Market Watch, April 2016

APRIL 2016 MARKETWATCHMAG COM MARKET WATCH 63Complementary FlavorsThanks to the range of different botanicals that can be used to make gin the ingredients that blend well with the spirit are seemingly endless Citrus herbs liqueurs and savory ingredients all work wonderfully with gin and thats just to name a few The Gin Joints Bolt says The skys the limit with flavor combinations His Death Grip 10 features Bristow gin Rothman Winter Orchard Apricot liqueur Jeppsons Malört wormwood liqueur Kina LAéro dOr aperitif Tipplemans Ginger Honey syrup lemon juice honey muddled gooseberries and Peychauds bitters If a gin features a particular aromatic ingredient like Hendricks with rose and cucumber or Sacred with pink grapefruit and cardamom its a good idea to play along with those flavors to accent the spirits major components says Amann of Ceres Table At Driftwood Room a restaurant and bar inside the Nautilus Hotel in Miami Beach Florida the Origamiami 15 blends Hendricks with Soto Junmai Daiginjo sake and house made cucumber bitters while The Botanist 15 features Aviation gin fresh celery and lime juices and agave nectar Taking a chef like approach to making cocktails is not uncommon today in fact the trend of using fresh fruits and vegetables and other culi nary ingredients has been on the rise of late At The Gin Joint Bolts White Collar 10 blends St George Terroir gin Yellow Chartreuse liqueur egg white parsnip and lemon juices house made orgeat and vanilla syrups and house made wormwood bitters At the San Francisco restaurant Monsieur Benjamin the Way Back When 11 created by chef Jason Berthold features St George Dry Rye gin Luxardo Maraschino liqueur Yellow Chartreuse and celery mint dill and lemon juices More bartenders think of gin as part of their spice arsenal St Georges Ferman says If vodka is the salt in a cocktail then gin is a cabinet full of amazing spices that can tantalize and inspire Room To GrowPerhaps the gin categorys most defining feature is how rapidly it has expanded in recent years Thirty years ago there were just eight or so gin brands today there are hundreds here in the United States Diageos Ford says With such variety bartenders are making decisions based on flavor profiles to create different effects in their gin based drinks The result is an assortment of gin cocktails with a variety of nuances Indeed as the gin category grows so does the range of cock tails that can be made with gin and the number of fans Vodka loyalists can become gin drinkers thanks to New American styles that work well in delicate refreshing cocktails Explaining that London Dry isnt the only style of gin and that modern American gins have more complex notes has opened the palates of average consumers and helped push the popularity of the spirit Community Taverns Cordon says He adds that the bars most popular cocktail is the 37th Chamber 12 which comprises Thai basil infused North Shore Distillers No 6 gin St George Spiced Pear liqueur palm sugar simple syrup and fresh lemon juice At The Shanty Dumas The Acerbic Mrs Parker 11 features Dorothy Parker gin Combier LOriginal Orange liqueur house made hibiscus syrup and fresh lemon juice Adventurous drinkers meanwhile can explore Old Tom gin Navy Strength gin barrel aged expressions and genever in bolder more spirit driven concoctions At Whitechapel owner Alex Smiths The Modern Prometheus 14 features Haymans Royal Dock Navy Strength gin Diep 9 Oude genever Plymouth Sloe gin John D Taylor Velvet Falernum liqueur Absente absinthe simple syrup cinnamon infused Angostura bitters and grapefruit and lime juices At The Gin Joint Bolts Velvet Glove 10 comprises Ransom Old Tom gin Vago Espadin mezcal Green Chartreuse Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao and Angostura bitters I enjoy a spirit that stands up for itself and isnt afraid to be aggressive in its qualities says Amann of Ceres Table His Vandalo 10 blends Distillerie de Biercée Peket dè Houyeu genever with Cynar amaro house made honey syrup and Regans No 6 Orange bitters Bols genever meanwhile touts the Full Disclosure Falco featuring the brand with Cognac Park VSOP Cognac Noilly Prat Dry vermouth Yellow Chartreuse and Regans No 6 Orange bitters The drink was created by Cognac Park brand ambassador Naomi Schimek Our taste buds have matured over the last 40 years to find bitter herbal and otherwise non sweet flavors pleasing to the palate New York Distillings Katz says At The Shanty Dumas The Superfund 11 highlights Chief Gowanus gin New York Distilling based the product on historical recipes resulting in a brand that Katz refers to as a whiskey gin hybrid The drink also features Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao Pernod absinthe simple syrup and Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel Aged bitters Gin is a dynamic spirit category St Georges Ferman says Its constantly challenging imaginative bartenders to create cocktails that allow for a symphony of flavors spices herbs and botanicals to fill a vessel with song not just a single note mwSally Kral is an Ithaca New York based freelance writer PHOTO BY ANDREW CEBULKAThe Death Grip is wildly complex blending gin apricot and wormwood liqueurs bitter aperitif ginger honey lemon gooseberries and bitters