Gin and It

Gin and It

Gin and It is the simplest of cocktails, 2 parts gin to 1 part sweet vermouth.

Just mixed together in a cocktail glass.

No shaking, no chilling, just sipping.

And it's incredibly pleasant. I've noted it in my Mr. Boston's on several occasions and was finally persuaded to make it largely because I enjoy the name. Oh, and I like gin.

It would make a nice digestif if you don't have something fancier on hand. I've made it twice in the past few days, once with Fleischman's gin, once with Beefeater, and both times with a very basic Martini & Rossi vermouth.

Gins and vermouths can vary quite a bit in flavor profile, so I look forward to experimenting a bit more. A dash of bitters may be a nice touch, but may not be necessary.

I like being able to answer the question, "What are you drinking?" with "Gin and It."

Cheers.

Intriguing. I'm not particularly a gin fan, although I do like a good sweet vermouth. My question is, why is the vermouth referred to as "it"? For a particular reason or for no (discernible) reason?

Gypsy Boy wrote:My question is, why is the vermouth referred to as "it"?

Good question. A little googling reveals a couple interesting bits about this drink, of uncertain reliability.

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/411172
http://drinkboston.com/2006/11/05/gin-and-it/

The "It" as short for "Italian vermouth" seems reasonable to me.

Adding a little Campari to the mix makes my favorite pre-prandial strong drink. Current ratio 4:2:1, stirred.
Or leave out the Campari and go 2:1 with Cynar.
Good cocktail to make with assertive aperitifs like Punt E Mes.

MLS, I was just going to say this this was the beginning of the makings to one of my new favorite cocktails - the Negroni - which also includes campari & garnished with an orange twist. I believe the ratio is 1 part gin/1 part sweet vermouth/1 part Campari.

MLS wrote:Adding a little Campari to the mix makes my favorite pre-prandial strong drink. Current ratio 4:2:1, stirred.
Or leave out the Campari and go 2:1 with Cynar.
Good cocktail to make with assertive aperitifs like Punt E Mes.

Getting close to a negroni there, arent you?

add a tiny bit of OJ and it's a bronx cocktail

Leaving off the name, Negroni, was my omission, but I find the textbook 1:1:1 ratio not nearly as good as 4:2:1, more punch, lesss bitter.

MLS wrote:Leaving off the name, Negroni, was my omission, but I find the textbook 1:1:1 ratio not nearly as good as 4:2:1, more punch, lesss bitter.

Understood. I drink a lot of Americano's- equal parts campari, sweet vermouth and soda water.

MLS wrote:Leaving off the name, Negroni, was my omission, but I find the textbook 1:1:1 ratio not nearly as good as 4:2:1, more punch, lesss bitter.

Sorry if this should have been apparent from your post, but can you tell me which ingredients occupy which positions in your ratio there? Negronis are probably my favorite cocktail and I use 1:1:1 with a dash of orange bitters but I'm willing to try variations. (obviously with 1:1:1 you don't need to specify which is which, but with 4:2:1 I just wonder which is the campari, which the gin, which the sweet vermouth)

JimTheBeerGuy wrote:

MLS wrote:Leaving off the name, Negroni, was my omission, but I find the textbook 1:1:1 ratio not nearly as good as 4:2:1, more punch, lesss bitter.

Sorry if this should have been apparent from your post, but can you tell me which ingredients occupy which positions in your ratio there? Negronis are probably my favorite cocktail and I use 1:1:1 with a dash of orange bitters but I'm willing to try variations. (obviously with 1:1:1 you don't need to specify which is which, but with 4:2:1 I just wonder which is the campari, which the gin, which the sweet vermouth)

Guessing on the "less of a bite description" and the fact that it's a gin topic I'd guess it goes:

Gin:Vermouth:Campari

If not that then Vermouth:Gin:Campari, which if it's nice vermouth could be pretty tasty too.

Gin:vermouth:Campari

Negroni -ites: A bartender recently this to my Negroni and now I just can't have them without this part of the preparation. I don't know if it's de rigeur and might be perceievd as "over the top" but as many LTH-ers seem to be in pursuit of the perfect cocktail I felt it worth mentioning.

