Thread: GIN Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.


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Posted by seasick (# 48) on :
 
We all love it.... favourite GIN based drinks,GIN related stories and anything else...
 
Posted by Ariston (# 10894) on :
 
Personally, I'm a fan of a good martini—but "good" does not mean "cold, cloudy gin." Oh no. 3 parts gin (I like the locally made Green Hat for this purpose), 1 part Dolin dry vermouth, a couple dashes orange bitters, STIRRED well with crushed ice, and a good, briny olive. However, if the person behind the stick's really good, it's worth your while to order a 20th Century, especially if they have good creme de cacao:
3 parts gin (try something more full-flavored, like an Old Tom or Anchor Junipro)
1 part Lilet Blanc
1 part white creme de cacao
.5 part fresh lemon juice
Shake with cubed ice, garnish with a flamed lemon twist.

Delicious.
 
Posted by seasick (# 48) on :
 
..right, breakfast!
 
Posted by Karl: Liberal Backslider (# 76) on :
 
This was why I was always going to be a natural Anglo-********, even an affirming liberal one. Love the stuff. Not an ale man, me.

[let's speak pr***rly]

[ 11. February 2013, 20:52: Message buggered about with by: seasick ]
 
Posted by Angloid (# 159) on :
 
I've got to quite like it on those very rare warm summer evenings. Now when was that: 1995? (Oh, and BTW Karl, real ale is the natural drink of Affirming ********s)

[ 11. February 2013, 08:33: Message buggered about with by: Angloid ]
 
Posted by Lucia (# 15201) on :
 
Funnily enough it's only been while living as an expat that I have taken to drinking G&T. I blame the British Ambassador...
 
Posted by Karl: Liberal Backslider (# 76) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Angloid:
I've got to quite like it on those very rare warm summer evenings. Now when was that: 1995? (Oh, and BTW Karl, real ale is the natural drink of Affirming ********s)

I do believe we've stumbled on an H&A Randomly Banned Word!
 
Posted by Liturgylover (# 15711) on :
 
Does anyone know how to make a St Mary Bourne St. Pink Gin? I have never tried one but hear they are legendary.
 
Posted by Loveheart (# 12249) on :
 
There is a gin stall on my local market. They keep trying to tempt me to try their gin. I am seriously considering it, maybe after Lent (as i am attempting to give up alcohol)
 
Posted by Sandemaniac (# 12829) on :
 
Brecon GIN, to my surprise, is actually lightly flavoured enough that it is sippable (though a dash of tonic helps).

AG

[ 11. February 2013, 11:44: Message buggered about with by: Sandemaniac ]
 
Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :
 
Don't like tonic so I have mine with Waitrose's diet cloudy grapefruit. Low in Slimming World syns too [Big Grin]
 
Posted by Bishops Finger (# 5430) on :
 
GIN is the best thing ever!!!!! A poor substitute for it is DUTCH GIN aka JENEVER. If I recall (hazy) days in the Netherlands, there's OUDE JENEVER and JONGE JENEVER, and there's nothing like it to go with apple pie (with cream) and a black coffee and a spl.......oops TIACW........

Ian J.

[corrected vile and wicked errors]

[ 11. February 2013, 20:51: Message buggered about with by: seasick ]
 
Posted by ken (# 2460) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Angloid:
I've got to quite like it on those very rare warm summer evenings. Now when was that: 1995? (Oh, and BTW Karl, real ale is the natural drink of Affirming ********s)

No! Nay! Never! Beer is PROTESTANT drink! It came in with the Reformation!

Actually it more or less did - the ale we had in Britain before then was rather different, probabkly opaque rather than clear, very weak in alchohol, usually sweetened, and flavoured with a variety of herbs other than hops. True beer was used in Germany and Bohemia and the Low Countries in the Middle Ages but only came over here with hop culttivation in the 16th century. Bitter beer came in, and those asterised hereticks went out! How blessed was our land in those days! [Razz]

So there!

[ 11. February 2013, 12:43: Message buggered about with by: ken ]
 
Posted by iamchristianhearmeroar (# 15483) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Liturgylover:
Does anyone know how to make a St Mary Bourne St. Pink Gin? I have never tried one but hear they are legendary.

I'd heard it involved equal quantities of gin and sherry. I tried it once using Amontillado and it wasn't half bad.

(None of those words are banned. Ho hum, I wonder if the Anglo********s at Bourne Street could supply us with a definitive recipe. Ah, that got it...)
 
Posted by leo (# 1458) on :
 
GIN is my favourite.

[Adjusted for ethanolical correctness]

[ 11. February 2013, 20:50: Message buggered about with by: seasick ]
 
Posted by Jenny Ann (# 3131) on :
 
Bombay here. slimline tonic, lime.

or Xoriguer Gin. preferably sat in a bar on Mahon Harbour.
 
Posted by The Rhythm Methodist (# 17064) on :
 
Years ago, I 'discovered' what I considered to be the ultimate gin cocktail. Half-fill a pint mug with strong, cold, black tea. Add an equal amount of dry gin, and just a dash of fizzy banana (if unavailable, American cream soda will suffice). Stir gently, and then consume.

I recall once being on my second (or, perhaps, my third) of these, when I saw two flies apparently copulating in mid-air. As they passed over my cocktail, they seemed overcome by fumes, and fluttered gently down into (what was for them) an immense vat of gin. I was rather envious. I could think of no finer way to end one's life, than the process they had just demonstrated.
 
