The Ramos Gin Fizz & The Evening of Enlightenment

A while ago, my wife and I were celebrating our first wedding anniversary in New Orleans. A few months before, I had begun to develop an interest in classic cocktails after an accidental trip to a well-known watering hole in San Francisco. So, after a decent amount of research, I knew that we had to make it to the Swizzle Stick and Library Lounge for drinks before we headed back to Texas. Read more

Rhubarb Cocktails

While rhubarb certainly isn’t going to abduct you anytime soon or appear in a Will Smith movie, it is almost an alien to the world of bartending. One of the greatest things about working at the bar is the relationship we as bartenders have with the kitchen. When we don’t have time to do it ourselves, our executive chef, Dax, has a habit of whipping up a cool new syrup or ordering us some newly available produce for us to play with. Read more

An Evening with the Darb Cocktail

In early February, my wife and I had the privilege of spending a weekend in San Francisco. Of course, a trip to this fine city would not be complete without visiting the Absinthe Bar & Brasserie. This evening, after too many cocktails, the bar sent out an old drink from Harry Craddock’s Savoy Cocktail Book. Read more

Gin & Tonic Cans: Convenience Gone too Far

First the rattlesnake vodka, now canned gin and tonic; what the heck is going on here? Is the world completely giving up on the cocktail?

It all started when I was browsing the gin aisle at Houston’s ridiculously large liquor store, Spec’s, last week, and there it was canned gin and tonic. Read more

The Last Word

It is ironic that a drink called the Last Word has resulted in endless discussions on cocktail blogs all over the net. Attempting to knock the Aviation off the internet cocktail dork throne, this drink became an even popular topic of discussion following its appearance on Robert Hess’ video cocktail endeavor, the Cocktail Spirit. With such excellent coverage devoted to a singular cocktail, it might seem a bit repetitive to put together another homage to this wonderful classic, but I also think that this cocktail is a great classic to play with, making it a great option for this Mixology Monday.

To begin, let’s look at the components of the Last Word. This drink is extremely similar to another classic, the Aviation. The Aviation can be a tricky drink to make, as the maraschino can easily dominate the cocktail. Understanding this relationship is important as it is a vital consideration in the Last Word as well. If you’re new to the cocktail blog thing, here’s how to make the Aviation:

Aviation

2 oz Gin
1 oz Lemon Juice
2 Dashes Maraschino

Shake and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a homemade maraschino cherry.

Simple drink really, but one that can change and require some practice especially when different gins are used. I love a good Aviation, but the Last Word is much better in my opinion.

The Last Word

3/4 oz Gin
3/4 oz Green Chartreuse
3/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur
3/4 oz Lime Juice

Shake and strain into a cocktail glass.

Now there are some obvious changes here namely the diminished proportion of gin, the addition of green Chartreuse, and the substitution of lime juice for lemon juice. Maybe I just haven’t done enough reading on other blogs or forums, but I don’t personally like all these differences.

First, I prefer more gin in my Last Words. Hell, I want more gin in my cereal, but I really think it is needed here. As the drink stands, it is far too sweet because there is just too much maraschino in the drink. Sure, we could bump the maraschino down a bit, but I do like how it balances the Chartreuse. Combined however, the Chartreuse and maraschino dominate the rest of the drink in my opinion. More gin is definitely needed. I like a healthy dose of a heavy, well-balanced gin like Junipero. The green Chartreuse is a welcome addition to the standard Aviation, but it needs to know its role in the drink.

The other green companion, however, is out of place. Limes? Why does this drink use limes? I just don’t think they fit at all. The drink is much better with lemons. I dare you to make two sets of Last Words side-by-side and tell me the one with lime is better. Again, maybe I’ve just lost sight of the drink and gone down the path of my own preferences, but I don’t think so. My bar guests tend to agree, and I have stopped making Last Words with lime juice entirely.

I think the result of tinkering with the Last Word in the manners described creates a much more refined and balanced drink that utilizes the gin properties of the Aviation while capitalizing on the use of green Chartreuse. I don’t up the citrus as much as a traditional Aviation would, but it is important to let the gin be the star. Here’s how I make mine:

Refined Speech

1 1/2 oz Junipero
Gin 3/4 oz Green Chartreuse
3/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Now, clearly we have a very different drink than the original Last Word, but I think that changing ratios of this classic and switching citrus is well worth the experimenting. I rarely follow a recipe from a book. Sure, I start there, but ultimately the unique characteristics of the world’s spirits require adjustments in all cocktails. A good cocktail is the product of someone’s understanding of all the spirits and how they work together. A couple of others have tinkered with the Last Word as well; I hope I didn’t miss anyone:

Rick at Kaiser Penguin substituted St.Germain for Green Chartreuse and also used lemon juice. Good job Rick; this sounds interesting and will definitely be on the try this soon list…if only St. Germain were available in Texas. Rick definitely fits into the category of understanding a drinks’ individual components and their union, so I think you might want to test this one as well. C’mon, you didn’t have anything important to do tomorrow anyway.

