Ten Gins and how to best drink them

As many of you know, I'm a huge fan of gin. Not only is it a staple for creating many of the best cocktails, but it also works so well just splashed with some club soda or, more widely, with tonic water. And where would the martini be without gin? Yes people, martinis are made with gin, not vodka!

In any case, as gin has grown in popularity due to the cocktail renaissance, more and more brands are being discovered on local shelves. With that in mind, I decided to put together a list of 10 that you'll commonly find in the DC area. My hopes are to give you a good idea of how you can use many of them, since the flavor spectrum is quite wide-ranging. In the next few weeks, I hope to add another 10 or so, including some of the more household names, like Tanqueray, Bombay and Beefeater. But since those already probably have a place in your bar, I wanted to give you some info on brands you might be considering adding.

Keep in mind, this is only one man's (my) opinion on each of the brands and what suits my palate best, but I though it might be interesting for those of you who like gin.


Plymouth
Nose: Juniper and citrus
Taste: Light with hints of lavender. A bit drier than Voyager (below)
Best for: Any normal gin cocktail, but especially for those sensitive to too much juniper
Best Tonic accompaniment: Fever Tree, Stirrings or possibly Q


Voyager
Nose: Clean, flowery, a touch of mint and pine
Taste: Also very clean. Refreshing juniper with just a hint of sweetness
Best for: Any cocktail calling for a good gin. Works equally well in sweet, citrusy or savory cocktails.
Best Tonic accompaniment: Fever Tree, Stirrings, Q or Fentimans.


Leopold
Nose: Pine, earthiness, some flowers and a touch of caramel
Taste: Minty and a bit on the savory side due to the orris. Light flavors of peppermint, Pumello and anise.
Best for: Cocktails that call for gin as well as a darker spirit such as a whiskey. Also for gin cocktails that call for Chartreuse. Good G&T also.
Best Tonic accompaniment: Fentimans


Bulldog
Nose: Mainly Juniper, but an extremely weak aroma overall
Taste: A bit sweet. Unbalanced and a bit more viscous than most gins
Best for: Cocktails involving fruit juices
Best Tonic accompaniment: Not recommended for G&Ts, because it gets overwhelmed by the tonic, but if pressed, I’d recommend Schweppes.


Bluecoat
Nose: Pine and aloe with crisp and dry juniper and citrus
Taste: Herbal. Juniper and orange peel. A hint of candy cane
Best for: Most gin cocktails will work well, but citrus ones especially.
Best Tonic accompaniment: Fever Tree


Hendricks
Nose: fresh citrus, juniper, flowers and cucumber
Taste: bright and refreshing with hints of juniper, white pepper and lavender. Cucumber as well, of course.
Best for: Artisinal cocktails. Especially those calling for tea, vegetal or savory ingredients.
Best Tonic accompaniment: Fentimans


Barcelona
Nose: cloves and mint. LOTS of vanilla.
Taste: Extremely sweet for gin. Flavor similar to vanilla mints with hints of juniper. Similar to an Old Tom style more than a London Dry style.
Best for: Sweeter cocktails that might get adversely affected by too much juniper flavor.
Best Tonic accompaniment: Not recommended for G&Ts because of the sweetness, although it worked OK with Hansens.


Sunset Hills
Nose: Juniper and alcohol
Taste: sweet and a bit chalky. Unbalanced.
Best for: basic house G&Ts.
Best Tonic accompaniment: Schweppes or Canada Dry.


Genevieve
Nose: similar to a beer spirit with hints of distilled barley, not unlike an unaged malt whisky
Taste: sweet juniper, with spices and an earthy texture. Again, eerily reminiscent of an unaged whisky
Best for: Old style cocktails; many of which used Dutch style gins.
Best Tonic accompaniment: I don’t recommend this style of gin for G&Ts.


Haymans Old Tom
Nose: extremely light. Not much discernible.
Taste: very sweet with hints of holiday spices and pecan pie
Best for: vintage cocktail recipes calling for Old Tom gin
Best Tonic accompaniment: I don’t recommend this style of gin for G&Ts.

Busy much?

OK, so I've totally fallen off of the radar when it comes to posting entries. It's been a hectic year. I haven't even been able to keep my bar list up to date. But things have calmed down some, so I've got some things in mind that I'll be posting soon.

Check back later this week for an interesting commentary on the marketing of a certain absinthe brand!

A closer look at Pernod

As Pernod begins to revamp their current absinthe product (we'll talk more about that later) with a brand new website and a new label, they are making more and more claims about their 1805 distillery in France being the first absinthe distillery.

“In 1805, Henri-Louis Pernod partnered with Major Dubied to found Pernod Fils and the first commercial absinthe distillery."

A similar statement is also made on their label, again suggesting that the distillery in France was the first absinthe distillery.

