Five Modern Gins And Five Cocktails In Which They Shine

It’s a glorious time to be a gin lover. The evolution of craft distilling has helped perpetuate an onslaught of new gins that come in a myriad of flavors by employing out-of-the-box botanicals to stand out. This is to the delight of enthusiasts and especially mixologists who have unlimited options with which to craft their own masterpiece drinks. Here are five modern gins, each with their own distinctive twist, complete with simple cocktails to make at home, courtesy of the industry’s top bartenders.

England’s most popular gin has finally arrived in the States. Whitley Neill is catching buzz among the mixology set with a four-bottle lineup of juniper-forward gins, infused with cocktail friendly botanicals such as English Rhubarb and Ginger, Sicilian Blood orange, and Turkish quince. My favorite is the original recipe with Cape Town flavors of gooseberry and baobab powder, a homage to founder Johnny Neill’s South African roots. The result is a clean distillate and juniper-forward gin with a little more than a hint of those unique flavors on the finish (Not that I know what baobab tastes like).

This bubbly cocktail by Jorge Hernandez at Michael’s Genuine in Miami uses beet and ginger to lend earthy, spicy notes that balance beautifully with citrus and the gin’s botanicals.

Midwinter Night’s Rose

1 ½ oz Whitley Neill Dry Gin

½ oz Domaine de Canton (Ginger Liqueur)

¾ oz Beet and ginger syrup

¾ oz Lemon juice

1 Dash of bitters (Scrappy Firewater recommended)

Top off with Prosecco

How to make it: Combine ingredients except for Prosecco in a shaker and fill with ice. Shake until very cold and fine strain into a chilled martini glass. Top with Prosecco and garnish with a lemon twist.

Beet and Ginger Syrup: Bring 1 cup water to a boil and add 2 parts sugar. Once sugar dissolves, add about 3 inches of peeled, sliced beets and ginger root. Allow steeping for 30 minutes and strain.

Leave it to a company that opens a brandy, absinthe, and gin distillery in the heart of bourbon country to create a completely unique gin style. Copper & Kings’ stellar lineup of gins are all born of apple or grape low-wine, then distilled in alembic pot stills without the use of a neutral grain spirit as almost all gin is made. The result is something completely different. Case-in-point is The History of Lovers, an apple brandy wine-based gin with an infusion of rose hips, hibiscus petals, and strawberry. The result is a lovely rose nose that carries to the palate, a round mouthfeel, and a beautiful pink hue that looks downright elegant in a cocktail.

This version of a Lovers French 75 by Eron Plevan and the bar team at ALEX&NDER in Louisville, Kentucky is served in a highball instead of the expected champagne flute presentation.

The History of Lovers French 75

1 oz C&K History of Lovers Gin

1 oz Fresh lemon juice

½ oz Simple syrup

2 oz Chilled sparkling wine

How to make it: Combine ingredients except for sparkling wine in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until very cold. Add sparkling wine to shaker and strain into a highball glass. Garnish with a lemon peel.

Simple Syrup: Bring 1/2 cup water to a boil. Add 1 cup sugar and stir until dissolved. remove from heat and let cool. Store in the fridge at least three weeks.

Gin Mare is a Spanish import whose juniper spotlight is shared with Mediterranean botanicals such as Spanish olive, Greek rosemary, Turkish thyme, and Italian sweet basil. This unexpected recipe comes together to create a unique and beautiful herbal nose and a healthy punch of juniper and coriander shining through the spiced character created by Gin Mare’s unorthodox botanicals.

A simple, dry martini is a perfect vehicle to explore these unique botanicals. Garden City, New York’s David Burke’s King Bar head bartender Brian Russell’s recipe includes a sophisticated garnish of olive and basil to elevate the nose and pull together the senses. A sprig of thyme or rosemary is also appropriate.

Mediterranean Martini

3½ oz Gin Mare

Dash of high-quality dry vermouth (Like Noilly Pratt)

How to make it: Combine ingredients in a mixing glass. Fill more than halfway with ice, and stir until very cold, about 20 seconds. Strain into a chilled Martini glass and garnish with a Spanish olive and basil leaf.

Founder Eral Gokgol-Kline and master distiller Roselyn Thomson of The Vale Fox Distillery in New York’s Hudson Valley has collaborated with master mixologists Leo Robitschek, Jeffery Morgenthaler, and the late, Gary ‘gaz’ regan to create Tod & Vixen’s Dry Gin 1651. T&V is a wheat-based spirit distilled in a Forsyth’s gin still, then includes red rooibos tea and Makrut lime to a classic lineup of botanicals. This special recipe imparts an earthy, citrusy twist on this dry, juniper-forward gin. Tod & Vixen’s voluminous mouthfeel can be attributed to the spirit’s non-chill filtered bottling, and as far as tasting notes, gaz summed it up handily: “This gin rocks!”

Regan was best known for the beloved Negroni cocktail, the vehicle which he no doubt had in mind while developing this gin. Here is his recipe.

Tod & Vixen’s Dry Negroni

1.5 oz Tod & Vixen’s Dry Gin 1651

1 oz Sweet vermouth (Cocchi Storico Vermouth di Torino recommended)

1 oz Campari

How to make it: Combine ingredients with ice in a rocks glass and stir until very cold (gaz’s famous finger stir optional). Garnish with an orange wedge and serve.

Sakura flower, sakura leaf, yuzu peel, sencha tea, gyokuro tea, and sansho pepper are the six Japanese botanicals used in Roku (which translates to six) to place an Eastern spin on a London Dry classic. As you would expect from a Japanese gin, Roku is delicate and layered with floral, herbal notes, and a citrus-forward nose with a hint of pepper.

A Rickey is a highball that classically skews tart, but this balanced version adds a Japanese twist with yuzu, a highly fragrant and acidic citrus juice that’s fairly easy to find. The combination meshes nicely with the Japanese botanicals in the gin. Top this one off with quality club soda.

Roku Rickey

1 1/2 oz Roku Gin

1/2 oz Simple syrup

1/2 oz Yuzu juice

4 oz Club (try Fevertree Premium Club or Q Spectacular Club)

Shiso leaf (If you can’t find shiso, a mint leaf is fine)

How to make it: Fill a highball glass with ice. Add Roku, simple syrup, and yuzu juice. Top with chilled club and stir. Garnish with shiso.