Posted by Karl: Liberal Backslider (# 76) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by leo:
Real ********s drink Guinness.

FIFY. Round here, anyway.
 
Posted by The Silent Acolyte (# 1158) on :
 
GIN: The One True Anglo-Cthulhic Beverage.

Recipe:

GIN & martini glasses (who drinks alone?—well, not very often) straight from the freezer.

Rinse the interior of the glasses with dry vermouth and then dump the excess.

Pour in 1-1/2 ounces of your best GIN into each glass. Measure out by eye; it shouldn't last long enough to get warm. If you want it, there's plenty more in the freezer.

NO olive, NO onion, NO lemon peel in the drink. Leave the fruits and vegetables to the fruit and vegetable eaters. If you must have hors d'oeuvre, that's a separate project.

Haven't got a bottle in the freezer, naughty boys and girls? Use a cocktail mixer/shaker with plenty of cracked ice. Stir or shake, it doesn't matter.

Haven't had the foresight to have the glasses in the freezer? Fill each glass to the brim with cracked ice and water and let sit for a couple of minutes. Then empty and swiftly wipe out the water residue with a clean towel.

[ 11. February 2013, 15:21: Message buggered about with by: The Silent Acolyte ]
 
Posted by orfeo (# 13878) on :
 
Well done, folks. You've inspired me to get the Tanqueray out of the cupboard in the middle of the night.
 
Posted by Adeodatus (# 4992) on :
 
GIN is a decadent drink, suitable only for louche theatrical types and notorious homosexualists.

Mine's a Tanqueray. Large one. Cheers!
 
Posted by Sarum Sleuth (# 162) on :
 
I'm clearly a high church protestant as I especially love gin and much prefer it to beer.

SS

[Greetings from your friendly neighbourhood inquisition]

[ 11. February 2013, 20:49: Message buggered about with by: seasick ]
 
Posted by Sober Preacher's Kid (# 12699) on :
 
Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide, Sola GIN.

Or maybe with tonic. Or as a martini. Or in a range of delightful cocktails. So much GIN, so little time.

[conformed post to Eccles-think]

[ 11. February 2013, 20:48: Message buggered about with by: seasick ]
 
Posted by Ariston (# 10894) on :
 
And now, a deconstruction of your Sins Against Gins:

quote:
Originally posted by The Silent Acolyte:
GIN: The One True Anglo-Cthulhic Beverage.

Recipe:

GIN & martini glasses (who drinks alone?—well, not very often) straight from the freezer.

Rinse the interior of the glasses with dry vermouth and then dump the excess.

HERETIC! The vermouth is absolutely essential to the cocktail; it adds a counterbalancing herbal bouquet, as well as something known as "flavor" from the wine base. Otherwise, you're just drinking cold gin.
quote:


Pour in 1-1/2 ounces of your best GIN into each glass. Measure out by eye; it shouldn't last long enough to get warm. If you want it, there's plenty more in the freezer.

NO olive, NO onion, NO lemon peel in the drink. Leave the fruits and vegetables to the fruit and vegetable eaters. If you must have hors d'oeuvre, that's a separate project.

GET BEHIND ME SATAN! The garnish, in addition to adding a hint of flavor if it's citrus and becoming delicious if soaked in a martini, is what indicates you're having a finished drink, not just some booze someone dumped in a glass without a second thought. The aspect of Perfection is indeed divine, as can be seen:
1. Aristotle defines "being" as the act of all acts, the perfection of all perfections.
2. According to the more eminent theologians (i.e., Scotus), God is maxime ens, the highest of all possible beings, one of pure act with no potency.
3. Therefore, if God is a being of pure act, and the perfection of all beings, then He is the act of the act of all acts, and the perfection of the perfection of all perfections.
4. Therefore, by perfecting our martinis (or, perhaps, by perfecting our perfect martinis, if you've got some Carpano Antico Formula hanging around next to the Dolin), we imitate the Divine.

QED.
quote:


Haven't got a bottle in the freezer, naughty boys and girls? Use a cocktail mixer/shaker with plenty of cracked ice. Stir or shake, it doesn't matter.

YES IT BLOODY WELL DOES!
Okay, this is the big one. Shaking gin with ice clouds your gin—you get microscopic ice crystals and air bubbles mixed into your liquid, yielding a pretty nice suspension that will only come undone once the ice melts—or, in other words, when your drink is no longer cold enough. ALWAYS stir ANY drink made entirely from booze. The clarity is what makes the martini. I know James Bond drinks shaken vodka martinis, but he's James Bond—he's daring you to call him out for intentionally ordering a poorly-made half-assed fake version of a real drink. He has a license to kill; you don't. End of argument.
quote:


Haven't had the foresight to have the glasses in the freezer? Fill each glass to the brim with cracked ice and water and let sit for a couple of minutes. Then empty and swiftly wipe out the water residue with a clean towel.

MILDLY WRONG PERSON! Just give the glasses a quick hard shake well away from any counters; you don't want towels smudging up your glassware that you're serving a nice, clear drink that you stirred, do you?
 
Posted by Sober Preacher's Kid (# 12699) on :
 
The Beauty of the Solas is that one doesn't have to worry about undue appurtenances to the True Drink (GIN).