Really? This doesn't match the information on Pernod's own website http://www.pernod.net/histoire/index.htm where it states:

"At the end of the 18th century, a man by the name of Major Dubied began distilling the elixir professionally. A few years later in 1805, his son-in-law, Henri-Louis Pernod, opened a distillery in France."

Collectors have located and posted a 1896 Maison Pernod Fils promotional booklet http://www.oxygenee.com/1896-Pernod-Fils-Translation.pdf which states:

"Little by little, however, thanks to its fragrance and pleasant taste, the elixir came to the attention of not only the sick, but to that of more and more fans, so that the recipe had already acquired monetary value when when Mr. Henri-Louis Pernod acquired it to exploit it commercially. This happened in 1797. It was at that time the first absinthe factory was built. The establishment was created under extremely modest conditions, even for Couvet; the building where the industry was born still exists; it measures eight meters long by four meters broad by four meters high. Subsequently enlarged, the factory was not long in becoming too small and, in 1805, Mr. Pernod not being able to satisfy demand by the French customers which had taken to his product with a marked favor, fixed upon Pontarlier as the place to avoid the high taxes levied by the tax department upon Swiss Absinthe."

In short, literature produced by Pernod in 1896 and on their internet site today contradicts the 1805 claim at the top of the article: Switzerland, and in particular, Couvet remain the birthplace of absinthe, despite Pernod's attempt to annex it! Not to mention the fact that the evidence above shows Pernod wasn't the 'creator' of absinthe.

Now let's move on to the marketing of the product and the product itself.

Having researched absinthe's history for years, I've run in to multiple accounts of the controversies surrounding absinthe, and its prohibition throughout much of the world in the early 1900s.

Many of the myths surrounding absinthe, such as its ability to case hallucinations were largely popularized during the 1990's, during the rise of 'Bohemian style' absinths, which bear no resemblance to the Belle Epoque products of France and Switzerland. Mentions of hallucinations during the Belle Epoque were in relation to end-stage alcoholic patients who were going through alcohol withdrawal in sanitariums, and were not directly related to absinthe consumption specifically.

However, on Pernod's website, this passage can be seen:



Why would a brand which was victimized by prohibitionist fears and competing interests during the Belle Epoque use the same information that was once used to bring about its demise? Has Pernod eschewed quality, integrity and truth in favor of a campaign that attracts a crowd that cut its teeth on Bohemian brands looking for the next high?

Well, why don't we take a look at the product itself? From Pernod's marketing material:

Pernod® Aux Plantes d'Absinthe Superieur is based on the original absinthe recipe and today returns to restore its reputation for quality and handcrafted excellence. This 136 proof spirit is distilled from three primary ingredients, Grande Wormwood, Fennel, and Star Anis producing a light green and hint of amber color with a dominant flavor of anis, balanced with wormwood and a citrusy finish.

Having tried samples of Pernod Fils from multiple bottles ranging from the late 1800's through its Spanish brands in the 1960s, the new product bears little resemblance to the original. In a sense, the above statement is true (you can base a recipe on something, but have it be completely different). But in the same sense, ALL absinthes are loosely based on the same original recipe.

Here are some comparisons.

1)Pernod Fils absinthe of the Belle Epoque was naturally colored by soaking herbs in the distillate and drawing out the chlorophyll. The new brand is artificially colored as noted on its label.

2)Pernod Fils absinthe of the Belle Epoque used a recipe with high quality wormwood. The new brand has a barely detectable wormwood flavor. What flavor is there doesn't speak to high quality herb choice.

3) Pernod Fils absinthe of the Belle Epoque had a flavor that was dominated by high quality green anise. The new brand has the telltale flavor and aroma of lower quality star anise. Which by the way, is SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper as well.

4) Pernod Fils absinthe of the Belle Epoque exudes quality and points to high quality base alcohol and herbs. The new brand does not. It would not surprise me in the slightest if I found out much of the flavor came from oils and extracts as opposed to distilled herbs.

5) During the Wormwood Society's first annual blind tasting event, held in September of 2009, Pernod absinthe scored 17th out of 22 brands. Below Pernod were Le Tourment Verte, Mata Hari, La Fee, Koruna and Green Fairy. Several of those aren't even considered absinthes by experienced drinkers. That doesn't point to quality.

Make no mistake. Pernod Fils was THE gold standard of absinthe during the Belle Epoque. I just wish they took the time to employ the same level of quality and care in their new brand. Especially since they advertise it as a product of high quality. It's extremely disappointing to see the direction the new product has taken. It's even more disappointing to see so many of their regional reps having little or no education regarding absinthe, its history and its preparation.

For reviews of Pernod absinthe, please check out the Wormwood Society's review page.

*Footnote: Calls and emails to Pernod to get their comments on the above have not been returned.

