner.

Just something to chuck out and make some money whilst the whisky matures ;)
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 05 August, 2016, 08:30:55 pm
We saw some of this at the offie in Belgium, Asparagus gin. I wasn't tempted to buy a bottle.
http://www.spiritsbydesign.com/meyersginM2
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Jaded on 05 August, 2016, 08:57:09 pm
There is only one Gin.

Ubeda Gin.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Jurek on 05 August, 2016, 09:08:46 pm
I think Ian (otp) may possibly be on holibobs at the moment.
Any discussion involving gin, would probably be lightweight / incomplete without his input.
Where  gin is involved, I believe he has form.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Jurek on 05 August, 2016, 09:09:30 pm
We saw some of this at the offie in Belgium, Asparagus gin. I wasn't tempted to buy a bottle.
http://www.spiritsbydesign.com/meyersginM2
AAK!  :sick:
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 05 August, 2016, 09:17:25 pm
I think Ian (otp) may possibly be on holibobs at the moment.
Any discussion involving gin, would probably be lightweight / incomplete without his input.
Where  gin is involved, I believe he has form.


It's not going anywhere :)
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Basil on 05 August, 2016, 09:29:37 pm
I have posted this before somewhere.

http://www.damhile.co.uk/shop/seaweed

It was, erm, interesting.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Gattopardo on 07 August, 2016, 01:58:50 am
Want tot make my own gin.  In a bath tub ;)
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mr Larrington on 07 August, 2016, 03:00:53 am
Want tot make my own gin.  In a bath tub ;)

Just buy USAnian gin.  You'll be less likely to be arrested and/or blown up.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Kathy on 07 August, 2016, 02:35:26 pm
I have posted this before somewhere.

http://www.damhile.co.uk/shop/seaweed

It was, erm, interesting.

This makes an amazing dry martini - one of my favourites. A measure of seaweed gin, a drip of dry vermouth (make sure it's fresh! The low alcohol content makes vermouth go off a few months after opening), stir over ice, and strain into a martini glass.

I imagine it would make bloody awful gin and tonic though. Nearly as bad as saffron gin (http://www.boudier.com/en/gamme/gin/) (which makes a wonderful sweet martini, if you use martini rosso).
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Basil on 08 August, 2016, 08:31:36 am
Ooh  interesting.   I might try that.  Thanks Kathy.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Oscar's dad on 08 August, 2016, 09:56:41 am
As my mid-Essex yacf riding chums will attest I do like a G&T but given I have a particularly undiscerning palate until recently I always chose the least expensive gin available given all gins, as far as I was concerned, just tasted like gin!

However, last December we were in a nice hotel whose barman knew his gin and introduced me to Sipsmith's - yum, yum yummy! (hic)  This chap also gently poured the tonic down the twisted stem of a long spoon which made the tonic less fizzy so you could taste the gin betterer.  Clever bloke, little wonder one of the female colleagues I was with that evening took him to bed and shagged him silly  ;D
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ElyDave on 08 August, 2016, 12:06:39 pm
bought my sister a bottle of Norfolk Gin for her birthday, haven't tasted it but the sampler in the shop smelt superb, light and florally, not over junipered.

I'm out of stock of Tanqueray at the moment, but have a trip to Stockholm this week.  I'll have to do with Plymouth gin for my martinis for now.

As for G&T, OK if you replace the T with soda water and lime
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Torslanda on 08 August, 2016, 02:21:34 pm
Watching this with interest. My fave is Bombay Sapphire but I have to say that my wooden palate appreciates pretty much any gin in a G&T. There must be: gin (obvs), fizzy tonic (full fat not ersatz/unleaded), lots of ice, lemon or preferably lime wedges.

I have dedicated many evenings with my best mate to discovering what makes the most acceptable G&T. Usually we move on to absinthe and forget about how to walk it...
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ElyDave on 08 August, 2016, 02:33:10 pm
Watching this with interest. My fave is Bombay Sapphire but I have to say that my wooden palate appreciates pretty much any gin in a G&T. There must be: gin (obvs), fizzy tonic (full fat not ersatz/unleaded), lots of ice, lemon or preferably lime wedges.

I have dedicated many evenings with my best mate to discovering what makes the most acceptable G&T. Usually we move on to absinthe and forget about how to walk it...

When experimenting with cocktails, I found that gin and Absinthe go reasonably well together.  Still working on the rest of it.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: trekker12 on 08 August, 2016, 02:46:50 pm
I tend to drink beer in pubs but there is a pub in Woodbridge, Suffolk with 200+ different gins and they are very keen for you to avoid buying the usual Gordons etc. I had an American one in there earlier this year which I recall being nice but I'm not sure I can really tell a significant difference between different gins - particularly once mixed with tonic.

There is however, a worrying trend to improve G&T with Fever Tree tonic water (other overpriced brands may be available) which I also think is quite nice but I really can't justify the £6+ I recently paid for Mrs Trekkers G&(F)T just for some over-marketed fizzy water.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Kathy on 08 August, 2016, 04:32:31 pm
Some gins (I'm thinking particularly of Durham gin, which has a strong aroma of pepper) mix very well with rose lemonade, if you fancy a change.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Oscar's dad on 08 August, 2016, 06:27:17 pm
Watching this with interest. My fave is Bombay Sapphire but I have to say that my wooden palate appreciates pretty much any gin in a G&T ...

Exactly, which was why Sipsmiths was such a revelation! 
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 08 August, 2016, 07:51:28 pm
When I first started travelling with work and getting a regular supply of duty free gin consisted of Gordon's or Bombay Sapphire.
After I built up a small collection (ha!) we had a taste test of those 2 plus Tanqueray. I came to the conclusion that with tonic I couldn't tell the difference between them,  and neat they were all equally vile!

Nowadays being a bit more of a connoisseur I know that there are some craft gins which you can tell the difference between, and even some that aren't disgusting neat.

I don't like Fever Tree, I think it tastes more like lemonade than tonic. My thoughts are that it was invented to get people into gin who don't like tonic (which admittedly is an acquired taste).
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 08 August, 2016, 08:19:02 pm
Yes, I'm back (the bottle of Greenhook Ginsmith's Old Tom (https://greenhookgin.com/) survived the trip in my hold luggage). I could have bought a lot more.

I strongly dislike Fevertree tonic. It's a bit insipid and underpowered with little quinine punch. Schweppes, ftw.

I think Bombay Sapphire is one of my least favourite gins, an entirely pointless concoction. If you want cheaper gin, go for Beefeater, which makes a perfectly reasonable G&T and is far better than Bombay.

It's worth tasting gin neat or as a martini, many don't benefit from tonic – and generally you'll get a feel for the differences in tastes. Hendricks works as a gateway gin, it lacks subtlety, but with cucumber is an introduction to the fact that all gins don't have to taste like what you think.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: rr on 09 August, 2016, 01:24:31 pm
They make gin in Witham
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 09 August, 2016, 02:07:24 pm
I've gone off tonic with gin, much prefer one of the belvoir cordials (currently rose & elderflower) with fizzy water in my gin.

That's drinking cheap gin, just tescos london or similar.

If I have decent gin, then I drink it neat.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Oscar's dad on 09 August, 2016, 03:55:30 pm
They make gin in Witham

They do and their gin just tastes like gin as far as I'm concerned. Me and my rubbish palette.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Torslanda on 09 August, 2016, 06:58:13 pm

When experimenting with cocktails, I found that gin and Absinthe go reasonably well together.  Still working on the rest of it.

Reminds me of Prof. Keith Simpson's biography. He mentions that the barman at his favourite watering hole came up with a cocktail for him and his associates. Being wartime London, stuff was in short supply, so the barman improvised and called the drink 'ARP', which he said was a combination of absinthe, rum and paregoric (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paregoric)!  :o

There you go Basil, another use for it!
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 09 August, 2016, 06:59:05 pm
People over-tonic gin, it should – at most – be one part gin to two parts tonic (and don't go crazy with the ice, if you want to consume it slowly do like the Spanish do, and use big ice balls that will only melt slowly). For a good gin, a dash of tonic to taste. As for fruit and veg, lime is generic but doesn't suit all gins. You can throw in everything from slices of strawberry to cinnamon sticks. The trick is to complement and not overpower the gin. Taste a little neat beforehand and then experiment. There's no right or wrong.

Like most things, unless you've experimented with a few gins and gone a little off piste, you won't tell them apart, especially generic ones. I heartily recommend the Hendricks and cucumber G&T. Or try a Gin Mare either as a martini or G&T, but swap out the lime for olive and rosemary.

