STROLLING DOWN ATLANTIC AVENUE

Let's end the speculation as to which direction I'm going for this tour!  I've gone west, stopping at my bottle of Brooklyn Gin as I want to try that trick with the copper stopper and emboss an ice cube!

Brooklyn Gin is all about citrus and they proudly use only fresh - not frozen or dried - citrus peels (5/11 botanicals are citrus and of these, at least 50% are lime peels). They proudly use only locally produced fruit and a base spirit made from 100% American corn, to make a vibrant gin which is perfect in a G&T.   The botanicals include cracked juniper, lavender, cocoa nibs, coriander, orris root, angelia root, Eureka lemon, Persian lime, Key lime, Navel orange and Kumquat.

The gin is produced in small batches of around 300 bottles and takes about 3 days.  The bottle itself was specially designed to reflect the character and essence of Brooklyn borough - hip, creative, industrial chic.  The shape pays homage to the apothecary origins of gin and their three core pillars - Independent Craftsmanship, Fresh Ingredients and Made in New York. 

They were established in 2010 by founders Emil Jättne and Joe Santos (ex Bacardi) who set out to make a high-quality small-batch American gin by hand, on their own terms.  Despite not having the resources at the time to build their own distillery, they collaborated with the Warwick Valley Winery and Distillery in the Hudson Valley and this is where they currently handcraft and bottle their gin.  There are plans in the making to set up their own distillery in Brooklyn, but this has caused some issues for them, as Brad Estabrooke set up his micro-distillery around the same time as Brooklyn Gin launched - actually in Brooklyn.  He does however use the Old Dutch spelling for his brand - Breuckelen Distilling.  There was a bit of a spat between the two distillers, with Brooklyn being very defensive and suing for trademark infringement.  Breuckelen hit back that theirs is actually made in Brooklyn, is not geographically deceptive, and they were distilling long before Brooklyn changed their name from Maverick Distilling.   Breucklelen now market their gin under the name Glorious Gin, so along the way, they must have found a compromise.

For my serve, I'm going with some feel good music inspiration and a recipe off their website - Atlantic Avenue Shuffle - with a little Average White Band 70s music in the background!  The song may be about a similarly named street in Rio, but it's also one of Brooklyn's longest streets - no copyright fight around this though!

Recipe:  Gin, lemon juice, St Germain, sugar syrup, Aperol, orange bitters.

OVER THE BARREL

I've previously posted about this gin as part of an aged gin series of posts, so do scroll down or pop over to my blog if you want to read a little more about aged gins.  For their Barrel Finished version, Bluecoat American Dry Gin is rested in new, charred oak barrels for a minimum of 12 months, which softens the spirit and introduces hints of caramel, vanilla and toffee. It's perfect for sipping, in a martinez (which I've served up here) or add a little ginger ale to it if you want a longer drink.

The brand plays homage to the Bluecoat soldiers, who boldly fought for freedom during the Revolutionary War 1775-1783. Briefly, the war was all about British attempts at controlling the colonies and imposing unfair taxes but they surrendered in 1781 and the Treaty of Paris signed in 1873 made America officially independent.

Philadelphia is commonly known as the birthplace of America, as it is the location where the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were written, yet Jamestown remains popularly known as the birthplace of American democracy.  I don't know if any of you watched the drama series based around the first English settlement in North America (Jamestown), but if not, it's a good one to binge on (it is historically correct!), especially given we are all still in lockdown for a little while yet! 

Bluecoat gin is distilled in small batches in a hand-hammered copper pot still, with only the hearts used.  Their American Dry is deliberately different and has a unique profile versus a London Dry Gin.  Not only does the packaging represent America with their distinctive blue bottle, but their brand is all about representing free-thinking Americans, being revolutionary, breaking the mould and is unapologetic about this.  It's a proud brand - the first craft distillery in Pennsylvania since Prohibition and using only 100% certified organic botanicals. 

I've just spotted they also have a limited edition Elderflower Gin Expression, so yet another one to add to my list - if it can be found in the UK!

Perhaps my post title now makes a little more sense, in more ways than one! 

WHAT DO THE SIMPSONS AND GREAT GATSBY HAVE IN COMMON?

Today's stop is in Washington DC with a gin which is a collaboration between TBGC and New Columbia Distillers, who make Green Hat Gin.  It's a gin that is packed with lime peel, lime leaves, loads of citrus and distilled using their own wheat based spirit. 