Absinthe Original - Don't Believe the Hype

Over the past 2 years or so, we've seen an amazing shift in much of the marketing surrounding absinthe.

While proponents of authentic absinthe have always maintained that properly distilled absinthe is low in thujone, and that absinthe doesn't cause any deliterious effects aside from that of normal alcohol, others had used carefuly crafted misinformation and preyed on the club crowd with promises of aphrodisiacs and hallucinations.

Many of the brands who were touting their high thujone content before absinthe was again legalized in the US coincidentally and quietly began removing claims of hallucinations and other wild effects from their promo material. Many of them blatantly changed the thujone information on their websites without an explanation. All of them just so happen to now fall below the legal limit in the US of 10 ppm of thujone. Funny that.

But even with so many companies changing around their lies (no, not telling the truth, just telling different lies) to make a quick buck, some have steadfastly held on to their mantra of "drink now, ask why the effects didn't happen later."

Enter the promotional material I received from Absinthe Original today via email. Here's what they had to say about their product:

The so-called absinthe available in the U.S. contains no thujone, the psychoactive element that gives real absinthe its kick. Other absinthe manufacturers, (particularly those selling in the US), are so scared at the stigma of thujone that they decide not to use wormwood in their beverages. Yet, without wormwood, many wouldn’t consider liquor a true absinthe. Such reasoning is appropriate, especially considering the fact that real absinthe is derived from wormwood’s scientific name, Artemisia Absinthium.
However, our range of REAL ABSINTHE ORIGINAL is made from 100% wormwood, so you can be assured you’ll be getting the real thing if you decide to order securely and safely online.

So, in response, I've put together some educational information for those of you out there still wondering whether there really is something to all of the hype doled out by unscrupulous marketers such as those above. Let's dissect the above paragraph:

The so-called absinthe available in the U.S. contains no thujone, the psychoactive element that gives real absinthe its kick. - While it is indeed true that the U.S. has a legal limit of 10 ppm of thujone, this sentence is still very misleading.

1. Thujone is not a recreational drug. Thujone does not provide any enjoyable effects. In high enough levels, thujone can cause renal failure and seizures, but I wouldn't consider that desireable.
   
2. The term 'real' absinthe should refer to what was being consumed during the height of absinthe's popularity in the Belle Epoque. That being the case, Absinthe Original doesn't posess the qualities of 'real' absinthe.
   
3. 'Real' absinthe of the Belle Epoque did not have high levels of thujone, contrary to what antiquated scientific theories hypothesized. The most recent studies have shown that many Belle Epoque absinthes had thujone levels that fell BELOW the legal US limits! Almost all of those that were analyzed fell below the EU legal limit of 35 ppm.
   
4. Many absinthes that claim to have high thujone levels in fact have very little if any thujone, according to EU analysis of many online brands.

Other absinthe manufacturers, (particularly those selling in the US), are so scared at the stigma of thujone that they decide not to use wormwood in their beverages. - This is patently false. There is only one brand in the US that has decided to use something other than the traditional wormwood (Artimisia Absinthium): Absente. They began using Southern Wormwood (Artimisia Abrotanum). All other brands (that I'm aware of) that have been produced and/or sold in the US since 2007's legalization utilize authentic Artimisia Absinthium.

Yet, without wormwood, many wouldn’t consider liquor a true absinthe. Such reasoning is appropriate, especially considering the fact that real absinthe is derived from wormwood’s scientific name, Artemisia Absinthium. - Absolutely true. The Wormwood Society does not recognize Absente as an absinthe.

However, our range of REAL ABSINTHE ORIGINAL is made from 100% wormwood, so you can be assured you’ll be getting the real thing if you decide to order securely and safely online. - If you're looking for the 'real thing', the spirit that was consumed during the Belle Epoque, Absinthe Original isn't it. Feel free to view the Wormwood Society's review. And if the product is made from 100% wormwood, then that technically (I'm nitpicking here, I know) would mean that they don't use any other herbs, thereby making this a Wormwood Bitters, NOT an absinthe.

Lastly, levels of thujone do not indicate quality of absinthe. There is absolutely no evidence to point to any mention of thujone levels in Belle Epoque advertizing of absinthe. It wasn't a factor. It only became popular during the 1990's when brands such as Absinthe Original began to hype it as a way to drive sales to club goers.

As a parting gift, I leave you with a passage from the Lancet, published in 1868 in response to the original assertions that Absinthe itself deliterious effects:

“For our own part, we have never been convinced that there is anything in the symptoms of acute or chronic absinthism as they are described, essentially different from those of acute or chronic alcoholism which has been produced by the imbibition of innumerable drams of any spirit.
We have repeatedly seen the whole train of symptoms, which are now so much talked of, produced by the constant drinking of brandy or rum. As for hallucinations, there is nothing more common. At any rate, it will take a good deal of very solid and precise evidence to convince us that the trifling amount of essence of wormwood contained in the liquor called absinthe, adds any considerable poisonous power to the natural influence of some 20 or 30 ounces per diem of a highly concentrated alcohol.”