Then there’s Jamie Bourdeau, who burns up rosemary and turning the Chartreuse into a torch. Don’t get this guy on your bad side; make sure you always tell him you like his drinks, or man, who knows what will happen to you. Not that there would be a situation when you wouldn’t like the drinks, as this one too looks awesome. If I ever make it to Seattle and can visit Vessel, this is the one drink I want to try more than any other. He calls it the Rubicon, and it also uses lemon juice instead of lime and ups the gin portions as well. I didn’t mean to come too close to Jamie’s recipe in my alteration, but I guess this suggests that the changes are somewhat agreeable. I hadn’t even seen Jamie recipe on his site until I had almost completed writing this, which is odd because I generally read everything he posts, so it was good to see some confirmation about my thoughts on the changes.

Now, go do a taste test of the two (or three or four) versions and tell me which one you like the best. I might be dead wrong, and I’m fine with that. I’m going to drink my modified version regardless of what you think. Every sip will tell me this is one of my favorite drinks, something I can’t say for the original version. Also, I tried to make sure that a similar cocktail made of gin, maraschino, green Chartreuse, and lemon juice doesn’t already exist. I don’t think it does, but this wouldn’t be the first time I was wrong. If you know something I don’t, let me know. Happy taste-testing. Now head back over to Jimmy’s Cocktail Hour to see everyone else’s variations on classics.

Pink Gin and My New British Friend

1,000’s of miles from his home, a man approached me the other day asking me to make him a Pink Gin. I don’t get requests for Pink Gins that often, but when I do, the guest usually has some common characteristics, namely bad teeth. But for what they may lack in dental hygiene, the English make up in cocktail appreciation.

Unlike modern American Kool-Aid cocktail connoisseurs, our friends across the pond love herbal and spiced dimensions in their drink. Man, Mom and Dad are you sure I was born here in the states and am the product of one American with a German background and another with some other non-British European White stuff in it? Wait a second, am I freaking adopted? If I find out about my biological status because of my love for Campari, I am going to be pissed off (and drink some more Campari). Either way, my tastes aren’t going to change anytime soon, and the English cocktail perspective remains as a persistent reminder on how to utilize different flavor elements in drinks. Pimm’s alone has such widespread use and distinct flavor that we could just stop here, but my bar guest wanted a Pink Gin.

I think my British friend expected me to say, “What’s that?” I got the impression that he only asked American bartenders for pink gins as a sort of reminiscing request. It wasn’t about the drink, but about feeling as though he was English and wasn’t going to abandon his strong devotion to good old gin and bitters. He wasn’t expecting to find someone else who loves the same drink I guess, because when I gave him a nod and made the drink in front of him, while continuing my conversation with another guest. I pushed the drink in front of him and noticed that he was just kind of staring at the drink. I was beginning to wonder if I had another cocktail expert on my hands who was going to correct me on how to make the drink correctly; bartenders, you know what I am talking about. The conversation usually goes something like this:

Cocktail Expert: Hey man, can I get one of those upside down, Tequila Zinger Zwangs, cherry style, on the rocks neat?

Me: …

Cocktail Expert: They are awesome; I had one at Shitty Drinks Pub on Tuesday!

Me: Can you tell me how to make a Tequila Zinger Zwang, cherry style upside down?

Cocktail Expert: What you don’t know how to make a T.Z.Z. Are you serious?

Cocktail Expert’s Jackass Friend: What kind of place is this?

Me: Well, if you tell me how to make it, I am sure I can come up with something close if that’s really what you are set on having.

Cocktail Expert: I don’t know! How should I know? You’re the bartender.

Me: Well, I tell you what. You guys give me a chance to make to one drink for each of you, and if it isn’t the best drink you’ve ever had, you can give it back, and I will make you my very best attempt at a T.Z.Z. on me.

Cocktail Expert: Awesome, you’re on.

(5 Drinks Later)

Former Cocktail Expert: Man, these drinks were awesome! What days do you work? We are coming back here tomorrow!