My favourite gin at the moment is Silent Pool – I'm not sure if it's just local sourcing for those of us in the jungles of Surrey but I noticed it's popped up on the shelves of our local Waitrose. Run now, it's on special offer at £33.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ElyDave on 09 August, 2016, 09:22:19 pm
Enjoying a gimlet this evening, with Plymouth gin
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mr Larrington on 10 August, 2016, 01:36:10 am
The pubbe wot I sometimes go to when visiting Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.) has a separate Gin Menu; Silent Pool is top of the list probably because the bathtub ginnery is inly six miles away.  They also recommend Fever Tree tonic.  I cannot comment further as even before stopping drinking I didn't drink gin.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Basil on 10 August, 2016, 01:27:02 pm
Never had a dry martini  in my life.
O.k.   Recommend me a dry vermouth.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: mike on 10 August, 2016, 04:10:17 pm
i survived the local gin festival last month (yes, it's a thing) with some mates who were much more into it than me, and after some intensive research agree that 50/50 gin/tonic is perfect, that some gins are revolting (especially coconut flavoured gin) but some are truely lovely. 

Since then I've been quite enjoying an occasional Pink Pepper gin with a slice of grapefruit and a dash of tonic.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 10 August, 2016, 07:27:57 pm
I enjoyed the gin festival last year, allowed me to finesse my favourite gins list without having to buy a whole bottle. Bobby's was my faves discovery there, with Ampleforth's Sloe gin.

It's holiday time, and I have a nice Kirsty's Gin (Arbikie) which is made near Arbroath from potatoes.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 11 August, 2016, 08:37:06 am
I enjoyed the gin festival last year, allowed me to finesse my favourite gins list without having to buy a whole bottle. Bobby's was my faves discovery there, with Ampleforth's Sloe gin.

It's holiday time, and I have a nice Kirsty's Gin (Arbikie) which is made near Arbroath from potatoes.

I'm off to a gin festival thing in a couple of weeks (need to soften up my liver at some craft beer festival at the weekend).

Potato-based gins are quite nice, they tend to be a more oily (turn a bit murky in tonic). I don't have the one you mention, but we have a couple of Bavarian (might be Austrian) ones that potato-spirit based and they've very good.

i survived the local gin festival last month (yes, it's a thing) with some mates who were much more into it than me, and after some intensive research agree that 50/50 gin/tonic is perfect, that some gins are revolting (especially coconut flavoured gin) but some are truely lovely. 

Since then I've been quite enjoying an occasional Pink Pepper gin with a slice of grapefruit and a dash of tonic.

Yeah, after-flavoured gins are generally horrid and to be avoided. It's not vodka. That said, something like Warner Edward's Rhubarb and Elderflower gins are great as they're flavoured during distillation.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 11 August, 2016, 03:31:43 pm
Eden Mill Hop Gin is teh aces though :P
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: citoyen on 11 August, 2016, 03:55:49 pm
I bought my dad a bottle of Maidstone Gin (http://www.maidendistillery.co.uk/distillery-products.htm) for his birthday. No idea if it's any good or not, but we lived in Maidstone until I was 14 and he's a gin drinker, so it seemed appropriate.

Haven't drunk any spirits for a while myself and I'm far from being an aficionado, but I do like a good Dry Martini or a G&T when the occasion suits. Have to agree with Ian that you need to keep the tonic down, though even 2:1 tonic to gin sounds fairly dilute to me. My dad has always liked a dash of Angostura bitters in his G&T, though I understand a true Pink Gin is made without the tonic and is more like a Dry Martini with Angostura instead of Vermouth.

I got the Maidstone Gin at the deli/cafe where my son works, but I noticed when I was in the local off licence the other day that they stock a fairly wide range of gins, including Maidstone. I shall have to try some of them some day.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 14 August, 2016, 05:24:50 pm
Bought some of this on our way down to Hull on Thursday:
(https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8646/28294024044_ca7f0df80c_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/K7fgAL)New gin (https://flic.kr/p/K7fgAL) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr

Poetic license [sic] which appears to be made in Sunderland. Will give it a bash after the hollybobs.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: pcolbeck on 28 August, 2016, 11:27:53 am
Went for a meal in the pub in the next village and they were having a gin festival with 30 different gins to try.
I tried Spitfire and Silent Pool.
Didn't really care for Spitfire, too much juniper I think. Silent Pool on the other hand was glorious with tonic and orange rind as suggested by the bar staff.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 31 August, 2016, 08:53:04 pm
I did go a gin festival at the weekend. A nice selection of gins but it hadn't much changed since the last time I went. A bit disappointing. Not so much the selection, there were a couple of hundred to choose from, but the method of serving. Firstly, you can't do anything useful with 25 cl of gin. I don't know who thought that 25 cl was a measure of anything, because it certainly isn't. Secondly, the miniscule amount of gin is slopped over melting ice. And thirdly, horror of horrors, the worst, most insipidly untonic ever, Fever Tree, is provided. The result is a homeopathic gin and tonic.

I'd much rather taste the gin – it's a waste serving good gin like that. We went to a fab gin tasting in the Canary Islands where you got neat tasters and proper G&Ts done Spanish style. Much better.

I quite like Poetic Licence (I think they do a few different varieties). I'm still raving about Silent Pool, I should work on commission, but everyone I'd forced to drink it has agreed that it's rather lovely. I'd have one now, but it's a school night and I was out late carousing yesterday evening, and I've got dates with pubs tomorrow and Friday. I'm not doing my school nights very well.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 31 August, 2016, 09:08:50 pm
If it's the same brand of gin festival we went to last year the one good thing was that you got to add your own tonic so at least it wasn't drowned,  but it was still crappy Fever Tree lemonade...
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mr Larrington on 03 September, 2016, 01:41:57 am
I passed through Landergin this afternoon but as I was doing 60 mph and it consists of a T-junction and two grain silos I didn't bother to take a picture.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ElyDave on 03 September, 2016, 02:42:26 pm
I almost bought a botttle of silent pool the other weekend, but opted for Martin Miller's instead which is very nice, subtle, rather than a slap in the chops with a bunch of juniper twigs.  Takes a bit of cucumber well as well.

Also picked up a litre of Caorun at Aberdeen airport, I like that one a bit too much.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 15 September, 2016, 10:13:44 pm
Graveney Gin from Tooting, rather nice actually. Plus you get the bonus of saying Tooting. Acquired the other day from the deli in Abbey Mills. I may have stopped off for a cheeky pint at the Merton Apprentice. Another reason to curse the close of summer and encroaching dark evenings. I also seem to have acquired a large bottle of Kernel Damson London Sour beer. There's probably a reason I keep breaking rear axles. I call this urban foraging.

Also Sibling Gin, acquired in Chipping Sodbury (I didn't cycle all the way there). Made by terribly posh (but nice, I met them) people. A bit too heavy on the vanilla for my preference. Her Ladyship of the Immaculate Taste is in Madrid this week so I'm expecting her to return with gifts of the juniper-flavoured variety.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Jurek on 15 September, 2016, 10:24:38 pm
Graveney Gin from Tooting, rather nice actually. Plus you get the bonus of saying Tooting. Acquired the other day from the deli in Abbey Mills. I may have stopped off for a cheeky pint at the Merton Apprentice. Another reason to curse the close of summer and encroaching dark evenings. I also seem to have acquired a large bottle of Kernel Damson London Sour beer. There's probably a reason I keep breaking rear axles. I call this urban foraging.

Also Sibling Gin, acquired in Chipping Sodbury (I didn't cycle all the way there). Made by terribly posh (but nice, I met them) people. A bit too heavy on the vanilla for my preference. Her Ladyship of the Immaculate Taste is in Madrid this week so I'm expecting her to return with gifts of the juniper-flavoured variety.
Tooting does, after everything it has been through, deserve  has earned its own gin.
It couldn't have happened sooner.
I must sample some.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 16 September, 2016, 06:26:21 pm
We have the hot off the press Esker gin, made outside Aberdeen on Deeside. And also Brecon botanical.  Both OK,  nothing to rave about.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Pingu on 29 September, 2016, 09:09:51 am
Also picked up a litre of Caorun at Aberdeen airport, I like that one a bit too much.

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/ng-interactive/2016/sep/28/small-batch-gin-production-a-photo-essay
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: citoyen on 03 October, 2016, 07:03:43 pm
So, aficionados, if you were buying someone a bottle of gin as a gift for a known gin-drinker but didn't know what style of gin they preferred, what would you go for?

