Some spirits categories and flavor profiles go in and out of fashion. Gin, on the other hand, has an uncanny way of staying present. With so many expressions and personalities, there’s a gin for every season, type of cocktail, and customer.
A few years ago, gin and tonics made a splash thanks to their simplicity and adaptability to different cuisines and cocktail techniques. This year, there will still be a place for the fizzy and refreshing classics, though bartenders, managers, and owners across the U.S. are taking their creative cues from an increased number of gin expressions coming on the heels of new combinations of botanicals and aging techniques.
There’s no better evidence of the category’s growth than Seth Gibson, Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland’s beverage operations director, adding a menu of new gin-based cocktails and a “build-your-own G&T bar” with over 40,000 possible combinations to the casino’s David’s Restaurant & Bar venue. In New York City, meanwhile, Marshall Minaya (Valerie, Madame George) curated one of the largest gin libraries in New York City, with over 60 different bottles of the spirit from across the globe.
According to Oskar Eriksson, founder and CEO of just-launched Icelandic artisanal gin Himbrimi, the category is experiencing a dynamic period with numerous trends emerging. “Small-batch artisanal gins are often made with unique botanicals, resulting in complex and distinctive flavors, as are flavored gins infused with ingredients such as fruits, herbs, and spices,” says Ericsson. “Low-alcohol and non-alcoholic gin cater to health-conscious consumers. And with sustainability being an important consideration among producers and consumers, more distilleries are adopting eco-friendly practices and using locally sourced ingredients.”
This, in turn, means there’s more to love among consumers, and more ways for the bars serving them to get creative with gin’s many expressions.The gin movement has allowed the public to learn about how gin is made,” observes Eder Leon, member of the Food and Beverage Team at Grand Cayman Marriott Resort. “In recent times, people tend to be more interested in the main spirit as this will give different characteristics to gin itself. From grains to grapes to sugar cane, the range of options is wide. They can provide floral, citric, mineral, or herbaceous notes so the variety of base spirits is one of those things that had made gin successful.”
A New Gin-eration Emerges
Leon points to Oxley Gin, one of the first mainstream gin releases to be “cold distilled” (at colder temperatures preserving the flavors and aromas of the botanicals used in the gin recipe), to propel specialty gins expanding category fans’ vocabulary beyond “London Dry” and “Old Tom.” Other movers and shakers at his bars include Yorkshire Dales Purple Ram, German brand gins like Monkey 47 and Wild Child, and several small-batch.Japanese brands.
“There are some brands [from established distilleries] that clients won’t usually ask about as they assume most places will carry them,” says Leon, who adds that the flavored gin trend will be big this year, and advises having a couple of infused gins ready to go.
“The best way to learn about [trending brands], however, is to talk to the customers and research local and global trends. [Among gin alternatives], I think Seedlip is phenomenal thanks to the wide range of botanical notes and ease of paring with different tonics. Tanqueray recently introduced Tanqueray 0.0, demonstrating producers are adapting to an expanding customer base. Nordes is an ideal gin to drink neat, as albariño grapes provide floral notes customers really like. Elephant has an interesting story on how profits help elephants in Africa.”
At Lady Jane, a cocktail bar in Denver, General Manager Stuart Weaver shares his intel on his small batch brands to watch, especially with an uptick in Negroni orders among his customers. Each brand not only has a great story behind it but also a terroir based on the botanicals sourced from their place of origin.
“As I hail from the outer Hebrides of Scotland, I'm always so mystified by the fact that the beautifully clean Isle of Harris Gin is crafted from such a wild landscape” he details. “The sugar kelp seaweed, gathered from nearby sea-lochs, express the unique maritime nature of Harris. It is distilled with eight other botanicals to create a bright gin with a subtle florality and a briny finish. Procera ‘Blue Dot’ Gin, from Nairobi, Kenya, highlights Juniperus Procera, a local variety of juniper harvested just 40 miles from the distillery. Its unique terroir comes through to reveal layers of earthy, nutty complexity. Leopold's Navy Strength Gin is absolute perfection in a crisp, clean Negroni through the right balance of citrus, earth, and floral notes. Its higher ABV allows you to stick to the classic 1:1:1 Negroni spec and still end up with a balanced cocktail.”
Adrian Zagaeski, lead bartender at The Victorian in Santa Monica, California, notes that French 75, negroni, gimlets, and gin and tonics, along with spritzers with St. Germain Liqueur and Champagne, are not going anywhere as they provide a good framework for established bar staples such as Hendrick's, Bombay, and Tanqueray as well as trend-setting brands such as Empress Gin, Neversink, and The Botanist. His general advice for showing these individual gins at their best include shaking them with fresh citrus, keeping drinks clear and fresh when mixing, stirring them carefully and thoroughly, and swapping vodka for gin to achieve, “a sharper, spicier flavor that, for example, makes a Coke taste more spicy as opposed to caramel-ey.”