Now as so where the True Drink (GIN) comes from, that, that is a matter for Godly reflection and discernment.

[corrected heresy]

[ 11. February 2013, 20:46: Message buggered about with by: seasick ]
 
Posted by Siegfried (# 29) on :
 
What denomination favors Tiki drinks? That's what I want to be!!
 
Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
Definitely not a Gin person. Brandy, any day. Cognac, armagnac, calvados - there's nothing like the beautiful amber glow in the glass, the rich scent of it, and the split-second deceptive sweet tang of the taste, followed a millisecond later by a chariot of fire roaring down your throat and that instant glow of warmth spreading everywhere. Brandy is best drunk after a really good meal, as you sit in a comfortable chair by the fire and relax.

None of which is true of gin. Gin is cooling, perfumed, elegant. Gin is for long, lazy summer afternoons on the lawn, under the shade of a leafy green tree. Or featuring in cocktails. Or, as Dutch genever, drunk chilled to almost freezing point on a cold winter's night.
 
Posted by AberVicar (# 16451) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Sandemaniac:
Brecon GIN, to my surprise, is actually lightly flavoured enough that it is sippable (though a dash of tonic helps).

AG

Brecon Gin is a fine drink, only surpassed by the difficult-to-obtain Hereford Gin, which never gives you a hangover!
 
Posted by A.Pilgrim (# 15044) on :
 
The only way that a bottle of gin can be rendered palatable IMO is by the addition of 6oz of sloes, 4oz of sugar, and being left to soak for 4 months while inverting the bottle every day for the first month. There isn't much point using top quality gin, supermarket cheapest unbranded works well. (Maybe this aversion to gin correlates with my below-the-candlestick ecclesiology. But then, I like Scotch whisky... [Big Grin] )
Angus
 
Posted by Jengie Jon (# 273) on :
 
Yes but while Gin is talked about in Ecclesiantics, Whisky and Beer gets straight to Heaven.

Jengie
 
Posted by Sober Preacher's Kid (# 12699) on :
 
I love GIN. I renounce my wicked heresy and the unrighteousness of my sledgehammer.

Pass the tonic.

[fixed that for you [Big Grin] ]

[ 11. February 2013, 20:45: Message buggered about with by: seasick ]
 
Posted by seasick (# 48) on :
 
If anyone say that GIN be not the true elixir of life, anathema sit!

[ 11. February 2013, 20:09: Message buggered about with by: seasick ]
 
Posted by The Silent Acolyte (# 1158) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Ariston:
...you don't want towels smudging up your glassware...

Dunno about your crib, but in the Acolyte Household, we always keep clean bar towels close to hand.

I donwanna ask what you use yours for.

[ 11. February 2013, 20:37: Message buggered about with by: The Silent Acolyte ]
 
Posted by seasick (# 48) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by AberVicar:
quote:
Originally posted by Sandemaniac:
Brecon GIN, to my surprise, is actually lightly flavoured enough that it is sippable (though a dash of tonic helps).

AG

Brecon Gin is a fine drink, only surpassed by the difficult-to-obtain Hereford Gin, which never gives you a hangover!
Brecon GIN is my preferred day-to-day GIN. It easily stands up to much better known (and more costly) GINs.
 
Posted by Scots lass (# 2699) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by A.Pilgrim:
The only way that a bottle of gin can be rendered palatable IMO is by the addition of 6oz of sloes, 4oz of sugar, and being left to soak for 4 months while inverting the bottle every day for the first month. There isn't much point using top quality gin, supermarket cheapest unbranded works well. (Maybe this aversion to gin correlates with my below-the-candlestick ecclesiology. But then, I like Scotch whisky... [Big Grin] )
Angus

There is another way. Peel of 2 lemons and 2 seville oranges, 10oz sugar and a litre of cheap gin, left for a fortnight and shaken/stirred every day gets you Orange Gin which is a thing of great joy. The longer you leave it the better, but after a fortnight it's pretty good... (I made a second batch today, just in time to get the last of the seville oranges)
 
Posted by Sober Preacher's Kid (# 12699) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Sober Preacher's Kid:
I love GIN. I renounce my wicked heresy and the unrighteousness of my sledgehammer.

Pass the tonic.

[fixed that for you [Big Grin] ]

seasick, get your hand out of there. [Ultra confused]

Besides, what is a good ********* like you doing drinking anyway? Backsliding, are we?
 
Posted by seasick (# 48) on :
 
You know you love it! [Cool]
 
Posted by Sober Preacher's Kid (# 12699) on :
 
What I love is Gibson's Gold Label 12-year old Whisky, and a Charles Wesley hymn, in that order.
 
Posted by seasick (# 48) on :
 
He writes about the Spirit of life and power and love... just like GIN [Smile]
 
Posted by Sober Preacher's Kid (# 12699) on :
 
You're a *********. What is this unnatural obsession with that drink of the Canterbury lot?

Try Church Union: 2 parts Canadian Whisky (Presbyterians), 2 parts Canada Dry Tonic Water (*********s), 1 part Port (Congregationalists, very English, but not that horrid other lot) and a dash of Goldschlager (the EUB).
 