There is no confusion around the origins of the Gin Rickey!  It was simply named after Col. Joe Rickey, a Democratic lobbyist who lived in Washington DC during the late 19th Century.  He preferred sugar-free cocktails options and his favourite serve was a bourbon and soda.  One day he instructed his bartender at Shoomaker's Bar, to add lime and the Bourbon Rickey was born.  This resulted in loads of riffs, with the Gin Rickey becoming the favourite, even appearing in the 1925 classic "The Great Gatsby" and in an episode of The Simpsons - Burns, Baby Burns!

The Rickey is said to have been created in the 1880s but the recipe for a Rickey can only be found in print as early as 1903 (coincidentally the same year the Colonel died) and used Plymouth Gin served in a sour glass - juice of 1 lime, ice, a wine glass of gin and topped with soda. The Colonel, who was a shareholder in the business, bought Shoomaker's in 1883 after the owners died.   It was a dingy venue, also known as Shoo's or Cobweb Hall, frequented and much loved by many famous writers and politicians before prohibition forced it to close its doors in October 1917.

There is always more to the story though, as it appears the Colonel was a bit aggrieved at being known as the creator of the Rickey, rather than as an authority on political matters!  He was convinced that there were fashions in drinks and that the phase for Rickey's would pass and his reputation as a politician would be restored.  Sadly, that does not appear to be the case!   In 2011 the Rickey was officially declared Washington DC's signature cocktail and even has a month dedicated to it - July!

LIFE IS A JOURNEY

I found this little gem on my trip to the Amalfi Coast a couple of years ago.  Along my journey with juniper, I've found quite a few gins using berries, specifically blueberries or varieties thereof, which I really enjoy.  According to Thomas Hardy's novel "The Return of the Native", the bilberries were called blackhearts and this is where this expression from Journeyman Distillery takes its name.

Journeyman Distillery is located in the historic Featherbone Factory.  In 1883 a staunch prohibitionist, EK Warren, founded the historic building as a Buggy Whip and Corsets Factory.  By replacing whalebone with softer featherbone, he made Three Oaks, Michigan the global fashion capital of the late 1800s and changed corset manufacturing forever. Three Oaks today is a charming little town of approximately 2000 people and located east of Lake Michigan, perfect for a day trip from Chicago.  

In 2010 Bill and Chuck Welter teamed up to buy the middle section of the factory and begin building the Journeyman Distillery.  As my post title suggests, the history behind the name has meaning too - Bill was passionate about golf growing up and eventually secured a golf scholarship at uni and after that spent some time in St. Andrews Scotland, where he became friends with an Aussie master barman and whisky connoisseur - Greg Ramsey.  Bill returned to the family business in the US and Greg to Tasmania, where he set up Nant Distillery on his family's farm.  When Greg's family business was unexpectedly sold, he started thinking about spirits again and spent some time with his old friend, learning the art of distilling.

Journeyman pride themselves in ensuring their products are hand crafted and use only the purest, organic ingredients, producing an extensive range of artisan products, which in their words, have a true sense of terroir.  They use midwest organic grain and untreated water from an underground aquifer.  The range includes a range of brown and clear spirits which are offered as tasting flights in a beautiful atmospheric setting should you be fortunate enough to visit the distillery.  They also have an on-site restaurant and putting green, which makes it the perfect family day out and takes it full circle back to Scotland, where it all started!

BLUEBERRY GIMLET

2 oz. Bilberry Black Hearts Gin

1/2 oz. Fresh lime juice

1/2 oz. Fresh grapefruit juice

1/2 oz. Simple syrup

Fresh blueberry pick for garnish

Shake all ingredients well with ice and strain

into an ice-filled rocks glass. 

THE LONG TABLE

Heading west again and across borders to Vancouver's first micro-distillery, which was established in 2013.  It took distiller Charles Tremewen 3 years to get this project off the ground and he nearly gave up many times as the hurdles encountered along the way just seemed insurmountable.  Even today the liquor policy in British Columbia means they have had to take a huge cut in revenue, but they have remained positive throughout and Charles is now considered one of Canada's most influential distillers.

Charles and his wife always wanted a tasting room or  bar, where they could share their love of spirts with friends, family and spirit lovers and the centre for this is an 18 foot Redwood table, which ultimately inspired and gave the distillery its name. It has become a popular venue and they have weekly G&T and Cocktail evening in their bar, where you can see the goings-on in the distillery through a glass wall.

Although Long Table now produce a range of spirits and botanical spirits made from 100% Canadian grain and Canadian botanicals, gin was Charles' first love and they currently offer 3 award winning gins, London Dry, Cucumber and a barrel aged gin.  

Their London Dry is classically styled and used 8 traditional botanicals, all macerated and then distilled in their 300 litre copper pot still.  Each batch takes around 5 hours and produces around 300 bottles.  

