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Review: Prairie Organic (Handcrafted) Gin

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 27, 2016

Prairie Organic Gin SAM_2356Prairie Organic Gin is produced and bottled by Ed Phillips and Sons located in Princeton, Minnesota. The company’s website does not reveal a great deal about the gin. All I can glean is that it is apparently produced from organic ingredients which appear to be grown on three separate farms in Minnesota. The botanical thrust of the gin is herbal, rather than traditional (juniper forward), however the folks at Prairie Organic Spirits (owned by Ed Phillips and Sons) do not reveal the botanicals used.

Here is a link to my latest review:

Review: Prairie Organic (Handcrafted) Gin

“… the initial scents and smells from the glass are quite floral. I sense a combination of rose petal and lilac with hints of red cherry licorice coming through after a few seconds.  There is a touch of mint weaving through giving one the impression of menthol (or eucalyptus) and some nice gentle spicy notes (coriander and citrus zest perhaps) which have waited for a little but become more noticeable as the gin breathes. The juniper is subdued, but it like the coriander spice seems to gain momentum as time passes …”

Please enjoy my review of this quaffable gin.

 

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Cocktail Hour: Gin and Lime (a quaffable deck drink)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 26, 2016

Some of my favourite bar drinks are what I call ‘deck drinks’. These are libations which we can easily mix with no cocktail shakers, no fancy garnishes, and most importantly of all, no fuss! The simplest of deck drinks combine your favourite spirit with a few cubes of ice and a shot of soda. Rum and Coke, Rye and Ginger, and Vodka and Seven are all examples of the deck drink craft. Sometimes, rather than soda, I will use fresh citrus. A Screwdriver (Vodka and Orange Juice) is a good example of a citrus based deck drink.

Gin and Lime SAM_2357During my recent Gin Binge, I encountered Prairie Organic Gin, and I was struck by its subdued, relaxed flavour profile. It seemed an ideal spirit for an enjoyable deck drink. A bit of Lime Juice, a touch of Sugar Syrup, a dollop of Gin (and lots of Ice) and I was done. I suppose the proper name for this libation is the Gin Fix, but I just call it Gin and Lime.

(Perhaps it is just a hair more complicated than the average deck drink, but the results are certainly quaffable!)

Gin and Lime (Gin Fix)

2 oz Prairie Organic Gin
1/2 oz Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
1/4 oz Sugar Syrup
Ice

Pour the lime and sugar syrup into a suitable glass
Add Ice
Pour in a dollop of Prairie Organic Gin
Stir and Enjoy Responsibly!

If  you are interested in more of my original cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!

Note: My review for Prairie Organic Gin publishes tomorrow.

 

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Review: Poli Marconi 46 Gin

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 24, 2016

Poli - Gin Marconi 46 LDThe Poli Distillery is located in Schiavon (not far from Bassano del Grappa) in the heart of Veneto (Northern Italy). It was founded in 1898 by GioBatta Poli, and for over one hundred years the Poli Family has worked to establish their reputation as an outstanding producer of Grappa in the heart of Italy’s premier Grappa producing region.

In 2015, Poli Distillery’s new still (Crysopea) was put to work producing the company’s first craft gin, Marconi 46. The gin (produced in small batches by Jacopo Poli) is created from an infusion of juniper berries, muscat grape, mountain pine, cembra pine, mint, cardamom and coriander. These botanicals (all familiar to the Poli family) are reminiscent of the Asiago Plateau in the north of the Veneto region, where the Poli family comes from.

Here is a link to my full Review:

Review: Poli Marconi 46 Gin

“… Firm scents of juniper greet my nose with impressions of pine (and to a smaller extent spruce) boughs strengthening the aroma. It is as if I am in an alpine forest with clumps of juniper bushes and tall standing Mountain Pine trees. A mild floral musk-like scent has appeared along with a light indication of menthol. The longer the glass sits, the stronger the floral musk and menthol impressions become …”

Please enjoy my review of this excellent Italian Gin.