Actual Cocktail Expert Who Has Tolerated This Routine Too Many Times To Count (Me): Thanks guys; let me try some different stuff on you tomorrow and bring some friends. Have you ever had an Old Fashioned?

See how this works? I was ready for this guy to say something like this and tell me how to make a pink gin the “right” way. But, this prediction was way off base, see the British have some sort of detailed cocktail recipe consensus that says how to make certain drinks. Sure, there are variations like with any cocktail, but generally some fundamental rules are followed with each British cocktail. Knowing, this I should have known that this guy wasn’t going to be a pretentious asshole. Something else must have been going on. I asked Nicole to hold on a second and asked the guy if everything was ok. He said, “Man, I’ve been living in Houston for seven years and nobody has ever made me a pink gin without asking me how to make it! That’s awesome! How do you know how to make one of those?” Uhm, because I am a bartender, and you should know how to make one!

Pinks Gins have some variance however, as they are often preferred with tonic water and/or lime. But in its most fundamental state, a pink gin is not a G&T with bitters, instead, it is made as follows:

Pink Gin

2 oz Gin
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

Pour the gin over a rocks glass filled with ice and dash bitters on top.

It is called a “Pink Gin” because, well, it looks pink and is made mostly of gin. See, one more reason to love the Brits, simple drink names. The T.Z.Z. would never be served in a British bar. As with many combinations of gin, bitters, and tonic, the Pink Gin was initially conceived by the British Royal Navy as a medicinal treatment for diseases like malaria, seasickness, and other stomach ailments, but we know that they were just making that crap up to drink more gin.

The Pink Gin is awesome because it is so simple and has the ability to bring out so many flavors from the gin and bitters, but can we make it more interesting I wondered. I walked outside and cut a sprig of rosemary of our plant who is still really angry at me for the Rosemarriage Drink of the Week from a couple of weeks ago. I muddled a small sprig of rosemary in a glass with the bitters and a quartered lime wedge, added ice, and the gin and shook and strained my new mixture into a cocktail glass, garnished with a lemon twist wrapped around a fresh rosemary spring. The drink rocked and had such a fresh herbal aroma and taste with all of the traditional Pink Gin qualities.

I passed the drink to my new British friend, and he really liked it. He said he was going to definitely bring some of his other British friends in to have some and take the idea home the next time he visited. If you don’t drink Pink Gins frequently, take this guy’s enthusiasm for this simple cocktail as motivation for trying something simpler which can be expanded on. Just don’t be that guy when you ask you bartender for one. The conversation will likely go something like this if you are:

Cocktail Expert (Due To Reading This Blog): Hey man, can I get one of those Pink Gins?

Less Cocktail Enthused Bartender: …

Cocktail Expert: Don’t tell me you don’t know how to make a Pink Gin. What kind of place is this?

Less Cocktail Enthused Bartender: One you can leave, take your breast cancer awareness gin ass and get the fuck out.

Cocktailess Expert (Due To Not Reading The Entirety Of This Post): Uh, oops…

Man, etiquette and good drinks, what more could you want? How about trying a Pink Gin without the rocks and with different types of bitters. The flavors can really be awesome like this. You’ve got to give it up for those Brits; they really know their drinks. God save the queen and all her cocktails!

A Tale of Frat Guys, Campari, and the Negroni

I am an enormous fan of the Negroni. I get cravings for one drink or another from time to time, but no other drink beckons my inner cocktailian like the perfect combination of sweet vermouth, gin, and Campari. The flavors are best demonstrated when served up, but I love my Negronis on the rocks and enjoy the transition from bold to calm. My first Negroni experience was awful. I had this bottle of Campari I didn’t know what to do with, and like a pacifist firing a gun for the first time, was kicked by the strength of the Campari.

I remembered this feeling distinctly when last week a couple of frat guys interrupted me as I was greeting a new bar guest. “Hey bartender; we need a shot now!” Apparently, the time period it would have taken to make one cocktail for someone who had arrived at the bar first was too long to endure before they continued to treat their stomachs and livers like they were mortal enemies.

“What can I get you guys?” My bar guest gave me a look that told me that it was okay to take care of them so we could continue our conversation about authentic cocktails before reaching a liquid decision. Non-verbal bar communication is like a universal magical device used by bartenders and favorite patrons that tells each participant that everything is going to be okay; I’ve got you in mind at all times.

Frat guys obviously aren’t aware of the non-verbal aspects of the bar. “Whatever man; just give us something you like.”