I've stalked their socials and menus and this is my version of one of their cocktails - the Upper False Creek.

London Dry Gin blends eight botanicals, with the usual suspects of juniper and citrus joining earthy notes of fennel and pepper. On the palate, the distiller reports that it is juniper-forward, with celery and a bit of cashew nuttiness.

COLOURFUL TEA AT THE FAIRMONT

There are more collaborations between brands and distillers than I care to list, but this one has to be a little special.  I stopped here during my last virtual tour and I can't resist doing so again!  Empress 1908 Gin is a collaboration between Victoria Distillers and the Fairmont Empress Hotel in British Columbia and is probably one of the most famous of the colour-changing gins we know.  The beautiful colour from this gin comes from butterfly pea flowers, but alongside traditional botanicals, they also use a signature blend of black tea, which is served at the Empress Hotel for High Tea.  Ginger and cinnamon are also included as as a nod to Queen Victoria, Empress of India.  

The hotel overlooks the Inner Harbour in Victoria and is an iconic destination for the rich and famous, being the perfect blend of traditional and modern sophistication.  Their collaboration with Victoria Distillers dates back to 2016 but their gins and spirits were popular choices in the Hotel Bar prior to this.  The distillery is located on the waterfront and the owners have several properties in the area - one being the Sidney Pier Hotel next door.  Being all about sustainability, they managed to connect the distillery with the hotel's geothermal system, to help mitigate the waste of energy occurring during distillation and heat the hotel during winter.  The water is recycled back to the distillery, which in turn also helps to save around 7000 litres of water with every run of the still.  

But back to the Empress, where I will virtually join around 400 people who visit the hotel Lobby Lounge every day to indulge in a tradition that has been an important part of Victoria for more than a century - High Tea, with a delicious cocktail to go with it.

ARE YOU TEAM RED OR TEAM GREEN ??

Stopping briefly today in Portland, Oregon at House Spirits Distillery, where Aviation Gin is made.  This gin was originally marketed as a New Western Dry, being a non-juniper forward gin, but I'll touch on this term again in a future post.  It's now referred to as an American Dry Gin in an effort to put it in a different category to a London Dry.  Co-incidentally, the mixologist who co-founded Aviation Gin shares his first name with the famous actor who we now associate with the brand and yes, the gin is actually named after the cocktail, which was the inspiration for the creation of the brand. 

In 2016 House Spirits sold the Aviation brand to Davos Brands but they still continue to produce the gin for them, accounting for almost half of the spirits produced by the distillery.  In 2018 Ryan Reynolds acquired a stake in the brand from Davos and in August 2020, Aviation was sold to Diageo, but he still has an ongoing interest in the brand.

Do we really want to know any more about this gin, or do we just want this post to be a little tongue in cheek nod to both Ryan Reynolds' roles as Green Lantern and Deadpool?  If you are an avid comic book fan and love your movies, you will know that Marvel's Deadpool is just brilliant, but DC's Green Lantern ...how shall we put it....a little wanting. 

So - are you team red or team green?  Go vote in my stories (or in the comments below) for your favourite Aviation cocktail!

HELLO BEAUTY!

Today we are heading to the Bently Heritage Estate Distillery, a ranch near Tahoe in Nevada, which is where Juniper Grove Gin is made.  This sustainable and innovative distillery is proud to be using grain and other produce which is grown on the ranch, to produce all their spirits.  Here in the UK we use terms like grain to bottle or farm to glass, but laws in Nevada dictate that to call yourself an estate distillery, at least 85% of your raw materials have to be grown on land owned or controlled by the distillery owner. Quality and consistency is therefore the name of the game, as where other distillers will shop about for the best of the best, these guys are hands-on do it yourself!  There is nothing they don't know about about all stages of production, from growing through to distributing their end products.

Their story started when husband and wife team Christopher and Camille Bently had a dream to create something special in an abandoned mill.  Christopher's passion for restoring historic buildings and love of premium spirits became a reality after several holidays to Scotland with his wife, where they became acquainted with single malt whisky and decided they wanted to make an American single malt whisky.  The task of restoring and updating the run-down buildings took years, but they carefully did this, preserving everything they could and minimising any waste. Many hidden treasures were uncovered during the restoration process and historic equipment has been lovingly, preserved and catalogued so that it can be displayed on site.

Juniper Grove Gin was launched in 2019 and true to its name, is juniper prominent, but well balanced and supported by the bright citrus and spice.  They keep it simple, using just 5 botanicals and a rich oat-based spirit, which is distilled in small batches in traditional copper pot stills in the Creamery Building, which incidentally took 5 years to restore.  

