Gin
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Always got a gordons in the freezer but this is my go to
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Gin is relatively easy to make if the stuff my father concocts is anything to go by. Helps that he has been making base spirit for quite a while as a hobbyist even though the results as far as 'whisky' or 'brandy' leave a lot to be desired and are just flavoured spirit.
Thing is with gin is that all it really is is flavoured spirit and you can either infuse the botanicals in the mash,during distillation or after (bathtub gin). Or a combo of them all.
He tends to triple distil. First pass is making some alcohol. Second pass has some botanicals steeped in and third with some in the vapour.
Once you have done a few batches to get the balance and amount right it is a fairly easy process and the cost is quite attractive.
I am getting him to do me a batch of 6 bottles for $100 and it stands up alongside many $75 craft gins very easily. -
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While I like a sneaky G&T in the summer, I generally view it as 2 absolutely horrible things mixed together to somehow make something delicious.
But that's my heathen view on the whole thing...
For the Oz-based Ferners... the following is something a mate of mine threw together...
Gin Distillery Melbourne - Buy Australian Gin | Patient Wolf Gin
Explore Patient Wolf, an Australian gin distillery offering unique naturally infused flavoured Australian made gins and liqueur drinks.
So if you buy it, and like it, and buy more - let me know, and I'll try to extract some sales commission from the fluffybunny.
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me, I am partial to a negroni or three.
Prohibition gin is good, enjoy 4 pillars spices negroni gin as well and if a i have to have one with tonic then like @shark preferbably fever tree
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I really like Two Birds Gin, sure I've mentioned it on here before. They do vodkas etc too.
Man I could kill for a gin tonight.
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Four Pillars anyone?
dont drink a lot of Gin but happy to drink a few of theirs neat
their Wasabi one from a couple of years ago was great and their annual xmas pudding one (plus the pudding it was filtered through) have become a tradition
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@kiwiwomble said in Gin:
Four Pillars anyone?
dont drink a lot of Gin but happy to drink a few of theirs neat
their Wasabi one from a couple of years ago was great and their annual xmas pudding one (plus the pudding it was filtered through) have become a tradition
Defintely, I mentioned their spiced negroni one, but quite like the shiraz one too
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If you are down south this place in Arrowtown has a huge range of gin and does gin flight tastings. Good way to spend an hour.
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Going to sound a bit wanky here but I'm a massive Gin fan/drinker. Got a pretty decent collection sitting on the shelves at the moment (30+) and I keep going through them as they are such an easy drink.
My Gin journey started off like most with the usual suspects, Bombay, Tanqueray and then Hendricks. Always with tonic and usually a slice of lime (as an aside, I absolutely hate cucumber so even Hendricks had to have a slice of lime rather than the traditional cucumber). From there went to picking up a bottle (or 2) every time we (or would ask family if they weren't buying their full Duty Free allocation) went through duty free so was then introduced to the likes of Plymouth and London No. 1. Both of which are still high up in my favourites.
But these days I love trying gins from all over Aus, NZ and elsewhere. Especially Japan which does some amazing Gins as @Stockcar86 mentioned before, the Ki No Bi gins ae just bloody awesome.
My favouite Kiwi is from Great Barrier Island, Island Gin (https://islandgin.com/collections/2019-range). Love their Navy Strength but really difficult to find in Aus. Fortunately my Cousin who first introduced me to it always makes sure he has some on hand when I visit. Last time I visited NZ was just before COVID killed international travel, Feb 2020. Took my son with me and between 5 of boys on a fishing weekend at KÅ«aotunu we polished off 3 bottles of Gin and 2 bottles of whisky plus countless beers. But I digress...
Now I dink my gin only straight, no tonic, water, ice or garnish. Tonic is too sweet and really detracts from the flavour of the gin and with Fever Tree and other trendy tonics, all you end up tasting is the flavour of the tonic or flavour so adulterated as to not really taste the gin.
To take it one step further, these days my preferred gin is anything (within expected taste and quality) Navy Strength. That is anything above the standard 40-43% ABV, usually in the high 40's to 50's. The higher ABV really adds to the depth of flavour and enjoyment.
The Ki No Bi in the link above is a great Navy strength (54.5% ABV) as is the one done by Four Pillars and many others. I can really recommend trying a few Navy Strength and see what you think.
The big problem living in Aus and loving Navy Strength Gin or Cask Strength Whisky is that these utterly retarded tax laws meaning most Aussie distillers have resorted to selling their higher ABV brands in 500ml size to make them more affordable.
Australia = Shitarsed tax system, one of the worst in the world!!!
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Totally agree re the Fever Tree. When it becomes all about the mixer, you’ve gone too far. Very successful marketing but I much prefer plain old Schweppes. I can drink some gins neat, but not my favoured option.
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@catogrande Couldn't agree more about the hype around mixers.
Also another fad that has annoyed me about drinking gin is the gin bars (which I generally love) doing things like giving you a "tasting" experience by adding additional botanicals to the various gins. I mean really, WTF?
You are basically adding shit to something the distiller has taken a long time to master and get just right and then along comes Joe Public-Moron and adding more juniper berries or bay leaf or what-the-fuck-ever and just completely ruins your lovely gin.
Grrrrrrrr!!!
In terms of drinking neat, it is something that took a while to develop but now, can't do it any other way.
Ki No Bi Sei Kyoto Dry Gin (700ml) - Blue Box
