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

Learning the subtleties of the range of gins available will help a bar pro create distinct, balanced cocktails. Gin devotee Saunders reveals, "Every time I work through a gin cocktail, I come up with the recipe .... and I'll try it with a half-dozen gins to see which one is the best match."

There's a whole new world of gin on the horizon and clearly more excitement is afoot.

Cynthia Nims is a Seattle-based writer who specializes in food, travel and spirits and is a self-described gin fanatic.

LEADING BRANDS OF GIN (Thousands of 9-Liter Cases)

Brand                      Supplier                    2005   % chg

Seagram's Gin              Pernod Ricard USA           2,760  -0.5%
Tanqueray                  Diageo                      1,367   0.7%
Gordon's Gin               Diageo                        867  -1.7%
Bombay Sapphire            Bacardi USA                   725   9.4%
Beefeater                  Pernod Ricard USA             594  -4.2%
Gilbey's Gin               Beam Global Wine & Spirits    521  -5.3%
Burnett's White Satin Gin  Heaven Hill Distilleries      366  -1.1%
Barton Gin                 Constellation Brands          353  -3.0%
Fleischmann's Gin          Constellation Brands          330  -4.9%
McCormick Gin              McCormick Distilling          221   0.5%