“You want it neat?” I asked, hoping they would grant me unrestricted freedom to demonstrate why disrespecting the bartender and other guests is always an unwise act.

Still trying to grasp the concept of the term “neat”, Mr. Popped Collar finally said “sure.”

“Wonderful; have you guys ever had Campari?”

“No, let’s do it!”

Campari is kind of an acquired taste. I was overwhelmed by my first negroni (which was also my first Campari venture) and swore I would never have another, but the next day I couldn’t deny this inner urge and found myself shaking the classic again. By the end of the week, I had a new favorite drink. That was a few years ago. These guys were Campari rookies, and I wasn’t going to give them the luxury of having it mixed. Warm Campari it was!

“It tastes like tree bark! Man, what was that? That was the worst thing I have ever had in my life! Can I have a drink of water?”

“Sorry, guys; give me a second while I take care of this guy’s cocktail.” I betted that they were wishing they had waited earlier instead of having to wait now.

“You gave us a gag shot; we wanted something you would actually drink.”

“Guys, I love Campari, and so does everybody else.” I gestered to the glass I held and passed the negroni to my patient guest who I had come to know as Mark. After asking Mark if there was anything else I could get him, I made a couple of waters. Mark loved his negroni and swore to come back every time he was in town.

As is my nature, I am always looking for improvements or equally respectable alternatives to classic drinks. Despite its wonderful equation, I contemplated if the negroni could be improved. Our chef, Dax had given me a red wine, balsamic vinegar syrup earlier in the week that he had been playing with, and I thought it would make an ideal substitution for sweet vermouth in the negroni. The drink was outstanding! While a little sweeter than a traditional Negroni, rebalancing the drink by using larger portions of gin and Campari made a perfect cocktail. I’m not saying that the syrup is even close to the bottled magic of Vya, but a good change from time to time is always welcome.

To make the syrup just use a red wine instead of water and make a simple syrup, which is just equal parts sugar and water heated over the stove until the sugar has dissolved. In this case, also add some balsalmic vinegar to taste. It is that easy and really makes a distinct cocktail ingredient. I like drinking this syrup with soda water as well. You don’t need to use your best French treasure; just pick a cheaper basic red wine. Here’s how I used it in my twist on the negroni:

Negroni

1 oz Gin
1 oz Campari
1 oz Sweet Vermouth
1 Orange Slice

Shake and strain into a cocktail glass or serve on the rocks. Garnish with an orange slice.

“Megroni”

1 ¼ oz Gin (use a bolder more traditional gin)
1 ¼ oz Campari
½ oz Red Wine Balsalmic Syrup
1 Orange Slice

Shake and strain into a cocktail glass or serve on the rocks. Garnish with an orange slice.

The Negroni is a wonderful drink, and I really think that this approach has some potential as well. Is it the going to reach the enduring status of its inspiration? Probably not, but if you’re feeling creative, give it a try. If you find yourself at a bar where this isn’t an option, ask for a Negroni. Just make sure it is your turn.

North Shore Gin No. 6 – The Bartender’s Gin

The legacy of Teddy Roosevelt is littered with contradictions, yet his hypocrisy was most blatant towards alcohol. A devoted absinthe drinker, Teddy seemed to enjoy the pleasures of a drink. However, having learned his lesson one night after consuming too much, he swore to never drink in excess again. According to all accounts, Teddy fulfilled this promise. It was absinthe after all. Despite his lifelong love for the green fairy, Roosevelt campaigned for the prohibition of alcohol since his political career began in New York. Nevertheless, Teddy’s Rough Riders and the Spanish American War are inextricably linked to the Cuba Libre and an increased interest in rum among Americans during this period. This contradictive history hardly suggests how Teddy and his big stick would react to the modern world of alcohol. However, one thing is certain - Teddy Roosevelt would be pissed!

The most important impact of Roosevelt’s political career was his defiance of large corporations. The ongoing purchasing of smaller distilleries by large corporation has become the single greatest threat to the micro-distillery movement that is critical to the reinvigorated interest in cocktails. While the growth of micro-distilleries appears to be duplicating the microbrewery movement, the critical difference between these two industries appears to be that most breweries have relished in their independence, while many smaller distilleries seem to be established for the intended purpose of selling to a larger corporation. This trend has been particularly common among tequila producers in Jalisco and Russian vodka companies, each which have ended in disastrous results (please read my posts on the tequila industry and Russian vodka industry for more information). While it is difficult to fault larger corporations for acting appropriately and with good business sense, the impact of acquisition has influenced the quality of many spirits. Other producers have been redirect towards popular trends that defiantly contradict past traditions, diminishing any previous imagination and creativity. The pillar of innovation in this global takeover remains the independent distillery.

