What makes gin, a gin?

When asked by friends, what gin should I buy, or ask for in a bar answering is tricky. It’s like asking what shoes should I buy, to which I’d answer when do you want to wear them, what’s the occasion, do you like high heels or flats. It’s personal!

My standard answer is, I look for quality ingredients and, a style that appeals to me and what mood I am in. We live in Southern California so it’s usually warm, but when it’s really warm I go for a more long and refreshing drink, like a Tom Collins, if I am out and enjoying the skills of a Mixologist then I choose a sophisticated and well balanced drink like a Gin Martini. When at home with friends for dinner, fizz wins all the way, and we’d make Gin Fizz’s either with prosecco or if we are splashing out, Champagne.

The other important thing is to choose the gin and it’s flavor profile and make the drink accordingly. Here is the low-down on the types of gins and what gins are best for different cocktails like a Negroni or a Martini.

when was gin invented

To understand gin you have to go back some 400 centuries to Holland, when a Dutch chemist created a medicinal concoction flavored with Juniper berries. Fast forward a few centuries and it had become the most commonly used spirit in cocktails, but not before the Brits gave it to their soldiers as a gin and tonic to prevent Malaria. No gin is the same, due to the careful balancing of the infusion of ingredients during the distillation process of neutral spirit. Two Shores gin blends California citrus with pepper trees and prickly pear while some of the more exotic

how do you know which gins are best?

Genever

Whether a old style of Genver, sweet and aromatic or the young pretender - light and drier on the palate it is hailed as the original gin - first used for medicinal purposes and the inspiration for all gins around today. Best enjoyed in simple form, on the rocks and with a hint of fresh citrus peel.

Old Tom

The clue is in the name; and yes, Old Tom is the basis of any Tom Collins cocktail - which first came to fame during World War 1. It’s a mid-style of gin, sweeter than a London Dry but drier than Genever and is growing in popularity as gin drinkers expand their repetoire. Best enjoyed as a Tom Collins or try it straight up once chilled wtih ice, and strained into a glass wtih lemon peel.

Plymouth

Distilled in Plymouth, England since back in the 1700s or what some say was a monastry, this earthy gin has plenty of fruit and botanicals. keep it simple so you can savor the botanicals, and garnish with some of the botanicals featured like orange, coriander or angelica root.

Navy Strength

You don’t have to be a sailor to enjoy Navy Strength but you better know what you are in for, and you better be ready for the burn. This high alcohol by volume At 58.8% isn’t popular in many cocktails because of the burn, makes a perfect Negroni, and other aromatic cocktails. Some recommend mixing up the gins in a negroni - start off with a lighter gin then finish it off with a dash of Navy Strength for some flowery notes.

London Dry

The benchmark for quality gin, London Dry has a balanced bouquet of juniper and citrus with some floral notes acquired from the botanicals that are added during the second or third distillation. For many bartenders, this is the gin of choice—dry, light-bodied and with just the right pungency. How to drink: Twho Shores Gin works well in the classic gin & tonic. It’s also perfect in a martini, especially a dry martini where the aromatic notes from the vermouth will perfectly complement the gin’s floral hints.

New Western Dry Gin

Also called the New American Gin, this is a very young style that was introduced only in the 2000s. Unlike traditional gins, the New Western Dry is no longer juniper-dominant. Instead, it concentrates on botanicals and other flavors.