Posted by Carys (# 78) on :
 
I got a bottle of apple GIN for Christmas which is rather nice. I drink both GIN and beer, but there are times when only GIN will do for example after a certain vote in November. That did slightly confuse the barman as I was at post-ringing pub, and post-ringing is definitely a time for ale (but I'd actually been working and only joined ringers in pub so the two requirements didn't collide)

Carys
 
Posted by seasick (# 48) on :
 
GIN is broader than any one interpretation of it. It is not confined to the Church of England, nor yet to the A******* Communion but its glories spread over the earth. As it happens I also like whisky and port and various other things... but that Church Union thing sounds horrible!
 
Posted by Ronald Binge (# 9002) on :
 
I had a most excellent Martini or two on Christmas Night in Donegal and it fair cushioned the dramatic climax to Downton Abbey -

* Double English measure of nearly frozen Gordon's GIN

* Double English measure of Martini Extra Dry Vermouth

* Some crushed Ice in the glass, because in buying the Martini glasses I couldn't afford the cocktail flask

* Squeezed lime juice from a slice

* A twist of lime

Venite Adoremus!
 
Posted by A.Pilgrim (# 15044) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Scots lass:
quote:
Originally posted by A.Pilgrim:
The only way that a bottle of gin can be rendered palatable IMO is by the addition of 6oz of sloes, 4oz of sugar, and being left to soak for 4 months while inverting the bottle every day for the first month. There isn't much point using top quality gin, supermarket cheapest unbranded works well. (Maybe this aversion to gin correlates with my below-the-candlestick ecclesiology. But then, I like Scotch whisky... [Big Grin] )
Angus

There is another way. Peel of 2 lemons and 2 seville oranges, 10oz sugar and a litre of cheap gin, left for a fortnight and shaken/stirred every day gets you Orange Gin which is a thing of great joy. The longer you leave it the better, but after a fortnight it's pretty good... (I made a second batch today, just in time to get the last of the seville oranges)
Thank you, Scots lass, I'll definitely try that! Now, I saw some seville oranges in the supermarket last Friday, must rush down there tomorrow to see if they've still got some. Otherwise it will be a whole year before I can get any again. [Waterworks]

[bit of a tangent] For other fruit liqueurs (damson/raspberry/loganberry/gooseberry/blackcurrant) I think vodka works better than gin, and for blackberries, scotch is the spirit of choice [/bit of a tangent]
Angus
 
Posted by Amos (# 44) on :
 
I have drunk pink GIN in a Cambridge college during the great Bitters Drought of 20**. I've drunk very strong G&T in stylish London department stores with curly-headed FIF ******s in rabat and cufflinks. I've drunk GIN with senior Evangelicals in their clubs, and with bright young scholars of Wesley House and Westminster College. But best by far is the GIN that the landlady of my local hands me when I stick my head round the door of the pub after Evensong on a Sunday in Ordinary Time. Three cheers for GIN, the Focus of Unity!
 
Posted by Spiffy (# 5267) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by A.Pilgrim:
For blackberries, scotch is the spirit of choice.

I had never heard of blackberry whisky. It's seven months until they come into season here, but then they come into season with a vengeance. I now have a plan!
 
Posted by A.Pilgrim (# 15044) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Spiffy:
quote:
Originally posted by A.Pilgrim:
For blackberries, scotch is the spirit of choice.

I had never heard of blackberry whisky. It's seven months until they come into season here, but then they come into season with a vengeance. I now have a plan!
I heard Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall enthusing about it on the radio several years ago. As I type I'm sampling some of my 2007 vintage, and it's truly remarkable how it doesn't taste of scotch. According to HF-W, it turns into something very special after 3 years in bottle, if one has the restraint to leave it alone for that long, and I think I'd endorse his recommendation. Here's the recipe from his website. I use 16oz blackberries, 5oz sugar and 70cl scotch (you wouldn't want to use a single malt, Bells seems to work OK) and then I add more sugar to taste depending on how sweet it has come out.

The webpage also includes a recipe for elderberry GIN that I haven't heard of before. Interesting. [Biased]
Angus
 
Posted by Zach82 (# 3208) on :
 
My Anglo-C******* credentials have always been questionable, and not only because of the Calvinism. I like dirty martinis, and since I don't have martini glasses I use an old-fashioned glass instead.
 
Posted by Ariston (# 10894) on :
 
Voice of experience here: for most fruit or other liqueurs, you probably want to use the highest-octane alcohol you can find. Everclear (193 proof grain alcohol) is far and away the best potable solvent you can use. Granted, for sloe gin or blackberry whiskey (note the "e"—bourbon is superior to Scotch or even rye in this case, due to its natural sweetness), you'll want, well, gin or bourbon,* but for orangecello, creme de cacao, hibiscus liqueur, or anything herbal, go for the neutral spirits.

*Okay, now that I think about it, coffee and vanilla (and, I suppose, chocolate or even hazelnut) taste good with rum—I've made 'em with dark rum before, and they are quite good, thanks to the natural vanilla notes in aged rums. For chocolate, I like the pure spirit to let the cocoa shine through, but, if your tastes run towards mixing rum and chocolate, more power to ya.

As for bar towels, there's always going to be a bit of dust in the fibers, to say nothing of causing streaking on your glasses. Far better to let them air dry, or just not worry about the bit of water you have in your glass. Stirring your drink with ice introduces water into it anyway, and making your drinks too strong monkeys up the taste.
 
Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :
 
I was introduced to GIN in the churchyard of Downpatrick Cathedral when the Curate produced a bottle along with ice and tonic for the adult singers during the break at a choral festival; although I only drink it occasionally (usually on aeroplanes) I always enjoy it when I do.

