A gin renaissance: new twists and flavor profiles for this bar staple find favor with mixologists and chefs alike

Cheers, Oct, 2006 by Cynthia Nims

There's a juniper-infused excitement in the air lately. The buzz from media outlets, special events and new bar menus is worthy of the latest-greatest-hot-new-thing, though this subject is nearly as old as the hills. If there has ever been a case of something old being new again, it's true of gin today. The spirit with a 300-plus-year history is fueling its own kind of cocktail revolution.

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Such a declaration may sound strange since, as an overall category, gin isn't faring all that well lately. During the last five years, nine of the 10 top-selling gin brands showed either a decrease or meager growth. But that doesn't tell the whole story.

The fourth top-selling brand is Bombay Sapphire Gin. Last year's sales of 725,000 9-liter cases represented a 9.4 percent growth from the previous year and annual compound growth rate from 2000 to 2005 of 9.8 percent, according to Adams Beverage Group. The brand is certainly bucking the overall trend.

Other gins in the upper end of the category are growing as well. In 2005, Plymouth Gin sales increased by one-third on the heels of a whopping 136 percent growth rate in 2004; the venerable brand was re-launched in the U.S. in 2002. These figures hint at Plymouth and Bombay Sapphire being at the tip of an iceberg that is a growing base of premium and super-premium gins.

GINS WITH A TWIST

While Plymouth is a veteran of the sector (its production dates back to 1793), brand manager Simon Ford is quick to mention that distillers don't need to have history to make a noteworthy product. "They just need to respect the history, understand that gin is a traditional product and that it has a specific type of flavor foundation." He points to the wildly popular Hendricks Gin, distilled in Scotland, as one example of a gin that bridges tradition and contemporary style. "I love that [Hendricks] is playing with the cucumber and rose elements," he says, noting two of the more distinctive botanicals being embraced by today's gin distillers.

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One of the newer domestics is Distiller's No. 6 Gin from the North Shore Distillery near Chicago, launched in November 2005. Co-owner Sonja Kassebaum notes that she and husband Derek find distilling gin offers a "great opportunity to put some artistry into what we do." They experimented with juniper from different regions (they settled on Eastern Europe), different spices (they opt for cinnamon from Ceylon in place of the more traditional cassia bark) and different forms of the botanicals (fresh lemon zest goes into each batch, rather than dried peel). The gin has a complex flavor profile, but ultimately it's a smooth sip.

On the west coast, Aviation Gin from Portland's House Spirits has garnered plenty of attention since its April debut. Named after a cocktail popular at the turn of the last century, its moniker is a nod to the glory days of gin. The distiller counts Seattle mixologist Ryan Magarian among those who helped develop the flavor profile. It was sipping his first Aviation cocktail at Bellagio in Las Vegas five years ago that woke up Magarian to the potential of gin. "I hadn't really played much with gin before that," he explains. "It was a revelation."

Other recent additions to the domestic gin trade include No. 209 Gin from the No. 209 Distillery in San Francisco, released July 2005, and Sarticious Gin, distilled in Santa Cruz. Miles Karakasevic at the Charbay distillery in Napa Valley is working on just the right formula--including design of a special still--for a gin to join Charbay's portfolio of distinctive spirits; it may be released in the next year.

BEYOND THE MARTINI

Say "gin cocktail" and most mental lists don't get far beyond the traditional Martini and Gin and Tonic. But given today's retro-appreciation of classic cocktails blended with the creative impulses of modern mixologists, a whole new gin playing field has taken shape.

Consider Audrey Saunders, owner of New York City's Pegu Club. She reached back into the annals of the cocktail's heyday to find inspiration for her distinctive bar opened in August 2005. Named after a British Colonial officer's club in Burma popular at the height of the British Empire, the signature Pegu Cocktail--Tanqueray Gin, orange bitters, Cointreau, Angostura bitters and lime juice--is a nearly-forgotten classic revived for a new generation.

Saunders leans toward gin because "the botanicals stimulate and enliven the palate, and keep it feeling fresh and clean. When used in a drink, the botanicals cut through the sweetness of liqueurs and sugar. But gin also pushes fruit flavors forward, much the way a squeeze of lemon does, without altering the flavor profiles."

The venerable Canlis restaurant in Seattle is celebrated for its elegant Northwest cuisine and award-winning wine list. But wine director Shayn Bjornholm, M.S. is lately jazzed by gin. The "Inspired Classics" portion of the drink list includes the traditional Aviation, made with the gin of the same name, Maraschino liqueur and fresh lemon juice. The summer drink list included the Honey Basil Highball (Plymouth Gin, homemade honey syrup, basil, fresh lemon juice and soda) and Fancy Chill 'Em (Plymouth Gin, freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, a splash of tonic and simple syrup).