Sippin' On Gin... No Juice

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Aug 24, 2005 1:26PM

A few years back Chicagoist thought that we’d seen the end of flavored cocktails in most nightclubs and restaurants: appletinis, cosmos, sidecars, et al. Then the flavored rum craze hit just as flavored vodkas were straining back bars and store shelves across the city. For our money nothing beats a well-crafted gin martini to jump-start the appetite before dinner or carry us toward sunrise on those increasingly rare occasions when we find ourselves closing down a bar at four a.m. As the weather makes its slow descent into autumn a martini can also go down well on these crisp evenings.

The original flavored spirit, gin is distilled from grain (either wheat or rye) and flavored with juniper berries and an assortment of herbs, spices, roots, and other flavors (known as”botanicals”). Major gin distillers use column distilling techniques for a high-proof, clean tasting spirit. During the final distillation process the gin goes through a vapor infusion: the alcohol vapor wafts through a chamber in which the juniper berries and botanicals are suspended. This allows the flavoring and oils from the berries and botanicals to be extracted by the alcohol vapor and carried to the condenser.

Gin distillers vary their botanical combinations; some protect their ratios like military secrets, which can range from as few as four to as many as nineteen, in the case of France’s Citadel gin. Common botanicals among the popular gins found in stores and bars include coriander, anise, lemon peel, angelica root, and cassia bark. An example: Bombay Sapphire infuses ten botanicals into their gin, including almonds, grains of paradise, orris root, cubeb berries, and those listed in the prior sentence, with licorice root in place of anise.

Because of the abundance of hard flavors and spices found in gin casual or first-time martini drinkers lean toward vodka martinis or the flavored cocktails. When mixed with just the right amount of vermouth a gin martini can be a pleasant drinking experience. Chicagoist has found over our years of martini consumption that the sugars, caramel, and herbs infused in dry vermouth compliment a gin’s flavors.

Following the jump you’ll find tips on how to find a gin that agrees with you, how to make a martini, and offer some newer brands that are hitting shelves and back bars throughout the city.

When looking for a gin that agrees with your palate try “cutting” a gin with a splash of mineral water. Cutting the gin dilutes it just slightly enough to separate the primary botanicals in the mix. Ergo, if you prefer a sharper gin like Bombay Sapphire or Citadel you’ll notice a highlight of the anise-based roots and spices.

Once you find a gin you like the key is getting the ratio of gin to dry vermouth to your liking. Many gin drinkers order their martinis “dry.” That is, with as little vermouth as possible- sometimes none at all. Too much vermouth can ruin a martini. You might as well be drinking a glass of wine. Or vermouth, since it is a wine. Others prefer a “dirty” martini- with olive brine added to the mix.

Chicagoist fashions a “perfect” martini: we pour a half-ounce each of both dry and sweet vermouth in a chilled martini glass, work the glass around to coat the inside, and drain the excess. We also stir our martinis with a cocktail spoon or lightly swirl the cocktail shaker. Too much shaking aerates the gin. This is what is known as “bruising.” Bruising tends to make a martini taste sharper than one that’s stirred. For a garnish we use a lemon twist. Even when patted down with a cocktail napkin we find the brine solution in which olives are packed too invasive. The oils from the lemon peel further compliment the corresponding botanicals in the gin.

It only seems like a couple years ago when a gin drinker’s choices were Bombay or Bombay Sapphire, Tanqueray, Seagram’s, and Beefeater. With the increased demand for flavored vodkas and rums newer gins are hitting shelves hoping to take a bite out of the market. Here are a few of our picks:

•Plymouth Gin- A “London dry” gin made with limestone-filtered water. Plymouth is Chicagoist’s current gin of choice, and we’ve been Bombay Sapphire drinkers since we were carrying fake identification. The softer water tones down the botanicals and allows the drinker to enjoy the flavor of juniper berries, orange and lemon peels unencumbered.

•Zuidam- This Dutch gin is heavy on licorice root, with pronounced notes of Madagascar vanilla, Italian iris root, and Ceylon-imported cardamom pods. Zuidam mixes well with tonic, club soda, or ginger ale.

•Hendrick’s- This wonderfully quirky gin stands out for its inclusion of cucumbers and rose petals to the distillation. Hendrick’s makes an amazing martini, but don’t use any vermouth as it will ruin the balance of flavor.

•Boodles- 90.4 proof British gin. Full-bodied with prominent spicy notes and an oily finish that takes well to vermouth. Next to Sapphire, the only other gin Chicagoist would only consume as a martini. Boodles blends with vermouth better than any gin available.

•Indigo Gin by Larios- A Spanish gin with a clean flavor and prominent notes of citrus peel and angelica, this gin was initially produced specifically for the U.S. market and will see worldwide release in upcoming months. Indigo also has an eye-catching bottle design with an indigo paint splash on the front of the bottle. This harks back to the 19th century when Martin Larios, Master Distiller to the court of Spain, used small brushstrokes of blue paint to identify the best barrels of gin he wanted to set aside for private consumption.

Martini photo courtesy of Joe's Martini Page