My husband likes Boodle’s gin quite a bit
Just tried Isle of Harris. Sadly it costs too much to become a habit. It starts like a great London dry like Ford’s and finishes very subtly on a lingering sugar kelp note.
1 Like
Anyone else here like Bombay Sapphire East? It’s currently my favorite; it’s basically Sapphire with additional lemongrass and peppercorn botanicals.
1 Like
Apparently not. Shame, as I love trying new gins, but hate to spend money on one I’m not gonna like.
Have you checked them on The Gin is in? I am about to.
PS. Crostwater was not, but I found a review likening it to spiced banana bread. Five Saints Tuscan is reviewed on The Gin is in. I recently given a bottle of Few Breakfast Gin. With its bergamot, it was evocative of Earl Grey tea. It did not work for me in my top three gin drinks (martini, G &T, and Negroni), but it made a terrific Army and Navy and was quickly downed. I prefer London dry, but I also love The Botanist, Caorunn, Isle of Harris, and St. George (Terroir and Botanivore). Do you have any favorites?
1 Like
Yup. Mentioned them further upthread.
Thanks for the website link, btw. Not sure I want banana bread in my martini, which is my standard gin cocktail.
1 Like
How does the piney one compare with St. George’s Terroir? That has become a recurring Holiday Season treat.
I’d have to have them side by side, and it’s been a while since I’ve had either.
My ‘every day’ gin for martini is Bluecoat, although we also have the Gunpowder gin in the house ATM. I like variety. My PIC prefers Hendricks, for the most part. They have the occasional seasonal variety, not all of which are successful.
1 Like
Mine is Tanqueray 10, a ‘nearly perfectly made gin’. It’s really good imho.
2 Likes
Haven’t had that in a long time. Will give it a try next time I have the chance.
A wonderful gin I tried yesterday. Makes a killer martini. Isle of Harris.
2 Likes
If I were blessed with unlimited wealth, it would be my regular martini gin. That little note of sugar kelp is haunting and beguiling as you lower your glass. I wonder if a drop or two of the sugar kelp they also sell would be good in my usual Tanq.
1 Like
Yeah, the price tag is hefty. “Lucky” for me it’s not available in retail anywhere near me 
It’s available at the local store where I ordered the Xoriguer. Next time I place an order, which won’t be for a while, I’ll get one.
1 Like
But you can order it and have it shipped to your local store 
I’ll stick to my Bluecoat (though gin season is over and the Manhattan season has begun).
1 Like
Seven years after your post i had to reply about John D McDonald novels. What a series! They are a bit dated but in a food way. The protagonist is amazing, who would have thought to turn a Rolls Royce into a pickup!
Travis McGee is pretty impressive too.
But McDonald’s mini talks on urban development, Florida, gambling, drugs and relationships give the books an extra dimension.
I just spent 6 days on a cruise ship drinking gins and bourbons and i have to say that the Beefeater was a touch less botanical than the Tanqueray, at least to me. I kept going back to the Beefeater. Smooth sailing.
Bulleitt took the honors for the bourbons.
1 Like
I think this statement can be parsed into several subcategories.
Can I distinguish the qualitative difference between the cocktails? Which do I prefer and how strong is the preference.
I might not be able to tell you which gin is which is the two Negronis my wife and I might prepare, but I can usually pick out one or the other that I prefer. Now it is an economic question, is my preference worth the cost of the gin. For an ounce of $50 per bottle vs $25 gin, the difference is about $1.09.
Can I reliably pick out which gin is which in a Negroni when I know what the list I am picking from?
This is fun. It may have some value the first time I try it. After all, I only need justify $1.09.
Can I pick out blind a particular gin in a Negroni. To me, this is a parlor trick of little value except amazement. I am reminded of the Lord Peter Whimsey short story which is centered on a blind wine tasting.
Further addition: most often, my wife and I will have the same base 1oz-1oz-1oz and then use different bitters. The difference 6 drops of each of the two bitters we use is astounding. We are also very liberal on our definition of Negroni. However, we rarely use Campari as it is like a '60s muscle car: it is powerful enough to plow thru a brick wall but I would not expect it to be responsive to steering.
Our last ‘Negroni’ was Roku gin, Luxardo Aperitivo Americano {we use Luxardo Bitter a lot too} and Cocchi Rosa. I used hopped grapefruit bitters from Bittermans and homemade yuzu bitters. Kay used orange citrate bittermans and Peychaud’s barrel bitters. Hers was harsh, in a good way, and very assertive. The high aromatics of the Roku were lost. Mine was very aromatic and much more delicate on the palate. It also seemed much lighter. But both of these were exceptional and this combo is one of our favorites. Next time it could be rum, rabarbaro, and Antica formula. If I want a more ‘classic’ combo, it is Luxardo Bitter, Antica Formula and Beefeater or Bombay. Fords works well too but does not justify a price difference.
I have yet to make a good ‘Negroni’ with Xoriguer Mahon Gin, but dang; it makes superb G and Ts.
2 Likes
So, you use the Cocchi Rosa instead of Campari? It’s interesting, I should try it. I love my negroni! But I do use Campari and with Cocchi vermouth.
The gin question is fascinating because I don’t like a gin that is too ‘out there’ in a cocktail - the whole point of a cocktail is a balanced flavour profile. A good gin for a cocktail plays well with other flavours without overpowering them, and if anything the only overpowering element may be a higher alcohol percentage.
For a basic negroni I love Tanqueray gin, from the basic one to some of their mildly flavoured ones (Indian lime or something is nice). And then of course the uncrowned king of gin imho the Tanqueray no 10, which is also fabulous in a martini.
As for G&Ts, personally I wouldn’t bother using expensive gin. Again, the Tanquerays really shine here.
1 Like
I think the Luxardo Apertivo was the Campari substitute. A Negroni is a favorite of mine, and my favorite recipe is 1-1-1 Campari, Tanqueray, and Punt e Mes, pretty classic. Cocchi Torino in place of the Punt e Mes is good, too, saving the Punt e Mes for an on the rocks refresher by itself. I have the same sweet vermouth preferences for Manhattans and Americanos.
1 Like
