I don't like gin! My father-in-law is a big gin & tonic person. I've always preferred a vodka tonic personally, usually with a bit of lime. Especially in the summer. I was traveling recently with an older guy in our company. It was a week long trip to Reno, so we a) spent a good bit of time together and b) spent a good bit of time drinking. He's a martini guy. Figuring it's too cold for vodka tonic but wanting something different, I started ordering vodka martinis. These are good. Even green olives (which I normally can't stand) are kind of a little punishment for me to get over the guilt. Ha! Soaked in vodka, they're not that bad.
Long story longer, when I got home I got the fixings for vodka martinis - which really just meant picking up green olives and Martini & Rossi Extra Dry Vermouth. In my mixer, it's a hand full of ice (5 cubes), 2 shots of vodka, 1 shot of vermouth and then shaken until my hand is cold. Strained into a glass, then stab 4 olives and drown them. Not bad. One or two after dinner occasionally is quite nice.
Don't worry, I'm getting to the gin.
This month's Maxim magazine had a section on booze. I didn't learn anything from the vodka, whiskey, rum and tequila sections, but was a little surprised to see a bit on gin. I just don't really count that in the top 5 boozes I guess. I've also seen shows on Discovery channel and such about the distillation process for various spirits, learning a lot about gin there. I've always thought it was a little flowery for my taste. Not like a flowery wine, but a bitey flower that's pretty pissed off. Anyway, I read up some online then about 'real' martinis. Apparently a true extra dry martini is a touch of vermouth then a glass of gin and ice. Knowing I didn't want to jump in like that, but curious if my tastes have changed, I made a regular stirred martini. 5 parts gin (in the cabinet already from the afore mentioned father-in-law) and 1 part vermouth over ice in the shaker, swirled around so as not to 'bruise' the gin, then strained. Stirred, not shaken. Drowned olives as before.
But here's the thing: it sucks.
It smells like potpourri and tastes like my lawn. Holding my breath to block out the smell helps it get down, but what kind of after dinner drink is that? Plus I've read that people drink this stuff to cleanse their palette before a meal. I guess it's better than cleaning off your tongue with sandpaper -- but I'd rather give that a try before I have another gin drink.
I really like scotch and have appreciation for how different brands bring a different smokey aroma and peaty taste. And each has its own aftertaste too. Maybe I've got a bum brand of gin here, but scotch differences are sometimes quite subtle. It's all still scotch using the widest brush. So you can keep your variations on the theme of turpentine filtered through decaying flower petals.
I don't like gin.