“It’s really cool to try these gins up against the classic London Dry Gin or Old Tom-style gin, noting the wild differences between flavor profiles, texture, and other elements specific to each gin,” says Santa Barbara-based Good Lion Hospitality’s Brandon Ristaino, who built his reputation in the emerging Los Angeles bar scene and is now bringing that innovative, envelope pushing approach to venues in Santa Barbara and Ventura including The Good Lion, Test Pilot, Shaker Mill, Bank of Italy Cocktail Trust, and Strange Beast.
Ristaino notices that his customers have an appreciation for the way, “local terroir and seasonality expresses themselves in a quality gin, be it from California (in the case of Saint George Dry Gin), Australia’s Yarra Valley (Four Pillars), or Central Europe." He adds that Leopold Brothers in Colorado and Saint George Spirits in Alameda, California produce what he believes is “the gold standard in American craft gins.”
Winning the Gin Game
“I am a big fan of gin,” affirms New Jersey-based Bar Consultant Carlos Ruiz. “It has so many nuances and layers of flavor that play well when creating cocktails. The botanicals really uplift other flavors. For example, if your cocktail contains oranges, mandarins, grapefruit, or just any citrus, then I highly recommend a gin that has ingredients that will complement those flavors such as cinnamon, nutmeg, tea, basil, and so on.”
Ruiz knows from experience (creating over 30 restaurant bar programs and participating in over 30 mixology competitions) that keeping customers interested requires focus and commitment. While the influx of new gins and familiar brands broadening their portfolios can be overwhelming for some, he observes bartenders and their customers are up to the challenge.
“We are heading in a direction where consumers are experimenting a bit more at home as well as at bars and restaurants,” he says. “Creativity is creeping up again in the bar world and I am here for it! That said, a successful gin recipe or cocktail menu all comes down to the concept and cuisine. To have a successful bar program, you must work closely with the kitchen to pick gins and other spirits that will be a good fit. And while I have some personal favorites, I instead focus on the [bar/restaurant] client and what choices are the best fit to help them grow and be successful. I love to educate and not force. I start by asking the client about their favorite gin or flavor profile and then make suggestions based on their response. That gets the client open to trying new things.”
Beyond the story behind a given gin or a finished cocktail, Miles Rutkowski, Crustacean Beverly Hills’s head bartender, says that gin cocktails also lend themselves to specific food pairings. For example, the Da-Lat Rose cocktail (combining the name of a Vietnamese city and a tribute to restaurant founder Chef Helene An), is a dry gin cocktail (with Pamplemouse, lemon juice, fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, saline, and served up with a grapefruit bubble) that pairs beautifully with the spicy yellowtail sashimi on the menu.
However, as balance is important and a gin’s flavor profile can be very strong, “You need to make sure every cocktail has a start, middle, and end.”
Joshua Dunson, Beverage Operations Manager for Columbus-based Ocean Prime/Cameron Mitchell Restaurants (with locations nationwide), finds that a bar manager or bartender’s selection may be dependent upon regional location. The warmer parts of the country seem to thrive on cocktail applications of gin with light and citrus notes, while gimlets and French 75s will be popular in the more temperate areas. While he’s observed that the Aviation has gained some traction, with its floral flavor profile, cherry, and fresh citrus notes, gin and tonics are timeless.
“Gin in and of itself has never been a simple product,” explains Dunson, who believes that menu composition can determine gin selection, though guests will seek out their favorite gins regardless.
“It has a foundational flavor profile that lends itself to complex creations. Whether its the anise character of a Corpse Reviver #2, or a robust Negroni with bitter Campari, I believe there is a market for both applications. Yet a dining experience can be cultivated around the product with its various expressions. For more elevated bar/restaurant concepts, however, we increase the depth and reach. We generally keep stock of local distilleries products as well. Watershed distillery here in Columbus has had tremendous success with our partnered Guild Series Gin.”
In terms of cocktail technique and preparation trends, Dunson notes smoked gins are hot at the moment, while barrel aging (though not as pervasive) enhances gin’s inherent pine and juniper notes and adds body and texture to the spirit. Lady Jane’s Weaver, meanwhile, prefers clean, nuanced gins that highlight local botanicals and distillation practices specific to its creators. His recommended way to appreciate these is either neat or in a classic dry Martini without bitters.
“We like to say that if it grows together, it goes together opens up a whole world of different avenues for cocktail exploration,” says Good Lion’s Ristaino. “Many of the newer gins are so hyper local that we can pair them with our restaurants’ local cuisines or seasonal specials. It's fun for us and the customer when we pair a classic Spanish gin-and-tonic with tapas or matching a California gin with a dish incorporating something from our local farmers' market. Some of the Japanese gins we're working with have specific culinary influences. While these aspects inform a venue’s cocktail direction, if you're working backwards from a food menu, it's really helpful to have a specific botanical profile to work with.”
According to Oscar Amaya, assistant general manager and beverage director at Miami’s Rusty Pelican Miami, simple drinks with inventive fruit flavors are evergreen on the menu as are gin-and-tonics with fruit flavors and aromas. “I like to pick gins with history, and unique aromas and flavors of exotic fruit and flowers,” says Amaya, whose bar go-tos include Tom Cat Bar Hill Reserve and Hendrick's Flora Adora. “New gins with exotic fruit, flowers, and water make easy the mixologist team to create new cocktails. Most of our gin selections are mixed with tonic per guests' request.”
