I, too, find myself firmly in the NorthShore #6 camp.

I started drinking martinis back in my 20's, and I mean martinis the original way, gin with a hint of dry vermouth, and an olive. My gin was Beefeater back then, and my palate grew weary.

Years passed. I had sworn off martinis. More years passed. I went to a tasting at Sam's of the new NorthShore distillery products. The gin - magnificent, not just juniper, but hints of cardamom and cumin, orange blossom, and a nose that was pure perfume. I bought a bottle, then another, and I started drinking martinis again.

I find that the NorthShore is the perfect gin for my older palate, it has complex, layered flavors, and is smooth enough to drink at minimal dilution. It reminds me of the better white wines that I drink. I won't drink a martini with anything else.

As for cocktails, like a scratch Tom Collins - I won't waste my NorthShore #6 on them, so Beefeater, or even Gordon's goes into the lemon juice.

My wife very much enjoys Quintessential London Dry Gin, reviewed on this page from the above slashfood article link.

When we were living in Champaign, we were very fortunate to pick up a case of the one-liter bottles for dirt cheap at Friar Tuck's as some sort of inventory quick flip. She has been methodically reducing our stash ever since.

Wasn't sure where to post this but given the timing, I figured this thread might be the right one. According to Tasting Table.com, there's a Kosher for Passover gin available. I haven't tried it but if I cross paths with it, I'll probaby buy a bottle to check out . . .

Tasting Table wrote:To make kosher gin a reality, master distiller Arne Hillesland replaced No. 209's usual base spirit with a sugarcane vodka from a kosher-for-Passover distillery in South Africa.

Hillesland further altered his recipe by replacing cardamom (a no-no for Passover, since the herb comes in a pod) with California bay leaf, which has a strong menthol flavor. The resulting gin is similar to the standard 209, but the kosher version has a slightly sharper flavor and more viscous mouthfeel.

A More Spiritual Spirit

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:Wasn't sure where to post this but given the timing, I figured this thread might be the right one. According to Tasting Table.com, there's a Kosher for Passover gin available. I haven't tried it but if I cross paths with it, I'll probaby buy a bottle to check out . . .


=R=

Are you going to have four glasses of it at your seder?

Dave148 wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:Wasn't sure where to post this but given the timing, I figured this thread might be the right one. According to Tasting Table.com, there's a Kosher for Passover gin available. I haven't tried it but if I cross paths with it, I'll probaby buy a bottle to check out . . .


=R=

Are you going to have four glasses of it at your seder?

LOL . . . with my family, 4 bottles (just for myself) seems more appropriate.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote: Best to experiment as much as possible.

=R=

I agree!

While I would call first to verify this event before I went, if I had 6 bucks burning a hole in my pocket....
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Craft Brewing Legend Fritz Maytag
Whole Foods Lincoln Park
1550 N. Kingsbury St.
Chicago, IL 60642

When: Thursday, April 8, 2010, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Sampling of Anchor products; Anchor Beer and Junipero Gin cocktail specials
Event Phone Number: (312) 587-0648
Event Contact: Christopher Kolodziej, Beer Buyer, Whole Foods Market Kingsbury

Legendary Brewmaster Fritz Maytag, best known as the grandfather of the craft brewing revolution and owner of San Francisco's Anchor Brewing & Distilling Company and York Creek Vineyards in Napa Valley, meets and greets fans and talks about the history of microbrewing and the burgeoning artisanal distilling movement. Sampling includes Anchor Beers and Junipero Gin, York Creek Wines and Maytag Blue Cheese, created by Fritz's father in 1941 on the family's Iowa dairy farms. Anchor pints will be available for $3 and Junipero Gin cocktails for $6. No reservations required.
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Now I'm starting to think that maybe 6 bucks might not be enough....for me!

Ron

The current issue of Saveur has a nice article on gin styles.

Best,
Michael

Does anyone have any recommendations on a good all around gin for cocktails? I already have Ransom Old Tom that I use for more classic (read prohibition-era) cocktails and I currently use Bombay Sapphire for any other gin drink. My bottle of Sapphire is about to run out and I'm looking to replace it. I was thinking maybe Plymouth's but I'm worried that that isn't versatile enough, especially if a drink calls for a London dry.

I am in no way a cocktail pro but at the GCM BBQ I had a Gin and Tonic made with Death's Door Gin and Q tonic and it was simply perfect.

For London Dry, choose Beefeater or Tanqueray.

Plymouth is a style of its own, and will not be quite right in drinks calling for London Dry.