Gin to Me is Home Now

July 26, 2017 7:51 AM

The Poisoning, an essay by Alexander Chee

Bonus: NO ROOM FOR ARGUMENT VERY LITTLE FOR VERMOUTH

posted by chavenet (14 comments total)

In AA they call this a "drunkalouge."
posted by SPrintF at 8:11 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]

At first I thought this was going somewhere quite different than where it ended up, but I enjoyed the ride. And am curious to try his Nutty Pine.
posted by Diablevert at 8:43 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]

I like gin very much and my friends gift me with obscure botanicals. However, my favorite drink is the gimlet, a real test for a bartender as it only has two ingredients (gin, rose's lime juice) and the balance of the two is critical. I usually have it made with Bombay Sapphire and drink it with dinner, having discovered that it goes with pretty much anything I prefer to eat. This was a very interesting article. Thanks.
posted by MovableBookLady at 9:17 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]

However, my favorite drink is the gimlet, a real test for a bartender as it only has two ingredients (gin, rose's lime juice) and the balance of the two is critical.

You can also do equal parts fresh lime juice and simple instead of the rose's. It's a great drink to master making, because you're actually mastering like, a million drinks - the 2:1:1 of spirits : citrus : simple makes up a surprising number of cocktails.
posted by Ragged Richard at 10:03 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]

In AA they call this a "drunkalouge."

I've been a regular AA member for about 7 years, and in AA we also call this kind of thing "tiresome"
posted by Vic Morrow's Personal Vietnam at 10:36 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]

Ragged Richard: making your own sweet lime juice is certainly possible and lots of bars do it, but they often don't get the balance just right for my taste; they tend toward the lime side, which makes the drink a little too acidic for me. If I were an at-home drinker, I'd make my own but I'm one of those true social drinkers. I do make a good gin-and-tonic ice cream, though (and have the recipe, if anyone wants it).
posted by MovableBookLady at 11:37 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]

Yes! Please share the recipe!
posted by blnkfrnk at 11:40 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]

I hate gin, and Chee makes me want a Negroni now.
posted by ivan ivanych samovar at 11:44 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]

Junipero is rightly name checked in the article. If you're ever in San Francisco, you can visit the tasting room of Anchor Distillery and try all their gins, plus a few of their whiskeys. It's just a tasting though--as opposed to their (beer) brewery tour + tasting, which is perhaps more entertaining as an activity.

Or you know, do both and retire early...
posted by danny the boy at 3:09 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]

My favorite mixed drink of the moment is the Franco-American 60, a drink made foremost of a Gin and an IPA somewhat in the vein of the French 75 (but with beer in the place of the sparkling wine). In fact, I had one to go with this thread...
posted by the antecedent of that pronoun at 3:28 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]

I tried making gimlets way back at the beginning of my drinking days, but didn't have the patience or imagination to get it right. This summer I've been spending more time trying to make better cocktails, though, so I will have to give the from-scratch gimlet a go.

Also, Junípero represent.
posted by Standard Orange at 8:43 PM on July 26, 2017

That was a wonderful essay; thanks for posting it. (I couldn't touch gin for years after an unfortunate evening in the early '80s that led to gin literally reeking from my pores the next morning and my having to lie on the couch in the employee's lounge for a while at work to recover, but I eventually got over it, and a G&T is now my regular summer-evening libation.)
posted by languagehat at 10:47 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]

Gin and Tonic Ice Cream
(A recipe by Laura Vincent)

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
Juice of a lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
3 tablespoons gin
125 ml tonic water
600ml cream

Directions:
Tip the sugar into a bowl and add the lemon juice, gin, and tonic water. Stir to dissolve a little, then pour in the cream. Whisk till thickened. You're not looking for whipped cream here, just something that has the texture of, say, a good, thick shake. Transfer to a freezer-proof container (like - haha! - an old actual ice cream container) and allow to freeze, of course.

The proportion of liquor to cream gives you the most ridiculous texture -- it's like soft-serve ice cream, straight from the freezer. Alcohol slows down the freezing process, but you don't want too much or you'll never actually get to the point of ice cream. It'll be sludge. Exquisite sludge, but still. For all its simplicity, this is one of the most delicious ice creams I've ever tasted. Creamy and aerated, yet with a lemon sorbet-lightness. [end recipe]

I, naturally, upped the liquor proportion, about double, and it was really really good.
posted by MovableBookLady at 12:09 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]

Forgot to say that we sat on the back porch, nibbled on crisp ginger cookies, with shots of gin on the side, and spoonfuls of this soft dessert, and it the perfect summer treat, especially for us gin-ophiles. Hope you enjoy it. I bet you could put a chunk in a glass and top it with really good ginger ale for slushy goodness.
posted by MovableBookLady at 12:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]