It is important that those of us who value quality spirits that push the boundaries of the industry in positive manner show support for smaller companies. This activism does not mean that you should never drink and Tanqueray and tonic again, but these circumstances do demand that when a quality independent product is developed, support needs to be shown. Conversation and grassroots support remain the most critical component of the success of these distilleries in a heavily advertised commercial market. Relying on others to provide this publicity can only result in the failure of this entrepreneurial spirit.

One of the many distilleries nationwide producing amazing spirits is the North Shore Disillery, located near Chicago in Lake Bluff, Illinois. Founded by Derek and Sonja Kassebaum, this distillery has developed several wonderful products which will impress anyone who appreciates quality spirits. Here is a list of the spirits that North Shore produces:

Gin –
Distiller’s Gin No. 6
No. 6 Mingled with Dates
No. 6 Mingled with Ceylon Tea
Distiller’s Gin No. 11

Vodka –
North Shore Vodka
Tahitian Vanilla Vodka

Artisan Collection –
Aquavit - Private Reserve

The list speaks for itself. The list of gins alone is intriguing enough. Distiller’s Gin No. 6 is in my opinion one of the best on the market, yet the infusion of their gin with dates and Ceylon tea is a first for the industry. Not only are they pioneering the infusion of gin, but the choices of dates and Ceylon tea provides a unique product that cannot be found in any other spirit. Aside from making new flavors available to mixologists, Distiller’s Gin No. 11 is produce solely for restaurants and bars and is not available in stores, emphasizing a relationship between the distillery and any bartenders willing to try and talk about a great product. The vanilla vodka infusion is the best on the market, hands-down no questions asked, but my favorite product made by North Shore is the Aquavit. I wrote a whole post on how much I love this stuff – check it out! I know that there a bunch of quality independent distilleries out there, but I can’t think of one that produces such diverse and consistent line of quality spirits.

The one product that needs to get more attention however is Distiller’s Gin No. 6. Many bartenders really seem hyped up on Hendrick’s (I love it too), but Hendrick’s lack a critical spice dimension that prevents it from exhibiting all of the best characteristics of gin. Nevertheless, as part of the non-traditional gin movement, Hendrick’s popularity is based largely on its ability to inspire new uses in cocktails. North Shore has similar characteristics and makes some amazing cocktails, but it adds the spice dimension that Hendrick’s lacks. Additionally, unlike other newer gins, the use of citrus fruit is not too dominant. Citrus fruit should be a crucial component in any gin, but stressing citrus too much threatens the spectrum of flavors that a gin exhibits. I get some lime out of No. 6, but the juniper remains the backbone of the gin and serves a foundation for other elements (another principle that new wave gins often violate to their own detriment). The herbal properties of the gin are excellent, but as with Hendrick’s, the floral components are really distinguishing. The cardamom and lavender particularly stand out. The spice elements are magnificent as well; cinnamon is emphasized in this gin with excellent results. I love this gin and drink it neat all the time. The finish of the gin is unlike any other and focuses on the floral and peppery properties of the gin.

Despite specifically targeting bartenders through Distiller’s Gin No. 11, I think that Gin No. 6 is an amazing mixing gin. The diverse flavors work so well in so many cocktails, but their equal balance allows for certain elements to impact cocktails individually. A martini made with North Shore is my favorite, as I mentioned in the “9,204 REAL Martinis and Counting…” post, but I have tried this gin in several classic cocktails and really found these to work well:

The Bebbo Cocktail

1 ½ oz North Shore Gin No. 6
1 oz Lemon Juice
½ oz Honey
2 Teaspoons Orange Juice
1 Maraschino Cherry for Garnsih

Stir all the ingredients together without ice until the honey dissolves. The honey dissolves quicker if its viscosity is lessened through heating. After this process, shake the ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

This cocktail was saved from extinction by Dr. Cocktail (Ted Haigh) in Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails and is a variation of the Bee’s Knees Cocktail, which does not include the OJ. The gin works so well with the honey and really makes this drink reach the next level!

The Aviation

2 oz North Shore Gin No. 6
1/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur
½ oz Lemon Juice
Shake all the ingredients and strain into a cocktail glass.