Whenever I can get damsons, I make damson GIN - IMHO much nicer than sloe GIN. Fill a large glass jar 5/6 full of damsons that you've pricked with a darning-needle. Add 6 tablespoons white sugar and top up with GIN*. Close the jar and put it in a cool, dark place for at least 6 weeks, turning it about once a week. After 6 weeks, strain it through a cheese-cloth or muslin into sterilised bottles.

It's the most beautiful ruby colour, and deceptively strong (it is, after all, almost neat GIN). Serve it in liqueur glasses as a post-prandial.

* There's no point in using good GIN for this, as the flavour really comes from the damsons, so use the cheapest you can find.
 
Posted by Adeodatus (# 4992) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Amos:
I've drunk very strong G&T in stylish London department stores with curly-headed FIF ******s in rabat and cufflinks.

I wonder if that was the ****** who took part in the following exchange, heard in a bar at Sunday lunchtime some thirty years ago -
quote:
"Will you have something, Father?"
"Thank you very much. A double gin."
"Um ... would you like anything in it?"
"Yes. Another double gin. Very generous of you."


 
Posted by ArachnidinElmet (# 17346) on :
 
You could try Churchill's (the PM, not the dog) recipe for a dry martini:
-pour 2 measures of gin into a glass;
-glance at bottle of vermouth;
-drink.
 
Posted by seasick (# 48) on :
 
Following A.Pilgrim's request in the Styx, I have reopened this thread and am sending it to Heaven.

seasick, Eccles host
 
Posted by Mama Thomas (# 10170) on :
 
I had my last Martini last night--giving it up for the season and all that. Miss it already!
 
Posted by Ronald Binge (# 9002) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Amos:
I have drunk pink GIN in a Cambridge college during the great Bitters Drought of 20**. I've drunk very strong G&T in stylish London department stores with curly-headed FIF ******s in rabat and cufflinks. I've drunk GIN with senior Evangelicals in their clubs, and with bright young scholars of Wesley House and Westminster College. But best by far is the GIN that the landlady of my local hands me when I stick my head round the door of the pub after Evensong on a Sunday in Ordinary Time. Three cheers for GIN, the Focus of Unity!

Best. Post. Ever!
 
Posted by A.Pilgrim (# 15044) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by A.Pilgrim:
quote:
Originally posted by Scots lass:
There is another way. Peel of 2 lemons and 2 seville oranges, 10oz sugar and a litre of cheap gin, left for a fortnight and shaken/stirred every day gets you Orange Gin which is a thing of great joy. The longer you leave it the better, but after a fortnight it's pretty good... (I made a second batch today, just in time to get the last of the seville oranges)

Thank you, Scots lass, I'll definitely try that! Now, I saw some seville oranges in the supermarket last Friday, must rush down there tomorrow to see if they've still got some. Otherwise it will be a whole year before I can get any again. [Waterworks]

Way-hey! I've got the seville oranges, and the concoction is in process. Now, what do I do with two peel-less seville oranges? I've already made my marmalade this year.
quote:
Originally posted by Ariston:
Voice of experience here: for most fruit or other liqueurs, you probably want to use the highest-octane alcohol you can find. Everclear (193 proof grain alcohol) is far and away the best potable solvent you can use. Granted, for sloe gin or blackberry whiskey (note the "e"—bourbon is superior to Scotch or even rye in this case, due to its natural sweetness), you'll want, well, gin or bourbon,* but for orangecello, creme de cacao, hibiscus liqueur, or anything herbal, go for the neutral spirits.

I'm sure that's good advice, Ariston, and I'd be interested in following it, but I guess that you are writing from a US POV as I don't recognise your suggested spirit. And if my calculation is correct (50% Alcohol By Volume equals US 100 proof) it is 96.5% ABV [Eek!] [Ultra confused]
The only suitable spirits available in the UK stronger than 40%ABV are (AFAIK) cask-strength single malt scotch whiskies at around 60%, and I just couldn't force myself to commit the sacrilege of using one to make a fruit liqueur, not to mention the cost...
Angus
 
Posted by Heavenly Anarchist (# 13313) on :
 
Mmm, gin....I'd like a double served with a good measure of cloudy apple juice, topped with elderflower fizz please.
 
Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
Our collection currently includes Hoxton gin, which is flavoured with grapefruit and coconut.

Makes an interesting G&T.
 
Posted by Timothy the Obscure (# 292) on :
 
I'm fond of a martini, about a 4:1 ratio, preferably Plymouth GIN and Noilly Prat (though I've recently read it's quite easy to make one's own vermouth, and I intend to try it). When I can't afford Plymouth, I buy Monopolowa, which is remarkably similar for about half the price.

I square the "olive or twist" circle by using lemon-stuffed olives.
 
Posted by Organ Builder (# 12478) on :
 
I'm also a Plymouth GIN fan, though I think their old bottle was better than their new one from an aesthetic viewpoint. I'm currently out of it, but I'll be taking care of that tomorrow. In the meantime, Woodford Reserve Bourbon made a more-than-adequate substitute for my Friday pre-weekend tipple.
 
Posted by seasick (# 48) on :
 
If it doesn't mean if I have to surrender my GIN card, I'm happy to admit I'm rather fond of the Woodford Reserve too.
 