Strike a match and hold it in the line of fire as you squeeze the orange oil from the rind into your cocktail glass. At the risk of sounding sophomoric it imparts a burnt orange flavor for that first ride across your palate that you you don't get without the match.

Cheers,
Davooda

I prefer the Alfred Hitchcock.

five parts gin and "a quick glance at a bottle of vermouth."

I mean really, would you argue with him..?

~GS

Gin and sweet vermouth are a great combo, my favorite summer apperitif.

I like mine over ice, Gin/Vermouth/Club Soda @ 1:1:1 with a slice of orange. Campari is too sweet for me. They make their negroni's with this recipe in a lot of places in Italy.

Does this work well with dry vermouth in place of sweet vermouth?

Katie wrote:Does this work well with dry vermouth in place of sweet vermouth?

Do you mean Fast Eddie's recipe?

I don't know, but you should try it and report.

Sounds good, but I would say that about most cocktails with gin and vermouth.

Aaron Deacon wrote:

Katie wrote:Does this work well with dry vermouth in place of sweet vermouth?

I don't know, but you should try it and report. Sounds good, but I would say that about most cocktails with gin and vermouth.

I'm on the case. More news later this evening.

Well, it tasted okay, but lacked something in the entertainment department.

I don't have any martini glasses. Maybe this is why I should get one. I had the gin &dry it over ice in a tumbler. Pretty bland looking, pretty bland experience. I wonder if some color or a dash of something else would have helped. Also not sure what's better about this than just drinking straight gin or straight vermouth (not that I've ever drunk either one alone before).

So is sweet vermouth the key to making it interesting? Or is there something else I could do to make it interesting? Because I'd rather get to a version I like with dry vermouth, which I already keep around for cooking. I don't want to have to buy sweet vermouth too just for this one drink.

Katie wrote:Well, it tasted okay, but lacked something in the entertainment department.

I don't have any martini glasses. Maybe this is why I should get one. I had the gin &dry it over ice in a tumbler. Pretty bland looking, pretty bland experience. I wonder if some color or a dash of something else would have helped. Also not sure what's better about this than just drinking straight gin or straight vermouth (not that I've ever drunk either one alone before).

So is sweet vermouth the key to making it interesting? Or is there something else I could do to make it interesting? Because I'd rather get to a version I like with dry vermouth, which I already keep around for cooking. I don't want to have to buy sweet vermouth too just for this one drink.

Well you just had a dry martini on the rocks- not really a gin and it. Gin and it appears not to be served chilled at all or even with ice. Martinis are kind of like roasted vegetables to me- there's not much to them, but with the greatest ingredients, partaking of them can be a sublime experience.

Katie wrote:Well, it tasted okay, but lacked something in the entertainment department.

Ah, so it looks like you were shooting for the Gin and It. Agree with jpschust...sweet vermouth makes it a very different drink, and there's no cooling involved.

Sweet vermouth can be used in a whole host of drinks, so if you're looking to expand your cocktail repertoire, it's a good purchase. Manhattans are a rather common example.

As for adding excitement, I might suggest adding a couple dashes of bitters, either to the Gin and It, or to your rocks martini. jp's right about ingredients though.

I also was moved to fix Fast Eddie's 1:1:1 concoction of gin, vermouth, and club soda for my wife last night. It could have used some bitters to my taste as well. My neighbor had a sip though, and is coming over tomorrow night so I can make him some more...he liked it a lot.

Aaron, what are you using for your gin/vermouth selections?

I am a big gin fan. I sometimes order it as the front end of a boilermaker.

My favorite martini gin is plain Tanquery (not 10). Beefeaters and Gordons do fine for me too. My son's favorite is Brokers, my daughter's Hendricks. I have no problem with the fancier gins;I just prefer the older, simpler gins. I really dislike Fleischman's.

