Beefeater 24 Gin is a variation of Beefeater’s London Dry Gin, adding a handful of new components to the spirit, including grapefruit peel and, most notably, Japanese and Chinese green tea. Beefeater 24 gets its name from its unique distillation process, in which all botanicals are steeped together in the base spirit for 24 hours before going into traditional pot stills. Beefeater 24 is great on the nose, with that characteristic juniper backbone you’d expect from Beefeater. But there’s a heavy layer of citrus as well, including grapefruit and orange. I don’t get any tea in the aroma, but there’s a...

The Juniper Flip is a cocktail that comes courtesy of Scott Diaz and Elliott's Oyster House in Seattle, WA. It uses a couple tried-and-true flavor combinations -- you can't go wrong with gin, grapefruit and St. Germain -- and the whole egg gives the drink a silky texture. Juniper Flip 1.5 oz Bombay Sapphire Gin .5 oz St. Germain 1 barspoon Wild Hibiscus Syrup .75 oz Pink Grapefruit Juice 1 Whole Egg Combine with ice and shake vigorously for 20 seconds.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with edible hibiscus flower....

Bluecoat is an American Dry Gin distilled in Philadelphia. Its unique flavor profile is derived from organic juniper berries and a proprietary blend of citrus peels and other botanicals. The term “American” dry gin is key, as any gin outside the traditional London Dry style is typically lighter in juniper notes. Bluecoat holds true to the theme, but does pack a small juniper punch on the nose. Beneath the initial hit of juniper is lots of citrus and a somewhat odd yet mildly refreshing minty scent. Take a sip and the 94 proof spirit is fairly thick and surprisingly easy on the...

Mixology Monday is everyone’s favorite online cocktail party, in which participants mix up a cocktail per a particular theme. This month’s host is Chris Amirault of eGullet, and the theme is: “Like that? Then you’ll love this!”  From Chris -- Everybody has a friend or colleague whose drink order is invariably a dirty vodka martini or a machine-made margarita or something similarly icky. If you wanted to bring this person to the mixo side, what drink would you utilize that’s close enough to their comfort zone for them to try, but that could still open their eyes to better cocktail...

The Pink Gin, as the name half implies and half does not—is a stout cocktail. Composed of just gin and bitters, it’s not for the faint of heart. Simply uttering the words “gin” and “bitters” tends to send novice drinkers running for the hills, but the Pink Gin marries the two ingredients into a synergistic concoction worth sampling. The Pink Gin was—according to Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails—a favorite of the British Navy.  Dash some bitters into your daily ration of gin and voila!  Happy sailors. Plymouth Gin is the way to go in this cocktail. Its velvety nature works wonderfully with...

Before there was New York, there was New Amsterdam, and New Amsterdam Gin pays homage to the former Dutch settlement with a namesake gin.  Of course, New Amsterdam Gin is actually distilled in Modesto, California. Go figure. New Amsterdam Gin is a far cry from the London Dry style of gins that stand upon a firm juniper base. Instead, New Amsterdam hints at juniper and other botanicals while delivering a hefty wallop of citrus—most notably, orange. On the nose you’ll find those hints of juniper, but they mostly disappear on the palate, which is rich in sweet citrus with some underlying...

The Tailspin is a lovely little cocktail I first came across in How to Booze: Exquisite Cocktails and Unsound Advice.  Combining gin, sweet vermouth, green chartreuse and a touch of Campari, the Tailspin is a flavor-packed cocktail colored with interesting hues of both green and red. For a drink with some very potent flavors, namely chartreuse and Campari, the Tailspin is surprisingly well balanced, layering its flavors quite well.  Sweeter and more herbal than a Last Word or Negroni, it’s an interesting little concoction.  And composed of ingredients that any respectable bar will carry—plus many well-stocked home bars—it’s easy to make. The...

Broker’s Gin is distilled near Birmingham, England in traditional pot stills, and though Broker’s Gin was created in 1998, its recipe dates back 200 years.  Broker’s is a London dry gin, with the base spirit distilled from English wheat, and it’s crafted with a bevy of herbs, spices and fruits imported from around the world. On the nose, there’s no mistaking Broker’s for anything but a London Dry style gin. It’s an uncompromising, unapologetic classic gin, with very apparent juniper notes and some citrus.  It adds a bit of cinnamon and coriander to the mix, plus some floral notes, which ups...

Recently 30 booze experts tasted 1,024 premium spirits for the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.  Entries represented 58 countries and six continents.  Some winners are noted below. Premium Awards Distillery of the Year – Glenmorangie Distillery Importer of the Year – Moët Hennessy USA Best in Show, White – Trago Silver Tequila ($40) Best in Show, Whisky – Isle of Jura Prophecy ($70) Best in Show, Brandy – Père Magloire 20 Year Old Calvados ($100) Best in Show, Liqueur – Grand Marnier 100th Anniversary ($135) “Best of” Awards Vodka – Chase ($40) Flavored Vodka – Rain Organics Cucumber Lime ($21) Gin – Beefeater 24 ($30) Rum – Vizcaya VXOP Solera  ($38) Extra-Aged...

While yesterday was a rye day, today was most definitely a gin day.  With an assortment of gins at hand (Plymouth, Tanqueray Ten, Sapphire, Aviation and Martin Miller’s) I wanted to drink either something new, or something I hadn’t had in awhile.  Enter Esquire Drinks. I perused several gin-based cocktail recipes before landing on the Hearst, a fine cocktail that I haven’t had the pleasure of knowing for at least a few years.  Comprised of gin, sweet vermouth—rather than the classic dry vermouth and gin pairing—orange bitters and aromatic bitters, it’s a well-balanced cocktail that packs a boozy wallop. The gin and sweet...