Alongside their American Dry Gin, they also have an Alpine and Atrium Gin.  Their Alpine expression is true terroir and only available on site - celebrating the mountains and region that surround their estate and including a piñon pine distillate, whilst Atrium is their floral expression.

GRIFF-HELLO

I had to throw in a little pun in my caption title and anyone with kids will recognise the reference, as I say hello to one of the newest gins in my collection.   

Michael and Jenny Griffo did not let anything scare them when they set out to build their family distillery.  More than anything they wanted to work side by side and create things with intention, love and responsibility and their dream came true when they opened the doors of their distillery on Scott Street in Petaluma, California, in 2015.  They chose Petaluma because it's where they had lived for several years and having a family, they wanted to ensure that they were surrounded by not only family, but also a wonderful community atmosphere and an area with safe streets and excellent schools.  An added advantage is that the area is a thriving and very productive agricultural region, making it easy for them to source fresh and local ingredients.  Should you be fortunate to be close enough to visit, they also have an on-site tasting room and bar where you are able to try and learn more about their products.

Their first release and award-winning Scott Street Gin is distilled in the custom-made copper still, Betty, using only the highest quality botanicals, which include wild Italian juniper, Mayer lemons picked from their neighbour's tree, grains of paradise and coriander. They also use a non-GMO corn spirit for their grain to glass spirits.  The gin is smooth yet bright, beautiful and complex, so makes the perfect dry martini.  They produce other small-batch spirits including vodka, bourbon, whiskey and a coffee liqueur. 

AMERICAN PIONEERS

Anchor Distilling Company

This gin has had so many awards bestowed upon it, the makers saw fit to give it a beautiful new bottle last year - sadly we in the UK have not yet had sight of it - boohoo!  Their new juniper blue bottle, which is ultra-modern looking, with a graffiti style Junipero scrawled across the front, will hopefully eventually replace the version we can purchase here - get buying up the stock y'all, so it arrives quickly!

Regardless of the bottle, it's the spirit inside that's worthy of inclusion in my tour and this one was the first of its kind and led to the birth of American craft gin in 1996, being the first artisanal gin made in America since prohibition. They still handcraft each bottle and use 12 classic botanicals which are well-balanced and ensure that juniper remains upfront and retains it's complexity. 

The gin is distilled by the Anchor Distilling Company, in a tiny copper pot still which was installed in the corner of their brewery in 1993.  They were at the forefront when it came to being one of the first to start distilling on such a small scale and the founder, Fritz Maytag can certainly hold his hand up to being the US father of craft gins, much like Sipsmith is here in the UK.  The business changed hands when Maytag retired in 2010 and one of the business partners included a well known London wine shop - Berry Bros & Rudd who still list it on their portfolio.  The company was sold again a few years later but regardless of ownership, this gin is sticking around and if you try this, you will know why!

I should put a warning on this though, as it's bottled at just over 49%!  However, you wouldn't realise this when sipping it neat, as it's extremely smooth, clean and has a beautiful creamy mouth feel.  Lots of resinous juniper upfront and it finishes with a little spicy kick, possibly from the grains of paradise.  This is a bold and ballsy gin and certainly intended to hit the market without trying to be a classic London Dry, but yet it has retained the classic gin profile.  

It's the perfect cocktail gin, so I've gone with a simple Southside for this one - recipe is on their website.

IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE

Blinking Owl Distillery

A rather different parliamentary post today for National G&T Day USA!  I am of course referring to this stunning gin from the Blinking Owl Distillery in California.  They distill all their spirits from grain to glass and use only 100% Californian organic grains and are the very first craft distillery in Orange County.  

They take their name from stories told of a midcentury bar in Santa Ana which was known for having a neon owl sign that would blink.  Founders Brian and Robin Christenson took advantage of the craft gin craze and some family distilling history and established a local distillery in their neighbourhood, which also includes a retro 70s style tasting room which evokes images of disco cocktails, sequin boob-tubes and white suits.  Even their bottle is a simple 70s design and as yet they have not succumbed to any fancy rebranding.  

Their founding distiller, who helped them launch Blinking Owl, started his career with Journeyman Distillery in Michigan - which I featured a few days ago (Day 9).  Ryan Friesen places an emphasis on using local for his spirits and that includes water and Santa Ana has twice been awarded as having the best municipal water in the US!  They mash with local water that needs no filtering, but all water that is used for diluting their spirits, is completely filtered.  