Based on comments upthread, Silent Pool is looking like a good bet but will happily take any other recommendations.

(This is for my brother - it's his birthday this week. Apparently, he is putting together a 'gin bar' which I will be able to partake of at our family Christmas gathering at his place, so whatever I get him, I will be obliged to sample myself, so make sure you recommend me a good one.)
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 03 October, 2016, 07:39:30 pm
Well, wars may one day be fought over gin preferences, but provided it's not the insipidly pointless Gordons or the overdone Bombay, it's a good start. Silent Pool as mentioned (and it's a nice bottle). There's loads of local produced gins now (the offy in Sevenoaks, I noticed the other week, had no fewer than three) – they're not always fantastic, but hey, they have terrior value.

Hendricks, while mostly ubiquitous these days, is a good slightly off-piste gin. You probably can't go wrong with Monkey 47, Filliers 28 (no, I don't know what it is with the numbers), Ableforth's Bathtub (or Old Tom) Gin, or Warner Edwards. You can splurge on something like Oxley. There's very few bad gins and after a few you're naturally inclined toward generosity.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Oscar's dad on 04 October, 2016, 11:52:02 am
Sipsmiths.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: pcolbeck on 05 October, 2016, 08:33:35 am
Never had a dry martini  in my life.
O.k.   Recommend me a dry vermouth.

Noilly Prat - makes a very nice dry martini.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Basil on 05 October, 2016, 08:51:00 am
Never had a dry martini  in my life.
O.k.   Recommend me a dry vermouth.

Noilly Prat - makes a very nice dry martini.

That is indeed what I bought.   :thumbsup:

Wasn't that keen on the result though.  I probably needed to use a better gin.  I shall re-trawl this thread for ideas.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 05 October, 2016, 09:09:55 am
I prefer Lillet to Noilly, it's a bit lighter and more aromatic (to my nose and taste, anyway).
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: andrewc on 05 October, 2016, 10:17:47 pm
A good friend has offered to give me a lift to the airport at 3 in the morning!   In gratitude I have bought him a bottle of Rock Rose gin from Dunnet Head.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ElyDave on 07 October, 2016, 09:28:51 pm
So, aficionados, if you were buying someone a bottle of gin as a gift for a known gin-drinker but didn't know what style of gin they preferred, what would you go for?

Based on comments upthread, Silent Pool is looking like a good bet but will happily take any other recommendations.

(This is for my brother - it's his birthday this week. Apparently, he is putting together a 'gin bar' which I will be able to partake of at our family Christmas gathering at his place, so whatever I get him, I will be obliged to sample myself, so make sure you recommend me a good one.)

Norfolk Gin, but I don't think it spreads very far, smelt great.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 07 October, 2016, 09:36:35 pm
Well, wars may one day be fought over gin preferences, but provided it's not the insipidly pointless Gordons or the overdone Bombay, it's a good start. Silent Pool as mentioned (and it's a nice bottle). There's loads of local produced gins now (the offy in Sevenoaks, I noticed the other week, had no fewer than three) – they're not always fantastic, but hey, they have terrior value.

Hendricks, while mostly ubiquitous these days, is a good slightly off-piste gin. You probably can't go wrong with Monkey 47, Filliers 28 (no, I don't know what it is with the numbers), Ableforth's Bathtub (or Old Tom) Gin, or Warner Edwards. You can splurge on something like Oxley. There's very few bad gins and after a few you're naturally inclined toward generosity.

While I would agree with most of what I've had off ian's list,  I just don't see the excitement in Hendricks...
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 07 October, 2016, 10:34:52 pm
Well, wars may one day be fought over gin preferences, but provided it's not the insipidly pointless Gordons or the overdone Bombay, it's a good start. Silent Pool as mentioned (and it's a nice bottle). There's loads of local produced gins now (the offy in Sevenoaks, I noticed the other week, had no fewer than three) – they're not always fantastic, but hey, they have terrior value.

Hendricks, while mostly ubiquitous these days, is a good slightly off-piste gin. You probably can't go wrong with Monkey 47, Filliers 28 (no, I don't know what it is with the numbers), Ableforth's Bathtub (or Old Tom) Gin, or Warner Edwards. You can splurge on something like Oxley. There's very few bad gins and after a few you're naturally inclined toward generosity.

While I would agree with most of what I've had off ian's list,  I just don't see the excitement in Hendricks...

It's not exciting per se, it's just a small step up from Gordon's and Bombay Sapphire. A gateway gin, in other words.

As I'm just home after a long day Thought Leading and my wife is in parts foreign and sending me pictures of her half drunk Hello My Name is Ingrid cloudberry double IPA, I think I've earned the keys to the gin cupboards. Figuratively speaking, there's no actual lock because cats don't drink gin.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 07 October, 2016, 10:38:29 pm
I do like a Hello My Name Is Ingrid. However,  Mette Marit is my absolute fave.

So, it's the weekend - how come you didn't get a partners pass?
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 07 October, 2016, 10:50:38 pm
She, alas, is working. Well, not at this very moment evidently. Our complex orrery of travel schedules mostly forbids us being in the same place at the same time. Plus someone needs to feed the cats and curate the gin and beer collection. I've told her she can join me in Kinshasa. She pulls that face. Oh, it'll be fun.

Reminds, me I still have an entire (plastic) litre bottle of Ugandan gin. That's, erm, a bracing concoction.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ElyDave on 08 October, 2016, 12:53:55 pm
It can't be as bad as the plastic bottle of cashew nut liquor that my father in law gave me on his return from a trip to India.  That stuff would have made a very effective degreaser. 

I think I "accidentally" left it somewhere one Christmas.

Martin Miller's is on offer in Waitrose at the moment.  A nice everyday gin
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: citoyen on 08 October, 2016, 03:36:10 pm
Based on comments upthread, Silent Pool is looking like a good bet but will happily take any other recommendations.

I went for Silent Pool in the end - partly because, as ian says, it comes in a very attractive bottle. Besides which, I know that Sipsmiths and Hendricks are well regarded but he's more likely to have those in his gin cupboard already.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 08 October, 2016, 08:11:49 pm
Actually the Ugandan Waragi Gin isn't that bad for something that comes in a plastic bottle (you can buy it in glass, or even better, a plastic pouch, ideal for an intravenous drip). I tried some* and it's actually not harsh at all though could use a bit more flavour.

I think the only other gin I have in a plastic bottle is some Larios (which also isn't so bad). I quite like booze in plastic bottles. I'm that sort of semi-domesticated déclassé guy.

*I confess the only times I've drunk it before are in Uganda and at the street parties we used to have the last place we lived (our neighbour a couple of houses removed hailed from Uganda, she bought me the bottle in the cupboard).
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Torslanda on 08 October, 2016, 08:23:55 pm
I prefer Lillet to Noilly, it's a bit lighter and more aromatic (to my nose and taste, anyway).

Talking of which, has anyone tried a 'Vesper'?

If so, how much did it cost and what voluntary organisations exist to help you rehabilitate afterwards...?
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 08 October, 2016, 08:36:44 pm
I prefer Lillet to Noilly, it's a bit lighter and more aromatic (to my nose and taste, anyway).

Talking of which, has anyone tried a 'Vesper'?

If so, how much did it cost and what voluntary organisations exist to help you rehabilitate afterwards...?

Thank you for resolving tonight's drinking conundrum. I have one in front of me. I didn't have any quinine powder (as advised by the internet, apparently Lillet doesn't have quinine any more) so I bunged a dash of angostura bitters in it. Well, if I was going for authenticity, I'd get some to try and kill me while he carefully lays out his plan for world domination.

Reminds me, I still need a shark tank.

(I did have one in the Whispering Shop once – yeah, yeah, grow me a big fucking Shoreditch beard – £11 if I recall).
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Torslanda on 08 October, 2016, 08:39:37 pm
You're welcome!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 08 October, 2016, 08:42:11 pm
It's certainly enlivening my sinuses. I probably should have used a gin and vodka with ABVs below 47%.

I wouldn't drink six of them.

ETA: my wife appears to be in a bar called 'Bastard'. I hate to think what she's drinking.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Kathy on 11 October, 2016, 06:08:03 pm
I prefer Lillet to Noilly, it's a bit lighter and more aromatic (to my nose and taste, anyway).

Talking of which, has anyone tried a 'Vesper'?

If so, how much did it cost and what voluntary organisations exist to help you rehabilitate afterwards...?

