The Tasting Panel magazine

Jan 2010

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a new spin on gin there'S A chAnge in the wAy we view And pOur thiS 500-yeAr-Old Spirit story and photos by Richard Carleton Hacker A new trend is pairing Bombay Sapphire with food. Here, the author matched mixologist James More- land's pickled Martini, made with McClure's spicy pickle spears, with a dry-brined roast turkey. 66 / the tasting panel / january–february 2010 / tastingpanel.com After yeArs of observAtion, I have concluded that gin drinkers can be divided into two categories: a few who see the spirit generically, as in, "I'll have a gin and tonic," and the majority, who have a definite preference, such as, "Give me a Tanqueray Martini, straight up." But rarely do any ask, "What's new in gin?" And with good reason. Although this botani- cal distillation with its Dutch heritage has been around for 500 years, it really hasn't changed all that much—until recently. One of the first to flaunt tradition over a decade ago was San Francisco World Spirits Competition Double Gold medal winner Hendrick's Gin , hailing from Scotland with rose petal and cucumber infusions, a distinct departure from the dominance of juniper. At the opposite end of the juniper spectrum came another SF- WSC Double Gold winner, Junipero (pronounced "you-NIP-ero," according to San Francisco's Anchor Distilling Company honcho Fritz Maytag, who created it). "I felt the world was ready for a $30 gin," Maytag once told me, and he was right. Junipero's twelve pot-distilled spices and herbs are a secret, but one can pick out corian- der, nuts and, of course, juniper, with traces of citrus, cinnamon and fennel. Another off-the-wall favorite is Old Raj, which has long lurked on the back bar at 110 proof that slams the taste buds with all the finesse of Darth

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