Their gin is distilled using NGS (their own vodka!) and features 13 botanicals, including Hibiscus, as it is the flower of Santa Ana.  It's aromatic, smooth with an oily mouth feel and rather bizarrely, I get notes of banana bread when nosing this one! (I think perhaps this virtual tour or maybe lockdown baking is getting to me!) It does finish with the bitter resinous notes you would expect from a juniper forward gin, but that middle sweetness is intriguing and made me smile.  It's a bit of fun, definitely matching their motto which is friendship, fun and artistry.

WHAT IS NEW WESTERN STYLE GIN?

I touched on this term in a previous post, but as I've been exploring my American gin collection, this keeps popping up and so when I saw this gin, I knew I needed to not only include it in my tour, but also try and understand the term, which although not new, is being used more frequently these days.

Although Wild June Western Style Gin is distilled by District Distilling in Washington DC, I'm including it en route through West Texas, as this is where they handpick Red Berry Juniper to include in the 11 botanicals.  They claim these berries give the gin an unusually wild but sweeter taste and this is the only gin in the world to use them.  It won a Gold Medal in the SFO World Spirits competition in 2018, but wild?  I'm not sure, as it's all subjective really when it comes to tasting gin and maybe I'm missing the point around the use of the word "wild".  It is notably sweeter, with subtle hints of caramel and rye, yet it still manages to hold onto some of the familiar piney notes we want in a gin.  I'd be tempted to put this in an Old Tom category but whatever you want to call this, it's an excellent sipping gin which is both bold and complex.

It's not only the Americans who are starting a wave of gins which are less juniper dominant.  Many brands on both sides of the Atlantic (in fact worldwide!) are using juniper to enhance the other botanicals and where juniper is dialled down, this style is becoming known as Western-style Gin.  

Floral and citrus expressions or any gin which has dominant flavours which override juniper definitely do appeal to those who don't like the resinous piney flavour of a juniper dominant gin. By changing the balance and giving other botanicals place to shine, gins can also give a sense of terroir and we see this a lot.  The various expressions and lesser juniper dominant gins give gin a much wider audience and versatility. I don't have a problem with it and can appreciate them all, so does it really matter if juniper is not dominant? Isn't gin all about a careful balance of botanicals where the flavours all support and enhance each other? 

Perhaps you feel more strongly than me, that the definition of how we define gin is a little too loose.  So does the law need to change to accommodate a variety of "gin styles"?  I guess this is an interesting debate, so feel free to get involved in the comments

For those who love a label, Wild June features artwork by Austin musician Bob Schneider, who also designed labels for the brand's other gin expressions. The cocktail featured is a riff of Texas' (supposedly) most popular cocktail - the Paloma - using gin instead of tequila!

GENTILLY DOES IT!

Seven Three Distilling are located in the heart of New Orleans on the edge of the French Quarter and they have been producing a range of small batch spirits since around 2016.  Their name is taken from the 73 unique neighbourhoods which make up the city and through their spirits, husband and wife team Sal and Eileen Bivalacquo, are wanting to tell the stories of the city. 

Gentilly isn't a single neighbourhood, but is rather a fusion of neighbourhoods, just like the botanicals in their gin.    These are inspired by faith healers of old French Louisiana, known as the traiteur, and based on remedies from the Cajun medicine bag.  The botanicals are kept secret, but they do reveal that their gin is infused with Persimmon and Elderflower, the latter nicknamed The King of the Garden, for its purported healing powers - just be careful of the leaves and stems as they have a compound which can convert to cyanide!

Traiteur describes a Native Creole of the French-speaking Houma Tribe who practises faith healing - a combination of prayer and medicinal remedies.  They consider their abilities a gift from God, so refuse to take payment in exchange for their services, but some will accept gifts.  It's a very old tradition which is dying out and the rituals are passed down from one generation to the next but to the opposite gender - male to female and vice versa.  Their treatment and rituals, coexist alongside conventional medicine and some also use herbal remedies, which crosses over to voodoo. Regardless of whether you believe in faith healing or not, we are all aware that many plants have medicinal uses and have been used across the world for many centuries.  We find many used as gin botanicals - far too many to list - but we all know gin is medicinal so do drink up! (I may have stretched that last fact a bit, but do drink responsibly at all times!)

If you have never tried this gin, you are in for a real treat!  It's sweet and spicy upfront and mellows in the mouth finishing with the slightly bitter resinous notes which leave you with no doubt that this has enough juniper in it to keep all gin-lovers happy.  

It was time I tried to make one of these - the New Orleans classic - Ramos Gin Fizz, using Gentilly Gin! As my caption reads - gentilly does it!

Their branding has a vintage speakeasy vibe to it, which certainly makes the bottle stand out on your gin shelf.