This drink is usually made with a more traditional, juniper propaganda-styled gin, but because the juniper is still very active in North Shore it still works well here. I also cut back on the Maraschino Liqueur for two reasons. First, I use Stock because it is most available, and the dryness of Stock works better in a lesser quantity here (this Aviation tip came from Gary Regan in The Joy of Mixology). Also, the Maraschino Liqueur can dominate some of the more subtle properties of the gin if too much is used.

Shores Up North

2 oz North Shore Gin No. 6
½ oz Ginger Syrup
½ oz Lime Juice
Tonic Water
8 Mint Leaves
Lime Wheel for Garnish
Mint Sprig for Garnish

Muddle the mint leaves in the base of a tall glass with the ginger syrup. Fill the glass with ice and add the lime juice and the gin. Top the glass with tonic water and pour the drink into a shaker. Stir gently (don’t agitate the tonic and flatten it) but thoroughly. Strain into a an ice filled glass and garnish with the lime wheel and mint sprig.

I like this drink and made it after messing around with the Ginger Rogers in Jeff Hollinger and Rob Schwartz’s The Art of the Bar. I was going to make a Ginger Rogers, but I didn’t realize I had depleted all of my homemade ginger beer until it was too late. Not that it would have mattered; I was out of siphon cartridges as well, so I couldn’t even do a blander soda substitute. All I had was bottled tonic water, but the drink was awesome. I liked it so much I keep making it unaltered, tonic water and all! This is one of my favorites, and I have been drinking it frequently in this Houston heat!

Update: After the comments made about Audrey Saunders’ drink the Gin Gin Mule, it became apparent that her drink was strikingly similar to the drink I had made out of necessity and lack of ingredients. Here is her recipe:

 

Gin Gin Mule

½ oz Lime Juice
½ oz Simple Syrup
6 Mint Sprigs
¾ oz Ginger Beer
1 ½ oz Gin
Splash Soda Water
Lime Wedge for Garnish

Muddle the lime juice, syrup, and mint. Add gin and ginger beer and shake well. Pour over ice in a highball glass. Top with soda and garnish with the lime wedge. From Dale DeGroff’s The Craft of the Cocktail.

 

Try these drinks and the gin; you won’t be disappointed. I rarely give a complete endorsement to a single company or brand, but the North Shore Distillery not only deserves it, they belong to a group of companies that need community interest. North Shore is still predominantly available in Chicago and surrounding areas, but their website has information on how you can get your hands on some. North Shore Gin No. 6 is is featured in this post because the online community needs to provide more support for these types of products. Relying on the industry is insufficient. While gaining positive reviews from several sources, the North Shore company was underappreciated at the San Francisco Spirits Competition, receiving only a Bronze Medal. While some independent distilleries were treated more fairly at the competition, the SFSC was again used to exhibit larger brands and provide commercial opportunities for larger spirits (check out my post on the lack of objectivity of this “competition”). This is the most blatant example of why independent distilleries need more grassroots assistance. Try the gin, mix the gin, but above all, talk about it. Clearly, North Shore and others rely upon individuals and objectivity for their ongoing success. But, what is often ignored is that the industry as a whole relies upon companies like North Shore for innovation and evolution. Teddy would agree. Who knows - maybe he would raise a glass too.

9,204 Different REAL Martinis and Counting…

In The Joy of Mixology, Gary Regan makes the argument that the Manhattan is “the best cocktail on earth.” His rationale is partially based on “digesting all the variables” that influence a Manhattan’s taste. Gary probably knows more about this cocktail than anyone on the planet, and he argues that the best Manhattans consider the properties of their whiskey appropriately. For example, a spicier whiskey, such as a rye, needs more vermouth to correctly balance the drink. Milder whiskeys, such as a wheated bourbon, needs less vermouth. Therefore, to successfully create an ideal Manhattan, the bartender must have an extensive knowledge of whiskies, vermouth, and bitters. More importantly, to become a cocktail artisan, one must understand how the ingredients work together. Amid these circumstances, it is easy to understand why Gary claims the Manhattan to be the “best”.

Now, I would certainly never attempt to refute anything that Gary Regan has said. The man drools more bartending knowledge in his sleep than I posses. However, the term “best” is rather opinionated, allowing for me to add my own two cents. Additionally, Gary’s arguments for Manhattan supremacy have recently become applicable to the Martini. Now, I am not going to claim that the Martini is great because it was one of the first or is more iconic. Instead, let’s just consider the same concepts of complexity with the Martini.