Thank you for resolving tonight's drinking conundrum. I have one in front of me. I didn't have any quinine powder (as advised by the internet, apparently Lillet doesn't have quinine any more) so I bunged a dash of angostura bitters in it. Well, if I was going for authenticity, I'd get some to try and kill me while he carefully lays out his plan for world domination.

Reminds me, I still need a shark tank.

(I did have one in the Whispering Shop once – yeah, yeah, grow me a big fucking Shoreditch beard – £11 if I recall).

I quite like Vespers - thought I wouldn't add angostura, I just go with the zest of an orange on top.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 14 October, 2016, 03:04:58 pm
I'm not a gin drinker myself so I've no idea if this is any good or not, or indeed if it's already been covered, but these people: http://www.weberandtrings.co.uk allow you to make your own gin on their premises.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: tiermat on 14 October, 2016, 03:17:09 pm
Mrs T is getting more and more into her Gins.

I think it was brought about by us now living not that far (<8 miles) from Masons).  That and the growth of Gin festivals (I think there has been 5 already this year within train journey distance and another 3 to go).

To that end I have bought her the Ginvent calendar for this year, can't wait to see what is in it (and fingers crossed she has taken my hint and has ordered the Beerhawk advent calendar for me!)
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: tiermat on 14 October, 2016, 09:10:46 pm
Well, wars may one day be fought over gin preferences, but provided it's not the insipidly pointless Gordons or the overdone Bombay, it's a good start. Silent Pool as mentioned (and it's a nice bottle). There's loads of local produced gins now (the offy in Sevenoaks, I noticed the other week, had no fewer than three) – they're not always fantastic, but hey, they have terrior value.

Hendricks, while mostly ubiquitous these days, is a good slightly off-piste gin. You probably can't go wrong with Monkey 47, Filliers 28 (no, I don't know what it is with the numbers), Ableforth's Bathtub (or Old Tom) Gin, or Warner Edwards. You can splurge on something like Oxley. There's very few bad gins and after a few you're naturally inclined toward generosity.

Only 3? There is an offy in ilkley that stocks no fewer than 8 Yorkshire gins! I am sure that is not all of them, either.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: citoyen on 14 October, 2016, 11:30:46 pm
The Offy (capital letter because that's actually its name) in Whitstable has loads. I haven't counted them but it's definitely more than three. Having said that, a lot of them appear to be flavoured gin-based concoctions, so I don't know if they count.

Tbh, I only go in there for the beer.
Title: Gin!
Post by: citoyen on 15 October, 2016, 08:05:17 pm
ian, have you tried Cocchi Americano yet? I hear it's the best thing to use in place of quinine-free Lillet.

Been looking into mixers to take up to the bro's Xmas ginfest and I like the sound of Cocchi.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 16 October, 2016, 06:50:34 pm
I haven't, but I am intrigued enough to try. I don't think I've ever seen it.

The offy in Sevenoaks had three gins from Sevenoaks or thereabouts, there's loads more in Kent I'm sure. I was busy dripping on the floor on account we had spent an hour walking through an absolute deluge. I may have actually been dissolving. You know you're wet when you feel your testicles actually floating in a puddle that has formed in your pants gusset. We were only in search of beery refreshment for the train home (earned, we'd just stomped 25-ish miles, and faced a long, damp journey*).

*Actually, if I recall, we decided we were probably going to die from pneumonia and got an Uber home instead. A wise decision.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: nicknack on 22 October, 2016, 07:59:00 pm
As mentioned in the Beer thread I visited our latest local micropub tonight. I was pleasantly surprised to see (since IME most micros don't do spirits) that they had about a dozen different gins on offer (no other spirits). I feel a session coming on.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: pcolbeck on 23 October, 2016, 08:48:46 am
The Shepard Purse cafe bar in Whitby has a fine selection of gins. Unfortunately I was driving so didnt get to sample any.
There selection of cakes and savouries looked lovely as well.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ElyDave on 23 October, 2016, 05:17:48 pm
As mentioned in the Beer thread I visited our latest local micropub tonight. I was pleasantly surprised to see (since IME most micros don't do spirits) that they had about a dozen different gins on offer (no other spirits). I feel a session coming on.

If you're ever in Ely, the Draymans is a micropub with great beer, and also serves Ely gin, all good.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Ham on 23 October, 2016, 07:43:27 pm
Yes! What a good idea! Just what the doctor ordered! A ginantonic! Without the tonic!
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: andrewc on 24 October, 2016, 04:42:02 pm
I've just been in my local M&S food hall & they have greatly increased the size of their gin selection.  Silent Pool at £37, I don't know if that's good or not.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Jakob W on 24 October, 2016, 07:33:53 pm
Is Miller's any good? My offie has it on special, and I note the bottle proclaims its award-winningness, but then so's Special Brew...

(I know it's a mid-range gin and fairly common, but then I usually drink Tanqueray...)
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: citoyen on 25 October, 2016, 11:09:20 am
Silent Pool at £37, I don't know if that's good or not.

Seems to be about the going rate in shops - it's the same price in my local Waitrose - but I found it a bit cheaper online.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ElyDave on 03 November, 2016, 11:52:51 pm
Is Miller's any good? My offie has it on special, and I note the bottle proclaims its award-winningness, but then so's Special Brew...

(I know it's a mid-range gin and fairly common, but then I usually drink Tanqueray...)

I like Millers, nice and smooth.

Tonight, Anno

Slightly edgy, you can taste the hops and smell the lavender.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: rafletcher on 12 November, 2016, 11:04:31 am
Well, our local distillery opens for business today, Puddinstone distillery producing Campfire gin, based at the local farm shop.  I'll have to try some for Christmas.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Pingu on 11 December, 2016, 09:55:03 pm
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/dec/11/scottish-distillers-new-formula-for-success-gin-whisky
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 19 December, 2016, 09:37:54 pm
Found some gin (http://www.forestgin.com/) with a picture of a weasel on it (hopefully no weasels were harmed in the making of said gin) so that's the spousal Christmas present covered.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 23 December, 2016, 07:30:41 pm
First G&T of the holiday. One from Norway by Marius Egge.  It's OK.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Pingu on 23 December, 2016, 10:08:27 pm
Found some gin (http://www.forestgin.com/) with a picture of a weasel on it (hopefully no weasels were harmed in the making of said gin) so that's the spousal Christmas present covered.

Twist of lemming?
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: citoyen on 31 December, 2016, 02:04:15 pm
My brother's festive Gin Bar:
(https://c5.staticflickr.com/1/510/31853883052_6a19335eba_b.jpg)

Favourites were the Silent Pool, Maiden and Whitley Neill, all of which mixed very well with the Noilly Prat I brought along. The Bathtub and Monkey 47 were also good but the Lakes and Hendrick's seemed a bit lacking in the Oomph department in comparison.

Not so keen on the Opihr. Has a distinct flavour of coriander, which I felt doesn't really work, though others liked it. My dad garnished it with thinly sliced fresh ginger instead of lemon and seemed quite pleased with the results.

I have strong opinions on how to make a G&T, but my sis and sis-in-law both recoiled at the first sip of the first G&Ts I made for them and demanded extra tonic. Later, my sis mixed her own and offered me a sip, saying, 'This is what a G&T should taste like.' I literally couldn't taste the gin, it was totally overwhelmed. Really, she might has well have just left the gin out altogether. Lively debate over the correct proportions for a G&T ensued. I remain adamant that around 50:50 is the correct answer. (Good to have a family argument about something that really matters for a change.)

There was greater consensus on the matter of tonic. Bro had got in a selection including Schweppes, Fever Tree and Franklin's. I shared the opinion of "my friend off the internet who is a bit of a gin connoisseur (well, he drinks rather a lot of it)" on the subject of Fever Tree, and although the initial reaction was an almost Gove-like disdain for ian's expertise, on tasting it we pretty much all (except my mum) agreed that it's insipid stuff. The Franklin's is great though.

As an OT tangent to the G&T debate, there was also some discussion about how to make a Snowball. My method is: small measure of brandy, juice of half a lime, generous glug of advocaat, stir well then top up with well-chilled lemonade. My mum was slightly horrified at the idea of adding brandy (she'd been making them with just advocaat and lemonade), but I pointed out that the 'very good Snowball, thanks' that I'd made her earlier did in fact contain a decent slug of brandy.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 31 December, 2016, 06:42:22 pm
I was underwhelmed by the Silent Pool. My boss (with whom I appear to share similar taste in gin) has previously warned me off the Orphir. Never been excited by the Hendricks. I've never seen the Maiden before,  will look out for it.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 31 December, 2016, 06:47:03 pm
So, this year's Xmas gin haul:
The must have Eden hop gin
Avva
Spirit of Hven  (nomnomnom)
The Botanist
Electric Spirit Co Achroous (nomnomnom)
King of Soho
Dictador Aged in rum barrels (not too sure about that but we'll see what it tastes like.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ElyDave on 31 December, 2016, 07:05:57 pm
Funny, I liked the Opihr, but ETHO.

