Just a quick blog post to reflect on a wonderfully amazing gin. My best friend Johnny introduced me to this amazing liquid once upon a gin & tonic up in Boston. He says to me "this is no ordinary gin" and knowing that my taste can be somewhat snobbish at times his introduction was well- merited. One sip of this not-so-piney concoction infused with juniper and Bulgarian rose will preclude even the most staunch opposition from turning their nose. A brief history (borrowed not authored):
*Hendrick's uses a blend of spirits produced from a Carter-Head Still (constructed in 1948), of which there are only a small number in the world, and a small pot still, originally built in 1860.
*The pot still is generally referred to as the Bennett still. The still itself is quite small, which in general will allow most of the flavour characteristics of the botanicals to pass into the spirit. The still is charged with neutral spirit and the botanical recipe added to the liquid, along with some water. This is left to steep for 24 hours, which begins the process of extracting the flavour from the botanicals. The still is then heated by means of an external steam jacket to boil the liquid. As the pot begins to boil, vapour moves up the short column of the still and eventually meets the condenser, where vapours are turned back to liquid and collected. First runnings can be as high as 92% alcohol, with a gradual decrease in the strength as the distillation progresses. Once all of the alcohol is collected, the final spirit will be approximately 75% alcohol v/v. This spirit is of a heavy, oily character with a strong juniper-flavour.

Enough of the semantics. This gin was touted as Best Gin in The World 2003 by The WSJ. The way to drink this gin is straight out of the bottle (no just kidding). Here is one of many ways I enjoy this gin... you will need these ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Hendrick's gin
- 1 generous tablespoon of mulled cucumber
- Schweppes tonic water
- 3 ice cubes
So here's how I do it: Grab your favorite tumbler and throw 3 ice cubes into it- mull up a good amount of cucumber (honestly I never measure) and throw it in with the cubes. Next, take your 1.5 oz of gin and throw it in as well. Apply the lid and shake your tumbler like your pissed at the world LOL. People don't ever shake well enough... shake till the tumbler is frosty. Once you start to think to yourself "Manny must do it this much" you are probably good :) Take the lid off of your tumbler (DO NOT STRAIN) and add it to the bottom of your favorite double old fashioned lowball and top off with the Schweppes. Take a sip and realize what you have been missing.
Note: For a more classic G&T simply substitute 2 quarters of a lime (squeezed into the tumbler) for the cucumber... Again, shake the lime quarters in with the gin and ice... No straining! Love it.
I have had quite a few of these over the last 3 years and have never looked back. Although it is prudent to respect Plymouth and others, this blog is not about them. I find it interesting that I have chosen a drink that has both juniper and quinine in it as my favorite... hmmm. Sounds safe enough! Promise me.. wait promise you that you will try this. Let me know if I make a believer out of anyone out there.... I'll be interested to hear about your experiences. If not, come over and I'll make you one personally! Give gin a try, it doesn't all taste like The Sequoia National Forest although it's fresh taste may have certain parallels.
M