ThisNext Blog

Maybe it’s a little strange that the lead story on the San Francisco Chronicle’s Wine section this week was on gin, but I don’t mind. I’m open minded that way.

Truth is, I never much liked gin. My first exposure to it, in my unsophisticated youth, was no doubt some cheap, generic hooch so perfumed with juniper berry that it tasted exactly like Pine-Sol. Not that I drank a lot of Pine-Sol. Still, it was a sufficient deterrent to keep me away from the stuff for the next, oh, couple of decades.

Today, however, there’s a gin renaissance going on. While juniper berry still is the anchor flavor in gin, producers are playing with the flavor balance to offset the heavy-handed piney notes with more floral, spicy and fruit tones to lend greater complexity. In fact, in the Chronicle story, exploring gins with prominent lavender, cucumber or rose notes, they are forced to ponder: But is it gin?

Whereas I ponder: Is it gin I like? 

Fundamentally, gin is a vodka infusion. It’s a neutral spirit to which the flavors of juniper berry and any of a wide panoply of other spices, herbs, citrus peels and what have you. It’s a heady brew, not for the weak of heart or stomach. But when the flavors are balanced, or even muted, you can end up with something far more elegant.

The first gin I tasted that didn’t make me wince was Anchor Junipero gin, bottled by the same good folks who make Anchor Steam beer. Sure, it still hits you over the head with juniper, but it hits you more gently, like a pine bough swaddled in velvet. Another gin whose star has risen over recent years is Hendrick’s, a Scottish brew with a pronounced cucumber flavor.  ThisNexter junipereat favors Hendrick’s for her gin-based cocktails; Beau Jarvis of Basic Juice gleans even deeper complexity off it, noting “lemon zest and something I can only describe as lime-banana-cucumber (!!)”

I’m just sure that the Chron’s story coming hot on the heels of a series of gin reviews by Rick Dobbs of Saving the World, One Drink at a Time is pure coincidence. At any rate, I’m intrigued by some of the liquor he serves up: Subtle and sybaritic DH Krahn, unapologetically ginny Bulldog and lushly floral Bluecoat. The complex and piquant aromas of the latter attracted the attention of Jonathan Forester at Slashfood, who was left pining (heh) over loves long lost by the bouquet.

But how best to enjoy your favorite gin? Even among enthustiasts and even with the most subtle and friendly gins, few would recommend doing shots of the stuff. No, gin is made for cocktails. Liquor Snob goes all snooty with Plymouth gin and Elderflower cordial for their Lap of Luxury recipe, and Cameron at Married …with Dinner takes a literary turn by uncovering the one drink that James Bond ever actually invented (in between his trademark martinis), The Vesper. And for me, there is but one gin drink that I gleefully order, the Negroni, whose fiery redness and palate-searing bitterness forever remind me of balmy afternoons in Sorrento.