I bought some plymouth gin for the Christmas cocktails.  Subtly different.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 31 December, 2016, 07:09:47 pm
I forgot to note that I bought some Pickerings Original 1947 https://shop.pickeringsgin.com/products/pickerings-original-1947 which is quite acceptable :P
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 31 December, 2016, 08:11:22 pm
I don't much care for Ophir, I find the pepper and coriander overpowering for my tastes. I'd not tried Maiden (I know, but really there's too much gin to keep up with).

The Forest Gin was very good (and it should be, I think it's the most expensive gin I've bought, but hey, it has a weasel on the label). The Victorian Pink Gin was fine, nothing super-special, and the Rhubarb and Custard gin (which was I ready to hate) actually wasn't so bad, if a bit vanilla heavy. I have some Old Simon Genever still to taste.

I still go with 50:50 for the perfect G&T but sometimes I'll go long and double it. I wouldn't squander a good gin, but I think the argument is to make a martini.

I've not tried a snowball with brandy but once I've reached a decision on quite how long a bottle of advocaat keeps opened in the fridge (seriously, what's the half-life of advocaat) I may be tempted.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: citoyen on 02 January, 2017, 01:40:11 pm
I was underwhelmed by the Silent Pool. My boss (with whom I appear to share similar taste in gin) has previously warned me off the Orphir. Never been excited by the Hendricks. I've never seen the Maiden before,  will look out for it.

I came across Maiden in the local deli/cafe where my son worked until last summer. It's a local one, made in Maidstone, and doesn't appear to be distributed widely. I like it but I don't know how worthwhile it would be to make an effort to seek it out - as ian says, it's not like there's a shortage of other good gins available now.

Even characters on The Archers are getting in on the gin distilling act. I think this means we have passed peak gin.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Hot Flatus on 02 January, 2017, 01:53:35 pm
Im not much of a gin connoisseur and Ive only tried a few of these new fangled gins. To be honest, some of them dont hang well together. One that did was Audemus Pink Pepper.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 10 February, 2017, 10:45:10 pm
Ian, were you allowed to taste the Forest (weasel) Gin?  (ETA - oh yes, you were, just found the post)
And has anyone had Wicked Wolf Exmoor gin, being as it's being stocked at our local whisky shop?
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: perpetual dan on 10 February, 2017, 10:48:41 pm
I'll just leave this here...

(https://www.oliverbonas.com/static/media/catalog/product/1/0/1076172_oliver-bonas_homeware_gin-and-tonic-lip-balm_2.jpg)
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 10 February, 2017, 11:04:09 pm
Oliver Bonas, now that was a shop for the B Ark if ever there was one...
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 12 February, 2017, 06:43:05 pm
Ian, were you allowed to taste the Forest (weasel) Gin?  (ETA - oh yes, you were, just found the post)
And has anyone had Wicked Wolf Exmoor gin, being as it's being stocked at our local whisky shop?

Sorry, not tried that one. I have the embarrassingly first world problem of having run out of gin storage space.

The weasel gin is very nice (I'm not sure £52 nice, but it's a cool pottery bottle and, well, mustelids).
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 12 February, 2017, 06:44:27 pm
I have some Wicked Wolf. Pingu declared it tasted of "something". I can't detect anything special about it.

However, I was impressed by their easy open wax seal affair:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2516/32822062896_314dbd2e56_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/S1nDN9)IMG_20170212_181526 (https://flic.kr/p/S1nDN9) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: tonycollinet on 23 April, 2017, 06:23:07 pm
I also used to be a man of no taste who though all gin was the same. Then made the mistake of going to a gin festival and finding out I was fundamentally wrong. Favourite now is Bockmann's  - wonderfully fruity - almost sweet flavours.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 23 April, 2017, 07:22:42 pm
Do you mean Brockmans?  I won't have it in the house because I don't think it tastes like gin!
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ElyDave on 23 April, 2017, 07:47:05 pm
I was bought a bottle of Monkey 47 and a bottle of Mare for my birthday, a taster of both so far and both very good. The Monkey is more floral than I expected.

Did I mention my own gin making as well? Something bought for me as a Christmas present by swmbo, she bought the same for herself as well. A class of four in a downstairs room of a pub in Cambridge. You get a history of gin, tastings of the Cambridge distillery gin, taste all the component flavours and then blend your own. An expensive bottle of gin but a good night out.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 23 April, 2017, 09:41:26 pm
Mmm Monkey 47. Their sloe gin is also delicious :P
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: andrewc on 03 May, 2017, 10:04:12 pm
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/03/bombay-sapphire-london-dry-gin-recall-canada-twice-strong


77% alcohol.... that'll need extra tonic!
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ElyDave on 04 May, 2017, 12:47:24 am
why?
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: bikesdontfloat on 20 May, 2017, 02:26:01 am
Who needs accidents when you can by Strane Uncut Gin at 76% all year round? God bless the Swedes
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Regulator on 20 May, 2017, 07:37:03 am
I was bought a bottle of Monkey 47 and a bottle of Mare for my birthday, a taster of both so far and both very good. The Monkey is more floral than I expected.

Did I mention my own gin making as well? Something bought for me as a Christmas present by swmbo, she bought the same for herself as well. A class of four in a downstairs room of a pub in Cambridge. You get a history of gin, tastings of the Cambridge distillery gin, taste all the component flavours and then blend your own. An expensive bottle of gin but a good night out.

You lucky man!

The Cambridge Distillery is just down the road from us.  Their standard Cambridge Gin is lush - but their Japanese Gin is a cracker!  Last night saw me open a bottle of their Truffle Gin.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ElyDave on 22 May, 2017, 11:04:59 pm
Who needs accidents when you can by Strane Uncut Gin at 76% all year round? God bless the Swedes

You should have told me, I've just been there and would have tried some
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: LEE on 22 May, 2017, 11:12:37 pm
We're off to Bombay Sapphire in a couple of weeks to attend their Cocktail class.  It's only 7 miles away and a bit of a local landmark.

My local publican is a self-confessed Gin expert and treats you to a personal discussion before making you a cocktail.  He maintains that too many people get too obsessed with the Gin (and spend far too much money on it) and ignore the mixer.

He concluded that my perfect Gin would be a "Pink Gin" made with Tanqueray and Fever Tree "Aromatics" mixer.  He is adamant that Tanqueray is as much as you need to spend on Gin.

FYI - He was right about the Pink Gin.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/I3Kyide82SK4YdPHH3kgNFKnStKPVxkE2xtkEBdRZP0UTclUsxMCL8k1GBKpndVOIxK3Zm5QgJTkZDR2GEbTyl-QzMteCVHo3M4FwzqaxowYfM6z8kkFiecGY6tE1GHbfe57zuL398SQNwu5Mr5-GpWaR_xqg3SJVELCJgqAHnR_M6C7C9EeKsNlyYA2vGRd5CPzdODIOiFvz47LaVug5hmCYs0_9gIO7fEFHtkV47XcoacKtiQN08Qq_Ax6BDjAsnee9XtMPYLWwCpEWCaCZalG1hpSCO-DSbxJAbZMzXxSdPNxj21i-bkMMOJM4tenXeaj4g7dCgCcR1qB-VAVr4rUpwb5h82z_0mMqV20JwGfPgnc2wXKeLJlafykHDD-ssdAo-JNxWoVXpRPWjWbM5f0bRmmJYwGzFplX-chn3B65zz1IDrqGDKVXxWCYhYIUs-0coTZc2qg_3k5IuYuvU7TFlE8xgfTXkkB38bGv-lboZTzc2JmKf0XYJvMEblIdQqFNaXL4c3fX3fH2rIqcdnCbEL4_wAyOq1Wh109mlp4LQ01G5QRQ7B9saKxqvpBncKvs484Nl1O0hfOQFvQtj85y1eszqBAawOG2SNag9pjf0KdnRpD3_qivzHdCRnZUJt0P-VzYBScwBuNcyYx9ZfoxQak8bSN5lxi9VNERA=w1425-h950-no)
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ElyDave on 22 May, 2017, 11:38:08 pm
I quite like a pink gin, plenty of angostura, and my general gin of choice is tanqueray or Plymouth gin.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ElyDave on 02 June, 2017, 09:11:12 pm
bought a new gin on a whim in Frankfurt today, South African by the mega corp KWV, from grapes, called Cruxland

Very nice indeed, lots of nice aniseediness plus some other "Kalahari botanicals" and a bit of lemoniness.

