CHAPTER 2

GIN

Is any other spirit so perfectly suited to cocktails as gin?

While you do find the occasional diehard juniperphile who will sip the stuff neat, gin virtually always appears in cocktail form—from simple G&Ts, to Martinis and Gimlets, to far more elaborate creations conceived in this century or in centuries past.

To understand gin’s affinity for the cocktail, it’s important to understand how the spirit is made. “At the end of the day, gin is just flavored vodka,” says Joel Lee Kulp. It’s a line favored by many modern bartenders as a different perspective on gin. A base of neutral spirit is flavored and redistilled with a host of botanicals—juniper prime among them, which gives gin its characteristic piney scent.

Other ingredients generally include citrus peel, coriander, angelica root, and orris root, and spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg. Thus gin has an affinity for fruit flavors, since gin itself has a citrus element; and an affinity for herbal flavors, whether fresh herbs or an herbal liqueur or vermouth.

Until recently, American liquor stores showcased primarily British gins. And while the major players (Beefeater, Tanqueray, Bombay) are still imported, the last decade has seen an explosion in gins on the market, with craft distillers now numbering in the hundreds.

From a logistical standpoint, gin is one of the fastest spirits to produce—there’s no waiting around for spirits to mature (as with whiskey, many brandies and rums, and others), and no associated costs of barrels and warehouses. Redistill a neutral grain spirit with an array of botanicals, include enough juniper, and you’ve got gin.

But it’s that blend of botanicals that makes every gin different—and makes the category endlessly fascinating. “The pleasure of gin is, each one is wholly original,” says Allen Katz of New York Distilling Co., which produces three different gins (among other spirits). “With every bottle, you can say, this is what makes mine unique—and this is how I would use it in a cocktail.”

It’s the bartender’s job to understand the nuanced flavors in their gins of choice, and then finesse them accordingly, whether preparing a straightforward Martini or a more complicated invention. “I love it when people sit down at the bar and tell me, ‘I don’t drink gin’,” says Kulp—so he can persuade them otherwise. “I want to find your gateway drug, the cocktail that can make you appreciate gin. And I’d tell a customer, don’t overthink it—just try this drink, I think you’ll love it. And know that it’s gin.”