Posted by Graven Image (# 8755) on :
 
Tanqueray on ice with two olives. Perfect end to a busy day.l
 
Posted by Ariston (# 10894) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by A.Pilgrim:
quote:
Originally posted by Ariston:
Voice of experience here: for most fruit or other liqueurs, you probably want to use the highest-octane alcohol you can find. Everclear (193 proof grain alcohol) is far and away the best potable solvent you can use. Granted, for sloe gin or blackberry whiskey (note the "e"—bourbon is superior to Scotch or even rye in this case, due to its natural sweetness), you'll want, well, gin or bourbon,* but for orangecello, creme de cacao, hibiscus liqueur, or anything herbal, go for the neutral spirits.

I'm sure that's good advice, Ariston, and I'd be interested in following it, but I guess that you are writing from a US POV as I don't recognise your suggested spirit. And if my calculation is correct (50% Alcohol By Volume equals US 100 proof) it is 96.5% ABV [Eek!] [Ultra confused]
The only suitable spirits available in the UK stronger than 40%ABV are (AFAIK) cask-strength single malt scotch whiskies at around 60%, and I just couldn't force myself to commit the sacrilege of using one to make a fruit liqueur, not to mention the cost...
Angus

1. Vodka works, you just end up paying more for the water. Grain alcohol is basically vodka concentrate—just add your own water once you're done!
2. Yup. You did that math right. 193 proof is as strong as you can get alcohol by traditional distillation—there are some nifty chemical tricks you can use to get it to absolute purity, but, since alcohol is mildly hydroscopic—it absorbs water vapor from the air—that won't last long. Needless to say, after you're done doing the soaking, you dilute your Concoction of Death. A lot of diluting, actually. Seeing as your standard liqueur is about 25% alcohol, and you're starting (let's be honest) pretty damn close to 100% . . .
 
Posted by A.Pilgrim (# 15044) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Ariston:
1. Vodka works, you just end up paying more for the water. Grain alcohol is basically vodka concentrate—just add your own water once you're done!
2. Yup. You did that math right. 193 proof is as strong as you can get alcohol by traditional distillation—there are some nifty chemical tricks you can use to get it to absolute purity, but, since alcohol is mildly hydroscopic—it absorbs water vapor from the air—that won't last long. Needless to say, after you're done doing the soaking, you dilute your Concoction of Death. A lot of diluting, actually. Seeing as your standard liqueur is about 25% alcohol, and you're starting (let's be honest) pretty damn close to 100% . . .

Wow! You mean you can actually buy food-grade 'pure' alcohol for domestic use? Ah, the joys of cross-cultural discovery that the Ship facilitates. [Smile]

Many years ago I did investigate the purchase of some pure ethanol (I forget what I wanted it for now) and you would not believe the bureacratic obstacles. Basically it's unobtainable if you are a private individual, just as if you wanted to buy arsenic. The good ol' UK nanny state thinks that if you could possibly do yourself harm with it, no matter how responsible you might be, you can't have it! After all, you might be so stupid as to drink your 'Concoction of Death' (like it! [Big Grin] ) without diluting it first!! And we can't allow that risk!! No, no no!! [Eek!] at the thought!!

But I'd better not get into a Purgatorial diatribe here. We Brits will just have to resign ourselves to 37.5%ABV gin and vodka for our home-made fruit liqueurs. And when the minimum-price-per-unit-of-alcohol policy comes in, the price will go up even more.
Angus
 
Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by A.Pilgrim:
The good ol' UK nanny state thinks that if you could possibly do yourself harm with it, no matter how responsible you might be, you can't have it! After all, you might be so stupid as to drink your 'Concoction of Death' (like it! [Big Grin] ) without diluting it first!! And we can't allow that risk!! No, no no!! [Eek!] at the thought!!

Some people would be desperate enough to do it (and have done in the past). This seems like a sensible precaution. You can just see young men egging each other on, can't you? Or alcoholics getting hold of a bottle of this? Or someone accidentally getting the dilution quotients wrong - especially if they'd already had a few? The trouble is that not everyone does act responsibly.
 
Posted by Moo (# 107) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by A.Pilgrim:
Wow! You mean you can actually buy food-grade 'pure' alcohol for domestic use?

I have a recipe for coffee cordial that calls for grain alcohol. When I was visiting my daughter in Washington, D.C., she went with me to a liquor store so I could buy some.

When I told the clerk what I wanted, he appeared not to understand me. I had to repeat myself several times. Finally I got what I wanted.

Later my daughter told me that grain alcohol is the drink of choice for die-hard alcoholics. The clerk had probably never before sold any to a white-haired little old lady.

Moo
 
Posted by Ariston (# 10894) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Ariel:
quote:
Originally posted by A.Pilgrim:
The good ol' UK nanny state thinks that if you could possibly do yourself harm with it, no matter how responsible you might be, you can't have it! After all, you might be so stupid as to drink your 'Concoction of Death' (like it! [Big Grin] ) without diluting it first!! And we can't allow that risk!! No, no no!! [Eek!] at the thought!!

Some people would be desperate enough to do it (and have done in the past). This seems like a sensible precaution. You can just see young men egging each other on, can't you? Or alcoholics getting hold of a bottle of this? Or someone accidentally getting the dilution quotients wrong - especially if they'd already had a few? The trouble is that not everyone does act responsibly.
Granted, not all states allow you to buy 193-proof Everclear. Some only allow 75% pure to be sold, and some ban even that.