Worked well with a bit of ice, lime and fizzy water
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 02 June, 2017, 09:18:09 pm
Hmm, didn't see anything interesting in Frankfurt duty free last week.

Tonight I have Inschriach 57% gin. Bit fiery neat!
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 18 June, 2017, 11:07:27 pm
I bought some gin in the offie outside Bruges. It tastes of whisky. I do not like whisky, I like gin.
 :-\
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: LEE on 18 June, 2017, 11:16:26 pm
Chemistry Class was never like this at school...

Bombay Sapphire Gin Distillery earlier today.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/iXjejGr-kHLVRFZYtSQFc5PS8pDjDN7Gryjae9iDg4QECQXzBH1wQJtDg9wnspWmenztJde-xjhKDO7I0NrVuBz2Y6A7ZYrr33zbijwnBorX_tIBRhwCEnAb-C5Eri_sawNxnuurO5Oi58th3s99ruY84BFm7hSTsyrrK2e2Bu5i9t-0NhbvWUBAMVCX_60KwUiowvQYC7orgO07TxqpTNnhlkv9OxRQ1T0_iD5-BoNwhO1J2dyUcyq_ksHif0Bl7Mhy5k2QO_qFdThO7bQGFlANwd1l6Hdhhot4lNqxdd46uNRFT7JhY30Ly8uTi_EsoiiS1IlWmW9mLrVZkD4oYesQpSgGrEKZrHONCZD4fBqcp8fKNFB5_NKFeARkr1zqXBz3BAY-Cd2SpT7fqcmsAzZ6nC84i19eYJnjAT4K4m9lXkNkLKTm6-2h_keEBF_VO_ebEHK78RCg6KRN__yq3ZzZVSKcI5AsMJ61nu5i-hwpT-e3Q12Ldae3EAlEjbah3B2XDqd2S0vBcJehj7K4KqrntZAnSgPH4t4dFt0gmDqWAOm4GC4kiEsm08zUk2I6p3j8iLNlS-m6XGYna50uzi45jpUVy3ozd5FzFMGdu-R6vro8nkQy=w1267-h950-no)

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/I-D82GIEg-AFlTrBR-sVIHpesgDH3lLbPXm3UJxxeYpOWJ0DNb8BYmatotXoGHF9FDBoZVWUiQ1zHGC8-4A6uzlB6a9I-ikn3Y6XAjrltID3in0a6D_wHlrGfSO0Ao4pWQ50c1fzLO0O_LL3tmNw5U7cjIS5ZqqKxxvV9iadLf46CBBkqQQuSGcfJLD7OQmgKFvpzosgFOdVKT5d-8rnzFZpDng_752Od8CtfrjzW6douKb6PRyhD2KCLIiz3qYjUQ6rUW523CrFFM6drzSi_K0vC2bKctxbgVej8vO-PUAdxrgW6FmWDWlT9Pw3sprwqpfGuDXQrGvDDJxxernpAJJaZOSFPQdR_FZdJiBydO9LKEMGnzem15SYN7NaSYPyH9-E59jzsinQtnqav2LC8V515OUjr3ilZjocYPq9z2d1l70XRr9T8xkaBOHYzqV_YRdmxIPrKGEMO74tKP45QYypf7iZ-Sy_C80rP55qojOdDiWTJMbX64EQ9wP-vB0WxBu4xD06r8T8yLxsTcJqSfJxA0p2n1izPmyERIHgjaT63mC9rOqTra8N1vJjklEFaBuSgSQqcQrssVt54VQYSFhaJ7iHcZT6JoeoHK2gnSrX9k725sor=w1267-h950-no)


Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Torslanda on 21 June, 2017, 08:46:19 pm
Currently enjoying Bombay Sapphire and Sanpellegrino lemon & mint, in a tall glass with lots of ice.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ElyDave on 22 June, 2017, 07:39:10 am
Made a very nice gin and vodka martini with lemon balm, served over crushed ice. Very refreshing in the heat.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 22 June, 2017, 09:20:47 pm
I bought some gin in the offie outside Bruges. It tastes of whisky. I do not like whisky, I like gin.
 :-\

I've had a couple of barrel-aged gins that have crossed the whisky threshold. I don't like whisky either. I've had a couple that are OK, but generally I'm unconvinced that gin as a whole benefits from barrel aging.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ElyDave on 22 June, 2017, 09:39:35 pm
I like whisky
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 22 June, 2017, 09:53:00 pm
I'm breaking school night rules with a gin and tonic right now (Floraison). I got up at 5am this morning, schlepped all the way to Bristol and back and did a good four hours of speechifying, so I reckon I've earned an early weekend.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: fuzzy on 27 June, 2017, 10:01:35 am
Until recently (the last year or two) spirits and I really didn't get along. the taste and experience were too foul to contemplate.

Recently however, my palate has developed into being able to enjoy some spirits and liqueurs. Limoncello, vodka etc.

The spirit of choice at the moment however is gin, accompanied by tonic. I have a lot to learn I think (in the same way that the recent ability to eat cheese without barfing has come my way).
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 04 September, 2017, 06:36:57 pm
On our way to France last month, I bought a bottle of Durham gin. Just tried it tonight  :sick: :sick: :sick:

Reads the label: contains celery seed.  :sick: That explains the bogging taste then, and will teach me to read the label a bit better in future before purchasing.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Jack Standish on 05 September, 2017, 08:14:26 am
I used to get shitfaced on gin when I was single. I loved to go to a random bar  (https://restaurantguru.com/pub-and-bar-near-me)or a restaurant (https://restaurantguru.com/) and spend the night trying to replace all the liquids in my body with gin or whiskey. Nearly cost me my life because I started ordering cheap. When my drinking adventure reached its climax, they had to stick a tube in me and drain pus for a week.
They say gin is a weak drink. Nope. Whatever you do, don't drink it alone and don't drink it cheap.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 05 September, 2017, 08:20:19 am
I have more than enough gin to replace all the fluids in my body. But I'm not going to do that.

I've not tried Durhams. I'm not sure what my thoughts are on celery seed. I like celery. In a salad. I'm waiting for avocado gin. Or, help me mummy, asparagus gin. That's the boakiest thought I've had today. Spargle gin.

My wife bought some gin-based liqueur from some random airport under the assumption it was actual gin. It's not. I've not tried it, mostly don't like sweet stuff. I did snag a bottle of Tarquins at the weekend is isn't bad (though not quite as nice as I remembered, I may have to taste some more).

Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: menthel on 05 September, 2017, 12:33:07 pm
We also had a nice experience with Tarquins when in Cornwall a couple of weeks ago. My wife liked the navy strength. Also their Cornish Pastis was very nice.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: hellymedic on 06 September, 2017, 02:01:09 pm
Seems gin-flavoured popcorn, yogurt and salmon are A Thing  :sick:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41158806 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41158806)
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: tonycollinet on 15 September, 2017, 09:54:41 pm
Just ordered a bottle of Beefeater 24 on a whim (and an Amazon special offer)

Recently tried - 6 oclock gin. Liked, bought
Last night - Bloom, nothing special - and Forrest Gin from Macc - quite liked.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 15 September, 2017, 10:03:57 pm
Last night, owing a colleague's overenthusiastic bar attendance, I at one point had three contemporaneous G&Ts. I feel this was overkill, but what the hell, I pushed my two beers aside and tackled them.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 19 October, 2017, 10:22:06 pm
OK, it's a school night, but my wife is away and it really wouldn't be wrong to assume that it's nearly the weekend and serve myself a gin and tonic, right? I seem to have acquired a bottles of Infirmarian black hop gin and Harahorn Norwegian gin.

Possibly I should have two. I wouldn't want them to go off.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Jaded on 19 October, 2017, 11:18:44 pm
I'm feeling that this should be communicated to us in more detail through through the medium mediocre of PowerPoint.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: fuzzy on 25 October, 2017, 12:08:43 pm
My Mum was an inveterate G&T officianado in my yoof. Recently she has reduced the G&T intake to about nil. Her incerhol was limited to the occasional sangria when we dragged her to Gibraltar.

We dragged her to Gibraltar again last week. Her sangria was reinforced during a visit to the Sunborn hotel by a cheeky G&T. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head when they delivered a bijou goldfish bowl sized glass to her.

