Jump to content

We're getting older, so let's reach some conclusions about gin


tantric superman

Recommended Posts

35 minutes ago, bullzak said:

Gin and soda man on occasion. 

Detest cucumber, licorice and tonic. 

Tanqueray Ok but surely something better out there. Hate Hendricks and Sapphire. 

Help a man out here. 

I make a mean negroni.  The gins I have in my bar all work well for that.  The Martin Miller's was explicitly bought for Vespers which are fucking tasty.

Edited by PenelopeWitherspoon
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I absolutely love gin, and drink it frequently.  I quit drinking G&T's when I quit drinking sodas (unless it's a botanical/scratch made tonic).  

My go-to gin drink is pretty simple...

-2.5 oz gin

-2 oz Pellegrino (preferred) or Topo (if that's what's available)

-Lemon twist (if done by me or a proper barkeep), or freshly sliced lemon squeeze

 

I think lemon does so much more for a gin drink than lime does.  The oils in the lemon rind make a perfect summer sipper, and the lack of unnecessary sugar makes for a drink you can consume all day without the massive hangover.  

 

Monkey 47, Aviation, The Botanist, Hendrick's, Big Gin, Sapphire (including the Sapphire Far East varietal), and Dripping Springs (local varietal) are my staples.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, Trey3216 said:

I absolutely love gin, and drink it frequently.  I quit drinking G&T's when I quit drinking sodas (unless it's a botanical/scratch made tonic).  

My go-to gin drink is pretty simple...

-2.5 oz gin

-2 oz Pellegrino (preferred) or Topo (if that's what's available)

-Lemon twist (if done by me or a proper barkeep), or freshly sliced lemon squeeze

 

I think lemon does so much more for a gin drink than lime does.  The oils in the lemon rind make a perfect summer sipper, and the lack of unnecessary sugar makes for a drink you can consume all day without the massive hangover.  

 

Monkey 47, Aviation, The Botanist, Hendrick's, Big Gin, Sapphire (including the Sapphire Far East varietal), and Dripping Springs (local varietal) are my staples.  

That sounds pretty great.

I'm really coming around to seltzer water in general as a mixer for any clear liquor.  Unflavored sparkling water, clear liquor, splash of citrus, and you've usually got a winner.

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

56 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

That sounds pretty great.

I'm really coming around to seltzer water in general as a mixer for any clear liquor.  Unflavored sparkling water, clear liquor, splash of citrus, and you've usually got a winner.

Yep.  They make perfect mixers for vodka and gin, as well as clear rums (but I just don't drink a lot of rum).  

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Picked up these last week at Specs. The Tanq is much better than regular Tanq, which I'm not a fan of, because I don't like sucking on pine cones. I like the Hendricks much better than the solstice and orbium.fad3eb56b9436901a93e7d2549ff321e.jpg

Edited by Beau Vine
Link to comment
Share on other sites

For you gin addicts on here, of which there appear to be many (no judgement)...I know it's a hotel bar but it's a great spot if you're ever on campus for something and wanna grab drinks before/after.  It's not the lobby bar, it's not the rooftop bar, but there's kind of a hidden bar on like the 4th floor of that hotel Otis just off the drag on MLK.  But in true Iberian tradition, they focus on tapas and gin-based cocktails.  Gin is not my thing at all, but I really like their bar snacks, and I'll usually have beer and then try one of their Spanish or Portuguese twists on Gin & Tonic.  It's nothing to seek out, but if you're ever on campus and want some toddies beforehand, thumbs up to this place.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Beau Vine said:

Picked up these last week at Specs. The Tanq is much better than regular Tanq, which I'm not a fan of, because I don't like sucking on pine cones. I like the Hendricks much better than the solstice and orbium.fad3eb56b9436901a93e7d2549ff321e.jpg

This thread inspired me to pick up some gin today.  Got regular Hendrick's, Hendrick's Lunar, and Monkey 47.  Haven't tried the M47 yet, but damn, the Hendrick's Lunar is good stuff.  I really like their seasonal releases.  Is Solstice the one with the pink/purple label?  That one is good, too.  But Lunar might be better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

This thread inspired me to pick up some gin today.  Got regular Hendrick's, Hendrick's Lunar, and Monkey 47.  Haven't tried the M47 yet, but damn, the Hendrick's Lunar is good stuff.  I really like their seasonal releases.  Is Solstice the one with the pink/purple label?  That one is good, too.  But Lunar might be better.