Osaka Nikkei Miami general manager Sean Benna says that as his venue is a Japanese Peruvian concept, the team looks for gins with specific flavor profiles that align with various menu items, such as Roku or Nikka, and then sorting them in terms of their classification, such as “dry” gin or “distilled.” The bar here is big on updating classic gin cocktails, such as making an updated negroni, a bouquet version of a gin fizz, or even recreating the sling and applying a clarified technique.
“Something that is currently and widely applied is the clarification technique,” says Benna. “It uses a mixture of distillates with fruits and spices, among others, using milk and gelatin to clarify. Also, we use a sous vide to achieve infusions in a short time. However, since gin has several botanicals in its composition, it is super complex and you must be careful when you want to use it as a substitute for another distillate, since it can add up to overshadow other ingredients.”
Although the increase in the number of quality gins in the market expands possibilities for both the bartenders and the customers, Leon says that knowledge of the products bartenders work with is the key If there’s something that has changed in how cocktails are made is the knowledge of the products that they’re working with. To taste the gin, to know about flavor profiles and aromas on their different levels it will give the bartender a better idea of how to mix them.”
Recipes
and Beverage Directory at Rusty Pelican Miami
Gin Membership
Ingredients:
1½ oz Monkey 47 Gin
1 oz London essence Tonic
2½ oz Prosecco
Garnish: Dehydrated orange wheel, dehydrated lime wheel, sage, rosemary, mint, 6 juniper berries
Directions:
Build ingredients into wine glass with ice. Garnish and serve.
Cute-Cumber
Ingredients:
1½ Hendrick's Lunar Gin
½ oz Hibiscus Syrup
2½ oz London Essence Tonic
Garnish:1 long slice cucumber,1 Hibiscus Flower
Directions:
Build ingredients into Gin glass with ice. Garnish and serve.
Recipe by Oscar Amaya, Assistant General Manager and Beverage Directory at Rusty Pelican Miami
Dragon Hard
1½ Uncle Vals Gin
1 oz Dragon fruit and pomegranate mix
2½ oz tonic
Garnish: 1 slide dry dragon fruit, a few fresh pomegranate seeds
Directions:
Build ingredients into a gin glass with ice. Garnish and serve.
Recipes by Oscar Amaya, Assistant General Manager and Beverage Directory at Rusty Pelican Miami
General Manager, Osaka Nikkei Miami
Nikkei 75
Ingredients:
1½ oz Nikka Cofey Gin
¾ oz yuzu juice
¾ oz honey
A splash of rosé wine
Directions:
Shake and pour into flute. Top with sparkling rosé. Finish with yuzu foam. Garnish with flowers.
Manager, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants
Corpse Reviver #2
Ingredients:
2 pumps Absinthe Spritz
1 oz St. George Botanivore Gin
¾ oz Lillet Blanc
¾ oz Cointreau
¾ oz Lemon Juice
¼ oz Simple Syrup
6 Drops Peychaud’s Bitters
6 Drops Woodford Sassafras & Sorghum Bitters
Orange Swath
Directions:
Spritz service glass with absinthe. Mix all Ingredients together in mixing tin. Add ice to mixing tin. Shake until combined. Strain into a coupe glass and top with sparkling wine. Garnish with Orange Swath
Himbrimi G&G&T
Ingredients:
1⅔ oz Himbrimi Winterbird London Dry gin1⅔ oz Himbrimi Old Tom Gin1⅔ oz Tonic Water of your choice
1. Fill your glass to the top with large ice cubes.
2. Pour over the Winterbird London Dry, followed by the Old Tom.
3. Add tonic water.
4. Stir well with a long-necked spoon.
5. Garnish with angelica flower or lavender for added brightness.
Directions:
When mixing, always start by serving equal parts of the two gins followed by the tonic. Floral tonics like a Mediterranean tonic or an elderflower tonic complement the gins, but an Indian tonic works great as well, as long as it is not too sweet. Garnish with sprigs of thyme, rosemary, lavender, or if you can get it: some arctic thyme, angelica flowers, or angelica leaves.
Valerie, New York City
Harmony Gin & Tonic
Ingredients:
1½ oz Glendalough Wild Botanical Gin
2 dash Fee Brothers Rhubarb Bitters
4 drops Blood Orange Tincture
6 oz Fever Tree Aromatic Tonic
4 Lime wheels
Thyme Sprig
Directions:
Add Gin tincture, and bitters to a goblet filled with ice. Top off with Fever Tree Aromatic Tonic
New Jersey
Cloudy with a Chance of Rain
Ingredients:
¼ oz fresh lime juice
1 oz lychee juice
½ oz St. Germain Liqueur
1½ oz Hendrick's Original Gin
Directions:
In a cocktail shaker, add all ingredients. Shake with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with lychee.
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