Ciao!

 

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Cocktail Hour: The Sentimental Lady

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 23, 2016

When I began to explore mixed drinks in a more serious way, my wife purchased a large cocktail book, 1001 Cocktails (Alex Barker compiler) for me to draw inspiration from. I poured over the recipes seeing which ones I might like, and more importantly, which of those that I could also make at home with my small collection of ingredients. To my dismay, most of the recipes called for strange liqueurs, and ingredients which I knew very little of, and many of these ingredients seemed to be used only a few times in the entire book. I certainly was not going to run out and purchase them for the sake of one or two cocktails which I might not even enjoy.

This experience influenced me greatly, and if you pour through my recipes (here) you will find that a common theme to almost all of them is that the home bartender does not need to purchase fancy ingredients which they will have no further use for after enjoying their bar drink.

Having said that, Alex Barker’s compilation of recipes was not without merit for the home bartender. Here and there, (in almost every drink category) were a few recipes I could actually make with my meager bar selection. When I was studying the gin recipes Alex provided I noticed he had several recipes for ‘Lady’ cocktails:  The Lady, The Green Lady, The Fair Lady … you get the idea. His recipe for The White Lady caught my eye. It was a simple recipe mixing Gin with Lemon Juice and Triple Sec. I mixed one, decided it was too tart, so I added enough sugar syrup to suit my taste, and named my tweaked creation Lady of the Empire. It was my first ‘Lady’ Cocktail.

Sentimental Lady SAM_2352Recently when I was playing with Poli Marconi 46 Gin, I fell into the idea of constructing a Margarita Style cocktail using gin rather than tequila as the cocktail’s base. I realized suddenly, that I had made another ‘Lady’ cocktail. All that remained was to give my latest construction a name. It just so happened that a particular song by Bob Welch was playing in the background …

The Sentimental Lady

2 oz Poli Marconi 46 Gin
1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao
3/8 oz Lemon Juice
3/8 oz Lime Juice
3/8 oz Sugar Syrup
Ice
Lemon Slice

Place the five ingredients in a metal cocktail shaker with ice
Shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker begins to frost
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass
Add a Lime Slice for Garnish

Enjoy Responsibly!

If  you are interested in more of my cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!

Note: Tomorrow I will be publishing my review for the excellent Poli Marconi 46 Gin.

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Review: Ferdinand’s Saar Dry Gin

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 21, 2016

Ferdinand'sFerdinand’s Saar Dry Gin is produced at the Avadis Distillery in Wincheringen in the tri-border region of Germany, near the border of Luxembourg and France. This is wine growing country, especially famous for the semi-sweet Riesling dinner wines which, when I was a youngster, seemed to be present at every wedding I attended and almost all major occasions. It is not surprising then, that Master Distiller, Andreas Vallendar has chosen to infuse his dry gin with Slate Reisling Wine.

The gin draws its name from Royal Prussian District Forester, Ferdinand Geltz who was the historical co-founder of the VDP Mosel-Saar-Ruwer growers’ group. Within its recipe are 30 botanicals, all of which have apparently been hand-picked either by the distillery staff or by the producer from which the botanicals have been acquired. (Directly behind the distillery are quince trees; lavender grows in the fallow vineyards; and lemon-scented thyme is grown in the Distillery’s own garden.) And, as mentioned earlier, topping everything off is the wine infusion which uses hand selected harvest wines from the large Saarburger Rausch vineyard site.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Ferdinand’s Saar Dry Gin

“… The predominant juniper flavour is subdued slightly in the delivery as the floral flavours reminiscent of iris, rose petal and lavender take the lead. Bits of lemongrass and menthol cool the palate slightly, and then citrus flavours of lemon and lime (with a touch of orange) come along in behind. The juniper although subdued is not devoured (it is just dampened slightly allowing the other elements to shine) …”

Please enjoy this review which is the first of about a dozen new gin reviews which will be published over the next few months as I embark on an early season Gin Binge.

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