Solstice is purple.  I don't even remember what it tasted like, just that I liked regular much better.  I thought the orbium was nasty.  Lunar is really good, and I did enjoy drinking it while star-watching the other night.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Beau Vine said:

Solstice is purple.  I don't even remember what it tasted like, just that I liked regular much better.  I thought the orbium was nasty.  Lunar is really good, and I did enjoy drinking it while star-watching the other night.  

Solstice was even more floral than regular.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

Lunar is really good, and I did enjoy drinking it while star-watching the other night.  

Did you read the website before you decided to do that?

HENDRICK’S LUNAR

LIMITED RELEASE

HENDRICK’S LUNAR is a delightfully smooth and alluring gin that is rich with night blooming floral essence, offering a delicate balance of warm baked spices, and finished with a crisp burst of citrus. LUNAR is best enjoyed during casual nights at home and is a curious companion for sundowners and starry nights with friends.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

44 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

What tonic do folks like?  My favorites are from Fever Tree.  Love the Elderflower and really like the Mediterranean and Citrus.  I need to get away from tonic, though.   Too many calories.  Might try some lemon & soda this weekend.

I like Fever Tree as well.  

The Hinds Head in Bray (UK) used to do Gin and Tonic pairings.  I have not been since 2015, but I would assume they still do when they are open again.  Definitely worth a visit to try different ones out.

I can also recommend Fentimen's.  

Here are some more.  Would like to try some of these.  Might find a few and see what they do now that we are in Spring and will be getting into Summer.

https://www.craftginclub.co.uk/ginnedmagazine/the-15-best-tonics-for-your-craft-gin

 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

I like Fever Tree as well.  

The Hinds Head in Bray (UK) used to do Gin and Tonic pairings.  I have not been since 2015, but I would assume they still do when they are open again.  Definitely worth a visit to try different ones out.

I can also recommend Fentimen's.  

Here are some more.  Would like to try some of these.  Might find a few and see what they do now that we are in Spring and will be getting into Summer.

https://www.craftginclub.co.uk/ginnedmagazine/the-15-best-tonics-for-your-craft-gin

 

Damn, Fever Tree is the only one on that list I've ever seen in a store.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/20/2021 at 3:00 PM, Telegraph_it said:

Gin tastes better on a plane. I don’t know why. 

Tanqueray & Tonic w/a couple o' limes screams:

"Christmas Formals in West Campus!" to me.


Cheap gin & tonic with a lemon wedge screams:

"Expat event at the British embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina!" to me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, squib said:

20004241_720x.jpg?v=1613511546

 

I always have a bottle of this in the liquor cabinet. Botanist is #2. Hendricks #3. A lime and one of the Fever Tree tonics and you're in business. 

old raj is good shit.  great for martinis.  i like hendricks okay but dont like the idea of flavored gin.  

I think i posted this on the other gin thread, but there's a UT botany professor that picks juniper berries from the Davis Mountains and ships it off to Washington to make gin.   There are two of them and I can't recall the names.  Wild June seems to be one of them.  They're decent and quite affordable.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, thrillhammer said:

old raj is good shit.  great for martinis.  i like hendricks okay but dont like the idea of flavored gin.  

I think i posted this on the other gin thread, but there's a UT botany professor that picks juniper berries from the Davis Mountains and ships it off to Washington to make gin.   There are two of them and I can't recall the names.  Wild June seems to be one of them.  They're decent and quite affordable.

This made me laugh, since gin is really just flavored vodka. :)

 

Reminds me of an article I read maybe 20 years ago when the boutique vodka craze first started.  The author commented that we should be careful, because if we took it to far, we might just invent gin. 

 

  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, utee94 said:

This made me laugh, since gin is really just flavored vodka. :)

 

Reminds me of an article I read maybe 20 years ago when the boutique vodka craze first started.  The author commented that we should be careful, because if we took it to far, we might just invent gin. 

 

disagree.  gin is flavored vodka as much as bourbon or rum are.  vodka is grain alcohol.  has no flavor.  all other spirits get their flavor from their process and ingredients.  my point about flavored gin was that, though i love a cucumber-flavored gin and tonic, i dont want that flavor every time i have a gin and tonic.  that's why i dont buy hendricks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, thrillhammer said:

disagree.  gin is flavored vodka as much as bourbon or rum are.  vodka is grain alcohol.  has no flavor.  all other spirits get their flavor from their process and ingredients.  my point about flavored gin was that, though i love a cucumber-flavored gin and tonic, i dont want that flavor every time i have a gin and tonic.  that's why i dont buy hendricks.

SHIT !!!!!!!  Now you tell me.... I guess I can stop paying $75 for that Belvedere vodka now...

