Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/2622
24 / the tasting panel / september 2009 Blue Reviews Gin T hough you'd be hard-pressed to find a serious drinker who hasn't at least tried it, gin may well be the least understood bottle in the bar. Hell, I do this for a living, and even I admit to having not known much about this centuries-old spirit prior to a recent research expedition to the soggy shores of Plymouth, in south- western England. Over there, the stuff gets consumed like it's stupidity and you're watching The Hills, so I spent an entire week soaking it in with the folks who understand it best . . . and, in the process, fell in love with Plymouth gin. Though it's now heavily associated with the U.K., gin was actually invented by the Dutch. They dubbed it "jen- ever," a name that was promptly shortened by a drunk Englishman. It's the same thing the Brits did when they co-opted Madonna and started calling her Madge; the only difference is, gin doesn't adopt foreign babies or look like beef jerky. Gin is sophisticated, to be sure, but its secret shame is that it's actually the world's first flavored vodka—a neutral grain spirit that's distilled a second time with ju- niper and other botanicals. The diverse mix of botanicals is what makes gin a rare and delicate flower. And who, after all, doesn't like flowers? Plymouth is the only gin in the world with its own ap- pellation contrôlée—Plymouth Dry. That means that by law Plymouth gin may only be produced within the city for which it is named. The water is what makes Plym- outh so tasty. Ap- parently the source, the River Dart, runs through peat over granite, imparting interesting miner- als. Plus, they use excellent juniper ber- ries that grow wild on Italian hillsides, yielding a spirit that is sharp and citrusy and complex. I fancy it the kind of balls- out booze F. Scott Fitzgerald would have cherished in moments of severe writer's block. Look, there's a reason Humphrey Bogart doesn't la- ment in Casablanca about all the "passion fruit–flavored vodka joints in the world." In the days before the pansy- ass, Annoyatini-drinking Sex and the City fans took over the bar scene, gin used to be the most popular clear spirit on the planet. It's classic. Timeless. And if you give it a chance, it's likely to surprise you. Plymouth is imported by Pernod Ricard USA. Plymouth makes a superb Martini. Gin Daze Dan Dunn goes on location to discover Plymouth gin 24 / the tasting panel / september 2009