We managed to stop her falling off the quay as we escorted her from Sunborn to Charlies for dinner ;D
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: andrewc on 29 October, 2017, 10:52:42 pm
I appear to have just bought tickets for a gin festival, in the crypt at Liverpools Catholic Cathedral  :facepalm: .  I've been to many beer festivals there before.  Good venue, though lacking in adequate loos.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 31 October, 2017, 08:55:32 pm
My gin habit is getting out of hand. We wandered into a local shop in a East Sussex town on Saturday evening for a bottle of water and came out, after tasting several gins (well, when the chap behind the counter asked if we'd like to try and it would churlish to decline), with two bottles of gins (Greensand and Mayfield). I wouldn't have minded, but we forgot the water.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 31 October, 2017, 09:47:27 pm
Only 2?
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 31 October, 2017, 09:52:31 pm
I have some powers of restraint, they had quite a selection of local gins. Mind you, one of them was £60 (Anno). I did pay £50-ish for a bottle of gin once but that had a weasel on the bottle and I like mustelids.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Feanor on 31 October, 2017, 09:59:01 pm
Hmm, my gin *glass* habit is getting out of hand.

We have some nice hand-blown glasses from Lindean Mill Glass (http://www.lindeanmillglass.co.uk/), and one of them got broken a few years back.
I've just commissioned a replacement, along with another pair of different ones for the flat in Embra.
These will be Crimbo presents for us.

They seem to cost somewhat more than Klunks from Ikea...
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: tonycollinet on 31 October, 2017, 10:19:52 pm
Well if you want a good everyday gin at a low price - Aldi Oliver Cromwell gin - £14 somthing for a liter - is pretty good.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/aldi-gin-best-world-spirit-10-cost-cheap-international-wine-spirits-competitions-awards-a7864211.html
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 05 November, 2017, 06:38:11 pm
There's indeed little correlation between cost and quality, though I'm sure the economics of small batch distilling are always going to nudge the cost up. Part of the fun of my gin habit is just tasting different ones (same for beer). I don't think I've had a truly awful one, plenty of indifferent, and several very good. I think if I plotted them on an axis against price they'd be all over the place. The pleasure is in the variety. I confess a sneaking liking for both bog-standard Beefeater and even the bargainalocious Larios in a plastic bottle (not the rosé one though, that's a bit weird and artificial and best fed to guests). I think I draw the line at £60 though, I don't see what you can do to a gin to justify that much. Unless it has a weasel on the bottle, and it's a posh bottle, and you have a mustelid-themed house.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: citoyen on 22 December, 2017, 11:18:36 pm
We don't generally have spirits in the house, but I bought a bottle of Portobello Road No.171 gin for seasonal cocktails. Chose it for a) low price, b) pretty label, and c) 42% abv. Cracked it open tonight and I'm more impressed than I was expecting. It's a good straightforward gin, with a decent hit of juniper. I suspect gin connoisseurs will consider it bland but I would prefer to call it uncomplicated. It's what Gordon's should be - and perhaps what it used to be.

Very pleasant with a generous dash of Angostura and a not too generous glug of Schweppes tonic.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Paul H on 23 December, 2017, 12:04:03 am
I have a bottle of Adnams gin from a friend who visited Southwold in the summer.  I've only drunk gin a couple of times, but might give this a taste over the festive week.
What tonic?  Are they all the same?
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: citoyen on 23 December, 2017, 01:06:50 am
What tonic?  Are they all the same?

You can't go wrong with Schweppes, tbh.

Fever Tree is 'posh' but I think it's highly overrated. Like fizzy pot pourri. It's just trying too hard.

The one I had at my brother's last year that I really liked was Franklins. Maybe because it's quite similar to Schweppes.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 23 December, 2017, 11:16:13 am
I think one of the reasons for the sudden uptick in gin drinking is the new tonics, such as Fever Tree which don't taste the same as Schweppes. I reckon a lot of the people who wouldn't have touched gin before just didn't like the flavour of tonic.

Personally I think Fever Tree tastes like lemonade. :sick: I like my tonic bitter  :demon:
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: citoyen on 23 December, 2017, 03:06:32 pm
I agree, Mrs P. Same goes for a lot of the modern gins which seem to taste mostly of citrus. I like juniper!
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 23 December, 2017, 04:26:33 pm
I agree, Mrs P. Same goes for a lot of the modern gins which seem to taste mostly of citrus. I like juniper!

Me too. I like juniper, pepper, liquorice. If you (or anyone else) would like some recommendations on that theme, here are mine.

Tarquin's gin (Cornwall) http://www.southwesterndistillery.com
Electric Spirits Co. Achroous gin (Embra) https://www.facebook.com/electricspiritco/
Bobby's https://bobbysdrygin.com
Hammer & Son Old English http://www.oldenglishgin.com/splash.html
Misty Isle (new from Skye)
Makar (Glasgow) not so much spice, more like getting punched in the face by a juniper bush. https://glasgowdistillery.com/product/makar-gin/
Cotswold Gin
Spirit of Hven (Sweden)

Having said that, for a change the Wild Beer Sleeping Lemons gin is nice. You can sip it neat. :P
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 24 December, 2017, 05:24:45 pm
I'm for the juniper too – along with the licorice, cardamon, etc. I don't mind floral ones too. Citrus to the front is a bit meh. I quite like some of the German gins, they're robust and tend to be less citrusy, especially the ones made with potato-based spirit, they make splendid cloudy G&Ts and 'oily' martinis that have a smooth mouthfeel.

Fever Tree is shit. Schweppes does everything a tonic needs to do. But always taste a bit of the gin neat before deciding what to do with it (that's my excuse anyway).
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: citoyen on 24 December, 2017, 05:53:38 pm
I'm gonna have to get me some of that Makar from the sound of it.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 24 December, 2017, 06:06:42 pm
Try some Monkey 47 if you haven't, it's a good gateway into the German gins, and they tend to be complex and junipery rather than the lemon-and-more-lemon.

And yes, Parcelfarce, I still want that bloody bottle of Greensand gin that you have sequestered in your depot because you couldn't be bothered delivering it. I suspect we won't be running out of gin this christmas regardless.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 24 December, 2017, 06:27:06 pm
I like Monkey 47, not sure I would describe it as junipery. Medicinal, perhaps.
Their sloe gin is also nom.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 24 December, 2017, 06:27:43 pm
Oh, Spirit of Hven is also delish.

Ian, I've not had any German gins other than Monkey. What do you rate?
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 25 December, 2017, 02:33:18 pm
Today's haul.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4597/25418109308_dc988e31f8.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/EJ7skW)2017-12-25_02-28-17 (https://flic.kr/p/EJ7skW) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 26 December, 2017, 06:16:04 pm
Oh, Spirit of Hven is also delish.

Ian, I've not had any German gins other than Monkey. What do you rate?

Granit, The Duke, Brandstifter, Bavarka, Elephant. I think we have a few more acquired on various trips, I really need to catalogue the collection.

I like Bavarka as it's the potato one. The Duke is rather tasty.

Medicinal is perhaps a better description, I sort of meant they're distinctly juniper-based (as a gin should be) but also rather complicated.

Hven is nice as is Hernö. Not tried the others. I've really run out of space. I may have to shift the dead cat.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: citoyen on 01 January, 2018, 12:16:00 am
Try some Monkey 47 if you haven't, it's a good gateway into the German gins, and they tend to be complex and junipery rather than the lemon-and-more-lemon.

Looking back on my tasting notes from Christmas 2016 (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=22078.msg2117905#msg2117905), I can see that I did like the Monkey 47. Although, tbh, I spent most of last Christmas in a gin haze and don't know how I could possibly have remembered any of them in enough detail for my notes to be reliable.

Was at a do yesterday evening where I discovered the joys of the Negroni - a cocktail that is apparently quite fashionable but has passed me by until now. I do like a generous dash of Angostura in my G&T and the Campari in a Negroni has a similar effect. A very pleasant alternative to a Martini.

In other news, I got this as a stocking filler from Satan:
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4693/27639938319_ced116cf65_z.jpg)

Much more pleasant than you'd imagine.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Wowbagger on 09 November, 2019, 07:28:50 pm
This thread seems a little ossified.

I am, relatively speaking, a novice gin drinker. For my entire life, save the past 18 months or so, I have eschewed gin as the choice of drink of golfers named Nigel. I'm not a golfer and I'm not called Nigel.