THE MARTINI

3 oz Gin
1 oz Vermouth
2 Dashes Bitters (Orange Preferred)
Olive for Garnish

Combine all the ingredients in a tin and stir. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with the olive.

Simple enough? Maybe so - 10 years ago. Gin’s popularity was in the gutter and few brands were available to consumers. What a difference a decade has made! Gin has gained so much popularity that it is hard to keep up with all of the available brands. Consequently, the impact on the Martini is diversity. Just as the Manhattan is influenced by the abundant number of whiskies available, the Martini has become exponentially complex as new gins have developed. Bitters manufacturing has expanded as well, which equally influences both the Manhattan and the Martini. The combinations seem endless, but I came up with a ROUGH calculation of the possibilities for the Martini drinker.

The Rules: This task was a little more difficult than I expected. I generally keep track of most new products, especially gins, that are hitting the market, but, WOW, there are just so many more than I thought. I started listing them of the top of my head initially, got to about 30, and decided I needed some help. After surveying a few online merchants with huge selections, I settled on the list below, which I am sure is still incomplete. I excluded crap gins (such as Skol, McCormick, and any other company that produces a type of each major spirit and makes me want to vomit) and gins that are not traditionally used in Martinis (such as Holland’s gins). A lot of discussion has been made about whether some newer gins make good martinis and even count as gins. Some of my favorite articles covering this issue have been written by Gary Regan in the San Francisco Chronicle and Eric Asimov in the New York Times, but for the purpose of argumentation, let’s just count those gins that meet a minimum quality standard and could conceptually be used in a Martini. Vermouth has to be French Vermouth, and the bitters have to be either a basic (generally angostura flavored or similar) or orange, which was used originally. We will let Stirrings Blood Orange bitters in to be fair, but Collins chemical-orange-death-mixture is out. Other flavored bitters, while great in Martinis, are excluded just to draw the line somewhere. Alright, here’s the list of options:

TYPES OF FRENCH VERMOUTH

1. Boissiere
2. Cinzano
3. Dolin
4. Gallo
5. Kedem
6. Lejon
7. Martini & Rossi
8. Noilly Prat
9. Stock
10. Tribuno
11. Versasi
12. Vya

TYPES OF GIN

1. Aviation
2. Bafferts
3. Beefeater
4. Beefeater Wet
5. Blackwood’s
6. Blackwood’s 60
7. Bluecoat
8. Bombay
9. Bombay Sapphire
10. Boodles
11. Broker’s
12. Bulldog
13. Burnett’s
14. Cascade Mountain
15. Citadelle
16. Cork
17. Damrak
18. Desert Juniper
19. DH Krahn
20. Dogfish
21. G’Vine
22. Gabriel Boudier
23. Gilbey’s
24. Glenmore
25. Gordon’s
26. Gordon’s Distillers Cut
27. Hampton’s
28. Hendrick’s
29. Iceberg
30. Indigo
31. Juniper Green
32. Junipero
33. Kensington
34. Magellan
35. Mercury
36. Miller’s
37. Miller’s Westbourne Strength
38. No. 209
39. Northshore
40. Old Raj (46% ABV)
41. Old Raj (55% ABV)
42. Parliament
43. Plymouth
44. Plymouth Navy Strength
45. Quintessential
46. Rogue Spruce
47. Sarticious
48. Seagram’s
49. Seagram’s Lime Twisted
50. Seagram’s Reserve
51. South
52. Tanqueray
53. Tanqueray Rangpur
54. Tanqueray Ten
55. Tower of London
56. Van Gogh
57. Whitley Neill
58. Xoriguer
59. Zuidam

TYPES OF BITTERS

1. Angostura
2. Angostura (Orange)
3. A.V. Wees
4. A.V. Wees (Oranje)
5. Bitter Truth
6. Bitter Truth (Orange)
7. Fee Brother’s
8. Fee Brother’s (Orange)
9. Hermes
10. Hermes (Orange)
11. Peychaud’s
12. Regan’s (Orange)
13. Stirring’s (Blood Orange)

POSSIBLE MARTINIS: 9,204!

That’s right; with no repetition, there are 9,204 possible different combinations of 1 type of vermouth, 1 type of gin, and 1 type of bitters! And, as with the Manhattan, different degrees of vermouth work better with different strengths and flavors of gin. One could even make the argument that the variations in gin are more extreme than whiskies because of the diverse amount of herbs and other spices used. Further, not all gins work well with all vermouths. My favorites in each category are Vya Vermouth and Old Raj for example, but these two simply don’t work well together in my opinion. This is partially because Old Raj’s saffron elements seem to clash with some of Vya’s complexity; use Noilly Prat with Old Raj instead. This is just one example of the adjustments that need to be made for different ingredients.

