Gin, the best bang for the buck?

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i don't mind Hendrick's but my fav is the old standby Tanquery. :drunken:
 
Hendricks is nice. Cucumbers.. Who woulda thunk it..lol

Bombay Sapphire is like a Pease blend of Gin.. Its great..but its subtle. (Not all of GL Pease blends are subtle, but you get my meaning)If you just want to sip gin or gin & tonic its hard to beat, but if you want a Martini there are better choices.

Tanqueray bleh.. Other than cool commercials you can keep it. #10 is alright but way over priced.


But I still like Beefeaters best.. A burning pine log straight or a less burning pine log with citrus notes with tonic or as a Martini. Its hard to beat a burning pine log fellers.


And you know the Walnut smoker is going to come on and talk up that rubbing alcohol in a glass jar called Gilbeys.. Lol
 
I would have to vote Beefeater. Just the classic English gin IMHO especially for a dry vermouth martini.

Anyone ever try a hot-pepper martini? I was at our weekend place with nothing but a bottle of gin so I rummaged in the fridge and found a jar of hot salad peppers. Dropped one in a glass and topped it with gin. The liquid in the pepper seeped into the gin making a dirty martini of sorts. The pepper at the end was quite a treat. Drank more than my share that night.

Guess I could of made Churchill martinis but I didn't even have a bottle of vermouth in the same room :lol:
 
All you really need for a Martini is gin,ice,olive, and a picture of a bottle of vermouth... If you don't have a picture you can just say 'vermouth' over the glass....
 
Hendrick's is great, and Tanqueray is my usual go-to for a cheap one. At least among my generation, there's a group of people who for some reason like to trash tanqueray, it's sort of a fad almost. The way they talk about it it's like they're drinking something so much better, meanwhile they order bombay, which frankly I don't find to be any better.

Another pretty good cheap one is New Amsterdam. It is a new-ish brand.

One of my favorite gin drinks, for a hot day, is 1/3 Gin, 1/3 Campari, 1/3 Grapefruit juice, with maybe a splash of OJ.

Gilbey's really is terrible.
 
Bols has been my favorite gin for years. It's not English...and that suits me fine. I never did really "get" the English versions. Go Dutch. Another very nice one is Anchor's "Junipero."
 
For gin value, I like regular (not Sapphire) Bombay, or Beefeater.

And honestly, I don't mind Seagrams for G&Ts, especially if I'm pouring them for a whole party.

Junipero is lovely, but too expensive for an everyday pour.
 
Bang for you buck? Blue Coat Gin! Usually $2-5 less than Hendricks, and frankly, I love Hendricks but Blue Coat is damned good gin.

BTW, Alot of the "new" gins like Bulldog, and New Amsterdam are 80 proof, instead of 90-94 proof. They are trying to make gin more accesable to the "tini" crowd and thus the new "thing." IMHO, they just taste watered down. Blue Coat and Hendricks are poof 94 or 95 proof but are great neat and cold.
 
I was always under the impression that Gin's standard was 80 proof and that the US Market received overproof???
 
Hunter5117":b9wp3di0 said:
Anyone ever try a hot-pepper martini? I was at our weekend place with nothing but a bottle of gin so I rummaged in the fridge and found a jar of hot salad peppers. Dropped one in a glass and topped it with gin. The liquid in the pepper seeped into the gin making a dirty martini of sorts. The pepper at the end was quite a treat. Drank more than my share that night.
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That sounds awesome! I am going to make it tonight with some pepperoncini I have in the fridge. Now, should I use Tanqueray Ten or Hendricks for this.... Decisions, decisions.

As for bang for buck, Beefeater is a bargain for sure. I will have to try that Blue Coat when I need to re-up.

-Andrew
 
I've always found Boodles to be a great "value" gin. It's nice. Not as complex or as interesting as some of the pricier concoctions, but still very much gin.

Beefeater is great, and I'm never without Bombay in the cupboard. Anchor's Junipero is exotic and delicious, but is too artisanal to me for a standard gin.

I agree with many that Tanqueray doesn't live up to the advertising. However, their Rangpur makes a swell Gin & Tonic, and it's quite nice on the rocks.

I've tried a few of the real bargain basement gins, and have found them a waste of money. More like cheap vodka with a little flavouring added, lacking the depth and character of the better gins.

And, sorry PB, you're just wrong. A "martini" being made without vermouth isn't going to happen at my bar. A martini is a cocktail. A cocktail is not a single ingredient, no matter how much you may like it. If there's no vermouth in with the gin, it's not a cocktail, and therefore, not a martini. Full stop. ;)
 
Jack Straw":bcdxn2oh said:
Gilbey's really is terrible.
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True that. I found it undrinkable. Liquid fire with hints of my neighbor's juniper bush - which, on a hot day, smells like the urine from the feral cats that live in it. No. I don't like Gilbey's. *shudder* ;)
 
adauria":cfo5s90g said:
That sounds awesome! I am going to make it tonight with some pepperoncini I have in the fridge. Now, should I use Tanqueray Ten or Hendricks for this.... Decisions, decisions.-Andrew
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Pepperoncini were exactly what I used. Enjoy!
 
puros_bran":ql9zj9c4 said:
Hey I said Ice and Olive too.... :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Touché, but I'm not sure those things qualify. ;)

I did write up my Ideal Martini in the Epicure's Asylum. I admit to being a little opinionated about the things, but that's what makes it so much fun! Well, that, and actually drinking them.

Cheers!
 
I can dig it...

I'm not really against Bluetinis, Rastinis, and all that stuff...
I've had a couple Bluetinis thaat were good. But they aren't Martinis.
As long as we all know what we are talking about,the terminology doesn't bother me. BUT assuming we all know what we are talking about creates alot of problems... I ordered a Martini last year, the kid said "What Kind?" ( I shoulda known.. I asked for it, it was MY FAULT), I said "A regular old Martini" I got 3oz of straight Vodka.. :evil:
 
puros_bran":srdcs37c said:
I can dig it...

I'm not really against Bluetinis, Rastinis, and all that stuff...
I've had a couple Bluetinis thaat were good. But they aren't Martinis.
As long as we all know what we are talking about,the terminology doesn't bother me. BUT assuming we all know what we are talking about creates alot of problems... I ordered a Martini last year, the kid said "What Kind?" ( I shoulda known.. I asked for it, it was MY FAULT), I said "A regular old Martini" I got 3oz of straight Vodka.. :evil:
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I was in Richmond, at a show one year, and tried to get a martini at the local steak house. It was actually really funny. The waitress was adorable, and the dangerously short skirt she sported did more than a little to enhance her charm. I didn't mind her coming back repeatedly in an attempt to get my drink right...

I ordered a Bombay martini. Off she went. A few minutes later...

"The bartender wants to know how to make a Bombay martini."

I explained it was just a martini made with Bombay gin.

"Okay!" Off she went. A few minutes later...

"We don't have Bombay gin. Just Tanqueray."

Okay. That's fine. Off she went. A few minutes later...

A rocks glass, with rocks, is presented, containing what I presumed was gin and vermouth, with an olive on top.

"Can I have this strained into a cocktail glass, please?"

"Okay!" Off she went. A few minutes later...

The same rocks glass, sans ice, now bearing a now innocuous, hopelessly watered down, but strained version of whatever had come the first time. "Thanks, love."

I decided to order a beer.
 
Just a side note... love the site. Still pretty wierd thinking of Chef Greg.. I don't know why though, thats basically what a blend is I guess.
 
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