- “Absinthe,” The Lancet, Volume 91, Issue 2332, 8 May, 1868

May and June's Goings On

Not only was June a good month for my bar (see previous post), it was good for a multitude of other reasons as well. May had quite a few good memories as well! Here's a rundown of some of the major points:

1) Boston Trip: The trip up to Boston was wonderful. I was able to interview 16 different fund managers to get some insight into their funds and the markets, which gave me some great talking points. After the conference, I met up with Scuto and RJordan from the Wormwood Society and Fee Verte so we could head to 'Drink' for a few cocktails.

The bar was fantastic, with great atmosphere, fantastic mixologists, and unbelievable drinks. We had one cocktail newb, and one non-drinker in the party (I was neither), so it was a interesting group for a cocktail bar. We were lucky enough to pair up with Misty Kalkofen, mixologist extraordinaire and founder of LUPEC Boston, who got right down to asking us what types of drinks we liked, then began her art of drink construction from there. Over the course of the next few hours, she made for me multiple cocktails with Rye and Absinthe as a base, and branching out into Chartreuse amongst other things. Of those I took note, I had a Diamond Back, a Sazerac, a Vieux Carre and a Lawhill. We also got to sample some of their tasty Hibiscus Punch. Scuto got some of those, but other goodies as well. I was happy to see how his experience totally blew away his expectations! I think we've got a convert.

I highly recommend you seek out Drink and Misty if you're ever in Boston.


2) The long awaited Absinthe article I'd been working on for Mutineer Magazine was published last week! I pulled Gwydion Stone from Marteau Absinthe and the WS as well as Ted Breaux of the Jade and Lucid brands to help put together a kind of Absinthe 101. Lots of history and information, but high level enough that it could hold anyone's attention. It's a fantastic magazine anyway, so I suggest EVERYONE buys a subscription. It's so cheap, and it's totally worth it.

3) Monteleone Cocktail Competition - For the 60th Anniversary of the Carousel Bar in the Hotel Monteleone, the hotel, in conjunction with the organizers of the Tales of the Cocktail, held a contest to create the new Monteleone Cocktail. Entries came in from around the world, from some of the best mixologists. The entries were pared down to 5 finalists based on ingredients, ease of preparation, taste and relation to New Orleands. Those 5 cocktails were judged by the finalists of last year's Top Chef competition.

According to the organizers, my cocktail was the overwhelming favorite! So now my cocktail will be a feature on the cocktail menu at the Carousel Bar and I'll also get a 4 night stay for free at the hotel during the TotC! Here's a picture of the Top Chef crowd with my cocktail and following that is the recipe:

2 oz Sazerac Rye
1 1/2 oz St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
1/2 oz Domaine De Canton Ginger Liqueur
2 dashes Fee Brothers Orange Bitters
Splash of Ginger Ale

Shake ingredients and strain into a julep cup or cocktail glass with crushed ice. Garnish with orange slice.

4) Lastly the Wormwood Society is now on Twitter and also on Facebook. We will be doing Top Ten lists and plenty of other cool information about absinthe each week. Make sure to follow us!

June Bar Update

June was a busy, busy month for me, both professionally and also outside of work. Several business trips allowed me to seek out some great liquor stores in my free time so I was able to find some things I can't normally get in the DC area. I got some goodies this month!

Stirrings Simple Syrup
Stirrings Grenadine (Imbibe magazine's top Grenadine)
Fentiman's Fermented Tonic Water (AWESOME!!)
Carpano Antica Vermouth
Delaware Phoenix Walton Waters Absinthe
Delaware Phoenix Meadow of Love Absinthe
Del Maguey Pechuga Mezcal
Del Maguey Chichicapa Mezcal
Del Maguey Tobala Mezcal
Del Maguey Crema de Mezcal (Mezcal with Agave syrup)
Corzo Plata tequila
Centenario Hibiscus tequila
Hudson Valley Rye
Spirit of the Hudson Apple vodka
Absinth Supreme
Voyager Gin
Compass Box Asyla Whisky
Compass Box Oak Cross Whisky
Clear Creek Eau de Vie Limosine Cask aged
Nonino Chestnut Honey distillate (distilled honey taken from bees who only foraged on chestnut trees)
Nonino Citrus Tree Honey distillate (same as above, only with citrus trees)

Pretty good month!

Off to Boston!

Tomorrow I leave for a quicky trip to Boston to grill some fund managers. When I return, I plan to add a few new posts, including one on what is apparently the best cocktail bar in Boston: 'Drink'. We'll see. *Devil Grin*