Previously, when gin was more uniform in taste, the alterations were less essential. But as the gin market expands, bartenders need to be more aware of the relationship between their ingredients. So which is more difficult, the Manhattan or the Martini? Who knows? Gary’s original argument probably still applies because gin has yet to outnumber types of whiskies and probably never will. However, all other issues aside, the increasing diversity of gin makes the Martini a flexible contender. The question ultimately is unimportant; instead find out which of each you like the best. Here’s mine:

MY FAVORITE MARTINI (CURRENTLY)

2 ½ oz Northshore Gin
1 oz Vya Vermouth
3 Dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters
Lemon Twist for Garnish

MY FAVORITE MANHATTAN (CURRENTLY)

2 ¼ oz Sazerac 6 Rye
1 oz Vya Sweet Vermouth
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters
1 Maraschino Cherry for Garnish

Are they the best? Is one better than the other? Who knows, but they are my favorites right now. I have had a lot of Martinis, but nowhere near 9,204. I won’t try some by choice, and others I probably won’t have the opportunity to experience. If I just tried one of the possible combinations every day, it would take over 25 years to complete the list of combinations, and new gin brands are certainly going to continue to appear as well, making this objective impossible. Nevertheless, the quest for the unobtainable holy grail of the Martini is more about the journey than the drink.

Follow-Up Note: In a strange sort of coincidence that would almost only happen with the best of cocktails, a couple other blogs I am big fans of wrote on the Martini when I was working on this post or just before. I like each of these blogs and wanted to go ahead and recommend them as other readings related to this post and as great blogs! Check out Married with Dinner and Oh Gosh! if you liked this post.

I Love "The Raj"

I always try and provide unique information on this blog. These efforts generally direct me towards newer products or obscure, but important, information. In doing so, I hope to improve knowledge and help people to understand and create better cocktails. Additionally, one of the things I am learning about blogging is how much you can learn by investigating issues further in an effort to write better posts (the “Deadly Russian Vodka Crisis” post floored me when I was researching it). However, sometimes, you just want to talk about something that you love and want others to try as well.

I love gin. I love it on the rocks, with tonic, and mixed in my favorite cocktails. I enjoy all types of gin from those that manage to package pure juniper in a bottle to those that orchestrate a complex symphony of herbs and spices. However, if I had to pick just one gin to drink for the rest of my life, I would choose Old Raj. It is an amazing gin with so much to offer. If you have never tried it, you need to do so!

Old Raj is a Scottish dry gin that packs a punch. Unlike most gins, Old Raj carries an alcohol content of 55 percent which would seemingly threaten to cover the complexity of the spirit. However, the gin’s flavors are wonderfully extensive. The reason why I love Old Raj is because it combines so many different flavor types. Some gins (Citadelle is a good example) combine numerous ingredients, but the choices can be too similar, creating a gin with dominant herbal flavors for example. The result can be gins that are one-dimensional. Old Raj provides a gin with noticeable juniper, spices, herbs, and floral tones. The diversity of the flavors in Old Raj is unparalleled, but somehow manages to work together well. Most notable is the presence of saffron which not only gives Old Raj its yellow color, but also provides a trademark flavor.

The best attribute of Old Raj is that it is a universal gin. Sometimes, gin can work well in some cocktails and be horrible in others. Other gins work well independently, and some need to be mixed. Most importantly, certain gins are awesome in martinis, but other gins seem created for the “Postmodern Gin Movement”, which focuses on expanding gin beyond juniper and the spirit’s traditional use in martinis. I have created the term “Postmodern Gin Movement” since my last rant on Tanqueray Rangpur. I like it; you heard it here first. For more information on which gins work best in martinis, check out Eric Asimov’s article on martinis in the New York Times today. I have found that Old Raj works well in each of these situations and has the potential to add so much to cocktails because of its varied flavor profile.

There – I just wrote about something I really liked. That felt great! If you try Old Raj, you will experience a similar feeling. Wow, that whole post made me want some of the “Raj” right now. Unfortunately, I’m out. The stores are closed. I now have plans for tomorrow.

 

By the way, my claim to love “The Raj” should be taken as a term of endearment and in no way should be interpreted as support for colonialism. Me and Ghandi are still cool.

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