Because, believe it or not, there are lots of people who take shots of Everclear straight. Sometimes (at least!) eleven in a night. After that many, you apparently lose count, forget to keep the running tally on your hand, etc.* Oh, and there's always frat house trash can punch:
1 trash can
1 container of Kool-Ade powdered drink mix
1 handle (1.75 liter) bottle Everclear
Water
Mix ingredients together in trash can, reserving some of the drink mix and Everclear. Pour a double shot of Everclear; have volunteer handy. Volunteer should shoot the Everclear, then take a good swig of the punch. If he can't taste the alcohol, add more; if he throws up, add more drink mix. Repeat until set. Probably has a strength of at least 80 proof, judging by what I remember of the taste.

Look, there's a reason why people who usually buy microbrews/good wine/are over the age of 25 usually get looked at funny when we buy the stuff. The number of people making liqueurs or doing science experiments (ethanol's an amazing solvent for a certain class of chemicals) is much, much smaller than the number looking to get truly and seriously fucked up.

*She was mostly fine in the morning, by the way. Didn't have to go to the hospital, though it was a near thing at times.
 
Posted by Sir Kevin (# 3492) on :
 
I prefer Bombay Sapphire because it's, quite simply, the very best there is! I usually have a double with an ounce or so of Schweppes slim-line tonic. I cannot get the right tonic at our local Irish-owned pubs and they put too much tonic in, so I prefer to drink it at home. I am on an Atkins diet so I cannot afford to have all that sugar!

(It's good enough to drink straight, as I am doing now, when I run out of tonic - remember, there is no such place as Ambridge and where I live it is still O Dark Thirty in the morning - hours to go before sun-up!)
 
Posted by Sir Kevin (# 3492) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by A.Pilgrim:
The good ol' UK nanny state thinks that if you could possibly do yourself harm with it, no matter how responsible you might be, you can't have it! After all, you might be so stupid as to drink your 'Concoction of Death' (like it! [Big Grin] ) without diluting it first!! And we can't allow that risk!! !

When I was at university, in La Jolla (the poshest neighbourhood in southern California) we raided the biology labs to get ethanol and we made screwdrivers out of it! Light-years cheaper and less stupefying than real Vodka and likely less sick-making than plain fermented orange juice!
 
Posted by The Intrepid Mrs S (# 17002) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Sir Kevin:
I prefer Bombay Sapphire because it's, quite simply, the very best there is!

With you on that one, Sir Kevin - my son introduced me to it, and it was bit like the first time I tried Basmati rice. After that, nothing else would do.

Mrs. S, down to her last two litres of Bombay Sapphire
 
Posted by Organ Builder (# 12478) on :
 
As someone who used to drink Bombay Sapphire almost exclusively, I will respectfully disagree. It makes a wonderful martini, but it's not all that special in a G&T.

I love beef, but it's not the only meat I will eat (I wouldn't want to give up bacon, for instance). There are a lot of wonderful, small-batch gins available in any large US city if you take the time to look for them. Some of them are, admittedly, swill--but some of them are absolutely divine. It's worth experimenting--some are more herbal, some are more citrus, and some have a wonderfully strong juniper taste (which I happen to like, as long as they don't cross that invisible line toward turpentine).
 
Posted by comet (# 10353) on :
 
Alaska Distillery's Bristol Bay Gin has replace sapphire in my house. it's amazing.

[ 18. February 2013, 21:59: Message edited by: comet ]
 
Posted by PeteC (# 10422) on :
 
I love martinis.

Recipe:

Significant quantity of cold gin
Show gin to vermouth bottle (full or empty)
Three olives on a swizzle stick.

Heaven!

In winter a hot gin toddy takes away the blahs.

[Axe murder]
 
Posted by Laud-able (# 9896) on :
 
Tanqueray 10, tonic water, ice, and a slice of lime.
 
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :
 
In my GIN days, now long past, I used to enjoy a glass of neat Ketel 1 Jonge Jeneveh - bottle out of the fridge and glass out of the freezer - when I got home from work. Later in the evening a glass of similarly cold Oude Jeneveh, but I can't remember the brand I preferred. Oude Jeneveh bears many similarities to single malt whisky but is easier on the palate.
 
Posted by The Intrepid Mrs S (# 17002) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Organ Builder:
As someone who used to drink Bombay Sapphire almost exclusively, I will respectfully disagree. It makes a wonderful martini, but it's not all that special in a G&T.

I love beef, but it's not the only meat I will eat (I wouldn't want to give up bacon, for instance). There are a lot of wonderful, small-batch gins available in any large US city if you take the time to look for them. Some of them are, admittedly, swill--but some of them are absolutely divine. It's worth experimenting--some are more herbal, some are more citrus, and some have a wonderfully strong juniper taste (which I happen to like, as long as they don't cross that invisible line toward turpentine).

Long way to go to buy GIN, even for me!

Mrs. S, longtime resident of This Sceptred Isle
 
Posted by Organ Builder (# 12478) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by The Intrepid Mrs S:
Long way to go to buy GIN, even for me!

Mrs. S, longtime resident of This Sceptred Isle

Yes, I'll admit I was responding more to Sir Kevin, which was perhaps a bit ill-mannered.