I have actually discovered that I'm quite fond of gin & tonic. I have just finished a bottle of Star of Bombay, which with Fever Tree tonic, was quite palatable.

What does the panel recommend as my next venture in gin drinking? Please bear in mind that it is more likely to be sampled if Waitrose sell it.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 09 November, 2019, 08:37:46 pm
If you like Fever Tree, try lemonade, it's cheaper.
At least that's what I think of it. I suspect the invention of 'tonic' that doesn't taste like traditional tonic is a significant factor in the sudden popularity of gin & tonic.

Me, I like my gin to be like being punched in the face by a juniper bush and my tonic to be dirty Schweppes. I don't care if Schweppes isn't cool, it's tonic :) Getting quite hard to get hold of when dining out these days...
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: HowardK on 09 November, 2019, 08:54:42 pm
Try the Cotswolds Dry Gin, packed with botanicals, and on offer at Waitrose at the moment.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Wowbagger on 09 November, 2019, 09:02:43 pm
"Botanicals" always strikes me as being a poncey word for plants.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 09 November, 2019, 09:26:51 pm
It depends on what botanicals you like.
My preference is for lots of juniper (Makar, but it's not subtle) or spice/liquorice (Achroous, Bobby's, Cotswold, Monkey 47, Wild Beer Schnoodlepip, Lone Wolf, Hven) or the odd stuff in between (Eden Hop gin). The Wild Beer Sleeping Lemons is so smooth & lemony you could sip it neat. Not recommended with Gordons & Tanqueray etc.
The floral stuff is not my cup of tea but YMMV.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 11 November, 2019, 09:59:58 am
Monkey 47, if I recall, is available in Waitrose and is a very good gin. I like the poncy flowers in my botanicals, but then I have a degree in botany, so there. People like Hendricks, though once you've tried a couple of other gins, it's a bit one dimensional. Harringtons is a very nice and rather traditional. Avoid the flavoured stuff, I like my gin to taste like gin, not a sweet shop.

I can't abide the insipid Fever Tree tonic, I'm on the Schweppes wagon, it's a proper tonic which is what you need in a good G&T. But always take a neat sip of the gin so you know what it goes with and what it tastes like.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: tonycollinet on 27 November, 2019, 11:49:59 pm
On the tonic front, Aldi (again) tonic won a blind taste test by bartenders. It is at least as good as schweppes - better than FT in my opinion - and less than 35p / litre.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ElyDave on 03 December, 2019, 11:32:59 am
Recently acquired a Tasmanian gin flavoured with black cardamom, comes through nice and subtle and doesn't overpower, unlike the psices in Ophir
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Jakob W on 06 December, 2019, 08:57:10 am
Rather enjoyed this NYer piece: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/12/09/the-intoxicating-history-of-gin
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 06 December, 2019, 08:57:41 pm
Pickerings brussel sprout gin in my ginvent calendar. It's as green as you'd really like your urine to be. Honestly, you'd be demanding that people come into the toilet and look. I made this, you'd declare, like a proud parent.

Not that horrid, but I wouldn't buy a bottle.

I am developing a cold. I figure alcohol kills viruses. Do the math.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: andrewc on 13 February, 2020, 12:27:49 pm
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/feb/13/jay-rayner-why-am-i-supposed-to-like-gin-ruined-vodka


I think Ian ought to dive into the Graun's comment thread & defend his favourite tipple.    Ian vs Jay Rayner would be a splendiferous battle of words  :D
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 13 February, 2020, 09:04:59 pm
Flavoured gin, like it's cellmate flavoured vodka, is criminal. I want gin to taste like gin, so the flavour should be juniper and other botanicals, be they from fox-soiled hedgerows or the verges of Swindon's top 10 car parks for dogging (though they'd have to fight urban foragers, of course, in their quest for urine-dressed leafery to serve to Jay) or indeed some beautific garden where the plants have been soothed by the lilting lullabies of angels.

Unfortunately, people do occasionally buy me flavoured vodka and for some reason and I neglect to murder them. I have a bottle of rhubarb and custard gin. Rhubard and custard. It's reprehensible. I like rhubarb. I like custard. I like gin. I don't want them in the same bottle. Worse, I have to drink it and espresso the words that's interesting.

I don't like vodka. There's the flavoured sort favoured by mid-twenties binge-drinkers, a cornucopia of foul flavours and colour that seem to span the gamut from radish to road-rash. But plain vodka mostly tastes like surgical spirit (and probably) is. People will tell you it tastes of something, how refined it is, oh those teasing little hints of a flavour. Frankly, that's like claiming you can smell the fart of someone on another continent. It's artisanal will claim someone with a beard like that improves matters. Have you had toffee-flavoured vodka? If not, avoid it like you would tuberculosis.

I won't fight Jay though. He knows jazz.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ElyDave on 16 February, 2020, 08:07:30 am
So I can keep all my sloe gin, rhubarb gin, stawberry vodka all infused by my loving lab glassware to myself then?

No custard has been harmed in the making of my gin.

Sarcasm aside, I have tasted some very good infused vodkas and gins, where the addition is subtle enough not to just make it nasty.  I'm not keen so far on the Kendal Mint Cake flavoured, luridly coloured vodka thing soemone decided to buy me "for fun".  The fun part is making up contemprary sounding cocktails to force feed it to hipsters with their trousers rolled up and watch their brains fry as their taste buds try to strangle them at the same time as they have to love the next best thing 
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 16 February, 2020, 06:45:20 pm
Well, sloe gin is a thing (and the sloes complement juniper), I'm more referring to the practice of just taking some basic mass-produced gin or vodka and bunging in some flavouring additives and sweeteners and adding £10 to the price.

Reminds me of the time pack at university one of colleague decided for reasons that I suspect derive rational explanation to make mars bar-flavoured vodka, so he dropped a couple of mars bars in a large container filled with supermarket vodka and left them for a couple of months. The result looked someone had decanted a couple of turds and toilet water into the container.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 16 February, 2020, 07:35:29 pm
I got given some spiced plum & clementine gin for Xmas. Haven't opened it yet.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Feanor on 16 February, 2020, 07:44:25 pm
Whist reading some of the back-story of the Ring of Bright Water, in relation to Kathleen Raine's curse upon the Rowan Tree, I discovered that Caorunn is an old Gaelic word for the Rowan.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: Pingu on 16 February, 2020, 07:48:39 pm
Well, sloe gin is a thing (and the sloes complement juniper), I'm more referring to the practice of just taking some basic mass-produced gin or vodka and bunging in some flavouring additives and sweeteners and adding £10 to the price.

Reminds me of the time pack at university one of colleague decided for reasons that I suspect derive rational explanation to make mars bar-flavoured vodka, so he dropped a couple of mars bars in a large container filled with supermarket vodka and left them for a couple of months. The result looked someone had decanted a couple of turds and toilet water into the container.

And?
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: SteveC on 16 February, 2020, 08:15:21 pm
I have a friend who specialises in flavoured vodkas. The mint Aero is apparently somewhat strange. The black jelly baby is pretty good.  The Fisherman's Friend is best avoided.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ElyDave on 16 February, 2020, 10:01:44 pm
Well, sloe gin is a thing (and the sloes complement juniper), I'm more referring to the practice of just taking some basic mass-produced gin or vodka and bunging in some flavouring additives and sweeteners and adding £10 to the price.

Reminds me of the time pack at university one of colleague decided for reasons that I suspect derive rational explanation to make mars bar-flavoured vodka, so he dropped a couple of mars bars in a large container filled with supermarket vodka and left them for a couple of months. The result looked someone had decanted a couple of turds and toilet water into the container.

I restricted myself to black pepper and chilli vodkas whilst a PSO. I think my most outlandish, but oddly good was earl grey tea homebrew wine. Not tried that one again.
Title: Re: Gin!
Post by: ian on 17 February, 2020, 10:10:01 am
Well, sloe gin is a thing (and the sloes complement juniper), I'm more referring to the practice of just taking some basic mass-produced gin or vodka and bunging in some flavouring additives and sweeteners and adding £10 to the price.

Reminds me of the time pack at university one of colleague decided for reasons that I suspect derive rational explanation to make mars bar-flavoured vodka, so he dropped a couple of mars bars in a large container filled with supermarket vodka and left them for a couple of months. The result looked someone had decanted a couple of turds and toilet water into the container.

And?

Well, I've never drunk toilet water, but I am sure it tasted better. Since he hadn't bothered to macerate the chocolately matter, it was basically supermarket vodka with a vague chocolate aftertaste. As we were students, it got drunk, of course.