Rant/Rave: Bourbon

[33anda3rd]

Same with Wisconsinites. I was up on Washington Island a few weeks ago for the juniper harvest. The bar there had a gin old fashioned. Bud Lite plastic keg cup, packed with ice. Gin. Bitters. Simple syrup. Topped off with Squirt. A long straw. It was pretty darn good, I had several.

[Fat_Bulldog]

That sounds really good.

[TimeForGuinness]

Same with Wisconsinites. I was up on Washington Island a few weeks ago for the juniper harvest. The bar there had a gin old fashioned. Bud Lite plastic keg cup, packed with ice. Gin. Bitters. Simple syrup. Topped off with Squirt. A long straw. It was pretty darn good, I had several.

Man, I can drink some Gin...

[Fat_Bulldog]

Sometimes when I drink gin, I don't remember anything. And then feel like there is an ice pic in my head the following day. But I love gin.

[33anda3rd]

I'd rather drink gin than whiskey.

[Fat_Bulldog]

Any gins you'd recommend?

[TimeForGuinness]

I'm not as well versed on Gin, but here are some that I've had and liked (that aren't Tanqueray or Bombay Sapphire...which are fine gins):

-Hendrick's
-Death's Door
-Aviation

[stlouie_lipp]

I haven't had a gin drink in a long, long time.

[JackofDiamonds]

Any gins you'd recommend?

I love gin. Depends on what you're looking for in a gin, though I think of gin as the quintessential cocktail spirit. While there are great cocktails that include whiskeys & tequilas, I wouldn't bat an eye drinking those straight either. Gin is best expressed with other ingredients, as the botanicals (herbs/spices) come alive when mixed. All gins use juniper, but after that, they can go in all kinds of directions: sloe gin, old tom gin, dry gin, particularly botanical gins, etc. etc.

So if I'm recommending a gin (even for something as simple as a G&T), I want to get an idea of what kind of gin you usually like.

For me:

Best G&T gin- St. George's Terroir (Super piney/botanical)
Best Martini/Vesper- Big Gin/Voyager (Balanced dry gins)
Best Martinez Gin - Hayman's or Ransom's Old Tom (Not too sweet, blends well with the vermouth)
Best Negroni - Uncle Val's (very citrusy)

I typically stay away from Bombay & Tanqueray and try to use smaller distilleries. I have 6 gins in my house and 14 at the bar, and each of them are unique enough to be easily distinguishable.

[JackofDiamonds]

I'd rather drink gin than whiskey.

I'd rather drink a gin cocktail than whiskey, but I'd rather drink whiskey than gin neat.