I'm totally schizoid on vermouth. My martinis see only Noilly Pratt and Boissiere. However, for sweet vermouth, I like them all including Gallo and G&D. I find Vya an absolute waste of money. If I'm looking for a fancier sweet vermouth, I'd go to the European aperitifs, Lillet, St. Raphael, Punt e Mes, Cynar, even M&R.

For those looking to make straight gin more interesting, might I suggest a "pink gin." Traditionally made with Angusturo bitters (that's all it is-gin and a dash or two of bitters), I have found other bitters work fine too. Peycaud's of course works, but recently I have tried the bitters from Woodmans (the Wisconsin ESOP grocer) including an orange, a lemon, and one that smells a little like forest floor. They all work especially the latter.

What can I say? I like gin.

I don't want to have to buy sweet vermouth too just for this one drink.

Gin & It isn't the only use for sweet vermouth; its also quite pleasant on its own on the rocks (very common pub option in the UK, btw), but critical for Manhattans (regular, Perfect & all the variations).

MLS wrote:I am a big gin fan. I sometimes order it as the front end of a boilermaker.

My favorite martini gin is plain Tanquery (not 10). Beefeaters and Gordons do fine for me too. My son's favorite is Brokers, my daughter's Hendricks. I have no problem with the fancier gins;I just prefer the older, simpler gins. I really dislike Fleischman's.

I'm totally schizoid on vermouth. My martinis see only Noilly Pratt and Boissiere. However, for sweet vermouth, I like them all including Gallo and G&D. I find Vya an absolute waste of money. If I'm looking for a fancier sweet vermouth, I'd go to the European aperitifs, Lillet, St. Raphael, Punt e Mes, Cynar, even M&R.

For those looking to make straight gin more interesting, might I suggest a "pink gin." Traditionally made with Angusturo bitters (that's all it is-gin and a dash or two of bitters), I have found other bitters work fine too. Peycaud's of course works, but recently I have tried the bitters from Woodmans (the Wisconsin ESOP grocer) including an orange, a lemon, and one that smells a little like forest floor. They all work especially the latter.

What can I say? I like gin.

I'm currently totally addicted to Plymouth

Katie wrote:Does this work well with dry vermouth in place of sweet vermouth?

Quoting my previous question just to add, "Duh..."

I just noticed this piece of advice on the back of the Martini & Rossi extra dry vermouth bottle:

"Martini Extra Dry with Bomba Sapphire gin -- Enjoy!"

Thanks for the advice re chilling, bitters, sweet vermouth, and making a more interesting cocktail. I'll keep experimenting. Not too much per day of course.

Gin drink fanciers - may I suggest you give Quady Winery's Vya vermouths a try? I believe they're available at Sam's in Lincoln Park. They are a tad more costly but I think the flavor profiles make it worth it.

I had a Gin and It with Vya red last week and it was just the ticket. (I also believe Vya Red hits it out of the park and makes, IMHO, the perfect Manhattan when paired with Makers Mark and a couple squirts of Peychaud's bitters.) Vya red is like tasting a bowl of potpourri - in a good way! There is a lot going on in there.

The Vya white is a different animal from others in the genre that I have tried in that it is much more floral and has a sweeter aftertaste than, say Noilly Prat or Martini & Rossi, etc. It is wonderful in a saketini with a cucumber slice garnish.

Cheers,
Davooda

I almost only use Vya and Noilly Pratt, Vya is one of the only vermouths I can regularly drink on the rocks.

jpschust wrote:Aaron, what are you using for your gin/vermouth selections?

I've got Fleischmann's, Beefeater, and Plymouth all on the shelf right now.

I often have Hendrick's, but am only inclined to mix with it sparingly. I prefer Gordon's to Fleischmann's on the cheap end, but if I can get either 1.75 for about 10 bucks, I usually will.

Martini & Rossi (sweet) and Noilly Prat (dry) for vermouth, Angostura bitters. I'm sure I've got options somewhere down here, but not convenient. I've been meaning to pick up some experimental vermouths when in Chicago, but I keep forgetting. Plus, I then have to check luggage.

I agree, the Plymouth is quite nice.