I’ve just returned home from five days at the amazing, motivating, educational (and exhausting!) Tales of the Cocktail 2017. If you’re not familiar with this annual conference, it’s the premiere cocktail conference in the United States for bartenders, distillers, and cocktail enthusiasts; and an amazing opportunity for education, networking, brand exposure, and a really freakin’ good time.
Although all spirits are represented, I of course focused on gin! I attended seminars, endless tastings, and talked to tons of people who make and pour gin. Here are seven observations and trends I made about current state of gin in the US.
1) Gin is coming.
Talk to any bartender that makes craft cocktails, and they’ll tell you that gin is the next “it” cocktail, but I think the general public would be surprised by this. Be ready, is all I can say. Be ready for an explosion of gins! Be ready for juniper heavy, juniper light, citrus-y, herb-y, spicy, barrel aged. Whatever your heart desires, it’s coming. I drank FORTY-ONE different gins during Tales, and out of those, 28 were new to me. Some great, some bad, some just “meh,” – but it’s going to be hard to avoid gin in the near future.
2) Back to the farm.
I heard the expression “grain to glass” a lot during the week. (That trend were people want to know which cow their steak came from – same concept, but in booze.) What many distillers I talked with seem
Three of the actual draft horses at Eau Claire earning their keep.
to mean by grain to glass is that instead of buying their neutral grain spirit (the odorless, tasteless, already-fermented grain product that is the basis for all gin), they are buying the actual grain, and then producing their own neutral grain spirit. The distillers claim that this gives them more control over their final product, and they can tell you the exact farms the grain comes from, and can monitor the quality of that grain. Now, some distillers, like Eau Claire in Alberta, Canada, take things a step farther with farm to glass production. They grow (a good amount of) their own barley and actually use 60 draft horses (!) at harvest time; a process which essentially allows the distillers control over every aspect of their gin, from terroir to bottling. I have to say, the gin was indeed quite good, so maybe those horses add some magic!
3) Psychedelic colors.
I’m not kidding here – I tasted not one, but two gins that begin as a lovely shade of purple, but quickly turn to pink when citrus or tonic water is added. I certainly assumed this was a gimmick – albeit a fun one- but as it turns out, the Empress 1908 gin (Victoria, Canada) is quite good. I had a nice conversation with the master distiller, Peter Hunt, and reaffirmed that they take their gin quite seriously, and are proud of the special beauty of it.
4) Battle of the mixers.
If you asked people to name the first gin cocktail that pops into their head, the vast majority would probably reference the classic gin and tonic. I mean, G&Ts go together like PB&Js, right? Well, it depends who you talk to. Confession time: lately, I’ve been drinking my gin with soda – gasp!? Tonic can be great (and keep you malaria-free!) but the quinine can be bitter, overwhelming some of the more
Me & Desmond Payne!
Photo by Amy Yildizli
delicate floral notes, or conflicting with some of the herbaceous notes of gin, especially New Western styles. Soda, on the other hand, gives you the effervescence of tonic, without adding or detracting from the gin itself, and as a bonus, has zero calories. But, I wondered, am I blaspheming? The few times I’ve ordered a G&S at a bar, I’ve mumbled “soda” just in case the bartender was utterly horrified. I gathered up my courage asked multiple distillers their opinion and all agreed that soda is a great choice and appreciate the fact that I want to taste their gin, not necessarily the tonic. In fact, Desmond Payne, the (totally charming) master distiller of Beefeater Gin, who is celebrating his 50th year in the gin business, said he thinks gin and soda – or even gin and water is great way to enjoy gin.
5) Upping the garnish game.
Or in other words, respect the botanical mix, man! If you go to Anytown Bar, USA, bartenders will automatically garnish your G&T with a lime. But if lime doesn’t complement the mix of botanicals in the gin, it can alter the taste. In Europe, “the perfect serve” is a term that describes the ideal way to pour and garnish a cocktail. All gins have a perfect serve – some should be served with a citrus wedge, others with just the peel. Gin Mare, a gorgeous, savory Spanish gin, is best garnished with fresh rosemary and basil. It’s important to know the perfect serve so you can enjoy the gin as intended, and have the most delicious experience possible.
6) Genever. By the Dutch, of course.
You guys – genever is just delicious and needs to be discovered by the masses. Remember last year when
Zach making delicious drinks with Rutte genever and celery gin. Photo by Amy Yildizli.
I attended a whole genever seminar at Tales and got all excited about it? I reaffirmed my love for genever this year with Rutte Distillery and their delicious Old Simon Genever, which shone as the key ingredient in the Tales of the Cocktail 2017 Official Cocktail Competition: Winning Drink by Zachary Faden. This malty, juniper-based spirit is in short distribution in the US, but gaining traction as craft bartenders fall in love with it and include it on their menus. I’m only sorry that I missed this year’s genever seminar, led by the knowledgeable Philip Duff, who is launching Old Duff Genever this Fall.
7) May I have some tea with my gin?
Bergamot, baby! If you’re not familiar with bergamot, it’s a citrus fruit with a lovely fragrance – you’ll find it in perfumes and lotions and as one of the key ingredients in Earl Gray tea, my favorite. And now more distillers are adding it to gins, creating a lovely marriage with the juniper. I tried Half Hitch Gin which includes black tea, bergamot, wood, hay, and pepper. The aroma was heavenly, and the bergamot added such a nice element to the botanical mix. This is definitely a gin you can drink neat, or over ice (garnished with an orange twist). Bergamot is also a key ingredient in Beefeater 24 Gin.
What’s next?
I was also excited to see a good amount of barrel aged gins, and a few really great navy strength gins (I’m looking at you, Durham Distillery!). I also tasted some ridiculously good vermouth and amaro, which both pair so very nicely with gin. On the other hand, I was a little concerned to see gin liqueurs (??) and taste some “gins” that had no discernible juniper. Regardless, gin is indeed coming, friends. The UK gin craze is finally crossing the ocean! What trends are you excited about?
Cheers!