Now if you like the flavor of cucumber flavored gin (on occasion), but don't want to taste it every time you have a G&T, why not buy another different brand of gin to add some variety to your bar ? Then you've got variety for those times you want a different taste.......  I know I know that's just craaaaazy talk.

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

SHIT !!!!!!!  Now you tell me.... I guess I can stop paying $75 for that Belvedere vodka now...

Now if you like the flavor of cucumber flavored gin (on occasion), but don't want to taste it every time you have a G&T, why not buy another different brand of gin to add some variety to your bar ? Then you've got variety for those times you want a different taste.......  I know I know that's just craaaaazy talk.

why not just keep cucumbers in your fridge?  i do keep multiple bottles of gin in my house, and have bought a couple of hendricks in the past (the regular and the orbium), i just dont foresee buying it again.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

old raj is good shit.  great for martinis.  i like hendricks okay but dont like the idea of flavored gin.  
I think i posted this on the other gin thread, but there's a UT botany professor that picks juniper berries from the Davis Mountains and ships it off to Washington to make gin.   There are two of them and I can't recall the names.  Wild June seems to be one of them.  They're decent and quite affordable.
I tried Wild June a few years ago and it was absolutely horrible. And I thought I celebrated gin's entire catalog.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Paco said:
On 3/30/2021 at 7:43 AM, thrillhammer said:
old raj is good shit.  great for martinis.  i like hendricks okay but dont like the idea of flavored gin.  
I think i posted this on the other gin thread, but there's a UT botany professor that picks juniper berries from the Davis Mountains and ships it off to Washington to make gin.   There are two of them and I can't recall the names.  Wild June seems to be one of them.  They're decent and quite affordable.

I tried Wild June a few years ago and it was absolutely horrible. And I thought I celebrated gin's entire catalog.

i didnt think it was horrible, but it was nothing noteworthy.  i would put it up there with the waterloo and revolution local gins.  i had to try it since ft davis is near and dear to my heart, and she was working at the mcdonald observatory i believe was the story.  i supported her cause with one purchase.  actually two, her other one is called checkerbark and i bought that one too.  tasted the same as wild june to me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My first experience with gin was when some friends and I acquired a bottle of Skol gin in high school.  It was late and the only thing we could find to mix it with was pepsi.  It was so nasty I couldn't drink enough of it to get drunk.  It's piss.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, kevwun said:

My first experience with gin was when some friends and I acquired a bottle of Skol gin in high school.  It was late and the only thing we could find to mix it with was pepsi.  It was so nasty I couldn't drink enough of it to get drunk.  It's piss.

Ya couldn't find some fucking juice somewhere ?

 You should try some scotch and Diet mountain dew.

Link to comment
Share on other sites



disagree.  gin is flavored vodka as much as bourbon or rum are.  vodka is grain alcohol.  has no flavor.  all other spirits get their flavor from their process and ingredients.


Bourbon is grain alcohol. The reason vodka has no flavor is because it's distilled to ~94.5%. Basically pure ethenol, which has no flavor. Whiskies are never distilled above 80% or so to retain most of the natural flavors from the mash ingredients. The rest of the flavor comes from the aging process.

Gin almost always starts out as a neutral spirit just like vodka, then the botanicals are added back in using various methods. Some of which a basic infusion at the end of the process. So yeah, gin is flavored vodka.
  • Hook 'Em 3
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites






Bourbon is grain alcohol. The reason vodka has no flavor is because it's distilled to ~94.5%. Basically pure ethenol, which has no flavor. Whiskies are never distilled above 80% or so to retain most of the natural flavors from the mash ingredients. The rest of the flavor comes from the aging process.

Gin almost always starts out as a neutral spirit just like vodka, then the botanicals are added back in using various methods. Some of which a basic infusion at the end of the process. So yeah, gin is flavored vodka.

I get what you are saying about vodka, BUT...

Zubrowka most definitely has a distinct flavor. So does Jean-Marc XO. I can’t figure out how or why though.
Link to comment
Share on other sites


I get what you are saying about vodka, BUT...

Zubrowka most definitely has a distinct flavor. So does Jean-Marc XO. I can’t figure out how or why though.
I agree there are flavor differences in vodka. Since they're all cut with water it only makes sense.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ya couldn't find some fucking juice somewhere ?
 You should try some scotch and Diet mountain dew.

I tended bar for a bit once upon a time. Our Thursday special was $1 wells, this was ‘06-‘10. Most of our clientele were regular locals but every once in a while the college cries would stumble in. Most of them had no clue what a well was and would order the “$1 well.” Our bartender pact was scotch and Dr Pepper for anyone dumb enough to order the “$1 well.”


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
  • Like 2
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...