Still, some of those small-batch gins which I love come to us FROM your Sceptred Isle...
 
Posted by Serafina68 (# 16142) on :
 
Plymouth gin for me please. Don't like the new bottle though. I was always told that it was time to get a new bottle when the friar's feet were dry!
 
Posted by A.Pilgrim (# 15044) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by A.Pilgrim:
quote:
Originally posted by A.Pilgrim:
quote:
Originally posted by Scots lass:
There is another way. Peel of 2 lemons and 2 seville oranges, 10oz sugar and a litre of cheap gin, left for a fortnight and shaken/stirred every day gets you Orange Gin which is a thing of great joy. The longer you leave it the better, but after a fortnight it's pretty good... (I made a second batch today, just in time to get the last of the seville oranges)

Thank you, Scots lass, I'll definitely try that! Now, I saw some seville oranges in the supermarket last Friday, must rush down there tomorrow to see if they've still got some. Otherwise it will be a whole year before I can get any again. [Waterworks]

Way-hey! I've got the seville oranges, and the concoction is in process. Now, what do I do with two peel-less seville oranges? I've already made my marmalade this year.

Well, I've made the orange gin, and it's not bad. It was left to steep for 4 weeks, and I ended up using 70cl of gin and 8oz sugar with the 2 lemons and 2 sevilles. I always use less sugar to begin with and then add it to taste after straining. This means that I can adapt to varying levels of sweetness in the fruit (if that's what I'm using) and I can avoid over-sweetening and getting a drink that I find too sickly-sweet. You can always add more sugar, but it's very difficult to take it out if there's too much!

With the seville oranges and lemons I think the flavour is very much like marmalade (which I do like), so I think I'll call it 'Marmalade Gin'. I don't think that it will be one of my top favourites (those are probably blackberry scotch, gooseberry vodka and blackcurrant vodka) but I'm very pleased to have tried it. Are you enjoying yours, Scots lass? [Smile]
Angus
 
Posted by Crazy Cat Lady (# 17616) on :
 
I like a cup of tea
 
Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Crazy Cat Lady:
I like a cup of tea

Ah well, you'll want
this thread then.
 
Posted by Crazy Cat Lady (# 17616) on :
 
After returning to the Anglican Church about two years ago, and after reading this thread, I have come to the conclusion that most members are very capable pissheads.

I never get drunk, it was the Church Warden's fault, he kept on topping up my glass when I wasn't looking
 
Posted by L'organist (# 17338) on :
 
... any shipmates out there who remember The Campaign for Real Gin? A real organisation (raised money for medical research) with a splendid ball at the Waldorf and the CRG stakes at Towcester.

Serious stuff now:
Gin Royale
Take a bottle of good (Tanqueray at least) gin: add two handsful of sloes and a flat dessertspoon of caster sugar; agitate in its demi-john before sealing and leaving in a dark place for a week. On day 8 taste and adjust sweetening, if necessary, before adding a half-pound of raspberries and returning to dark place for a further 2 weeks.

On day 22 add another half-pound of raspberries, mix well and taste: adjust sweetness if necessary. Return to cupboard for 1 further week before straining and decanting into sterilised dark glass bottles.

Serve over crushed ice with a twist of lime.

Chin-chin! [Smile]
 
Posted by Tea (# 16619) on :
 
Could somebody explain the association between Anglo-Catholicism and gin?

I'm aware of the famous Kenneth Leech quote from the seventies. Had the image of the gin quaffing Anglo-Catholic priest long been a staple when Leech came up his description of one aspect of Anglo-Catholic culture?

Why gin, as opposed to whisky or sherry?
 
Posted by leo (# 1458) on :
 
Just that gin did the rounds in a/c clergy houses, in contrast t the stereotypical RC priest drinking whiskey alone.

Ken's phrase was part of a paper about what he called the 'fussy, precious. gynophobic and unpleasant side of AC culture.' - I have the full paper if anyone wants to PM me.
 
Posted by Sir Kevin (# 3492) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by A.Pilgrim:
Well, I've made the orange gin, and it's not bad. It was left to steep for 4 weeks, and I ended up using 70cl of gin and 8oz sugar with the 2 lemons and 2 sevilles. I always use less sugar to begin with and then add it to taste after straining. This means that I can adapt to varying levels of sweetness in the fruit (if that's what I'm using) and I can avoid over-sweetening and getting a drink that I find too sickly-sweet. You can always add more sugar, but it's very difficult to take it out if there's too much!

With the seville oranges and lemons I think the flavour is very much like marmalade (which I do like), so I think I'll call it 'Marmalade Gin'. I don't think that it will be one of my top favourites (those are probably blackberry scotch, gooseberry vodka and blackcurrant vodka) but I'm very pleased to have tried it... [Smile]
Angus

Were I not on Atkins Diet still, I would get my lovely bride to make me up some of that as I am no chef or bartender, as well as being temporarily adverse to sugar...
 
Posted by DonLogan2 (# 15608) on :
 
Gin...beastly stuff.

Unless you stuff it in a jar with sloes and sugar for a couple of months, that`s when the magic starts.
 
Posted by L'organist (# 17338) on :
 
,,, of course, there's nothing wrong with a classic G&T as produced by my late great-aunt

She blamed wartime rationing for the strength of her gins - quinine being hard-to-come-by don't you know.
 


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