A Muddled Thought

The first thing anyone who knows Gaz (formerly Gary) Regan thinks of when they hear the man’s name is that he’s probably had more gin throughout the course of his lifetime, than has gone through the Plymouth Distillery.

This along with an extensive history going back to the late seventies bartending in many an establishment throughout both the states as well as in England makes Gaz a bit of a resource when it comes to all things juniper based(the main component required to call something gin).

To top off this oh so short list of qualifications, Gaz has also published several other books regarding all things boozy and cocktail related. This includes The Joy of Mixology, and The Martini Companion: A Connoisseur’s Guide.

So when Gaz Regan released the “Bartenders Gin Compendium” earlier this year, the bartender and mixology community let out a big sigh of release.

This book should have been called “Gaz’s Bible o’ Gin for the Shaker crowd”. Anything you ever wanted to know or probably didn’t even think of has been covered in this book. Do you want to know what the difference is between Plymouth, Beefeater, Citadelle, Bombay and G’Vine are? What makes one taste more spicy, soft, or why you taste a bit of fruit in one of your favorite gins. Well Gaz has you covered. Besides giving the reader a look into his life behind the bar creating all sorts of gin based libations, Gaz breaks down how over sixty gins are made, including what herbs and botanticals are used, what each gin should taste like(based on notes from the distillers themselves) and over 250 recipes from some of the worlds most talented and creative mixologists.

This makes a great addition to any bartenders book collection for reference, or anyone who is interested in knowing more about why gin is what it is and what other options are there besides a Gin and Tonic or a Martini.

The Bartenders Gin Compendium- By Gaz Regan

Retail Price:$23.99 for Soft Cover or $30.99 for Hard Cover

Available at Xlibris.com

Mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman, honored in London today with unveil of a gold-plated, Bombay Sapphire Martini.

To celebrate his first official visit to London as Mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman, was today honored with the unveil of a specially-created cocktail from London gin-maker, Bombay Sapphire, called the Goodman Gold “Double” Martini. The cocktail was created by master-mixologist, Merlin Griffiths, and will be available for the duration of the Mayor’s stay in the British capital at just-opened The Palm Steakhouse, the first of its kind in Europe.

This cocktail is a twist on the Mayor’s favorite classic gin martini, featuring a pour of Bombay Sapphire with a vermouth wash, and topped off with two gold coated olives! The lacquered olives are sure to add a touch of Vegas glitz and glamour to bar-life across the pond.

Mayors Goodman’s new martini coincides with Sapphire’s reveal of the 3 hot new trends in cocktail culture sweeping their way across the Atlantic, from Vegas to London, this fall. Polling more than 1,000 American bartenders in Vegas in August, Bombay Sapphire predicts that Americans and Brits alike will be seeing a lot more of the 3 V’s: Vegetable juice cocktails – everything from celery to pepper juice; Vinegar washes, including Basalmic and Sherry styles; and Variations on the classics. The Mayor’s martini may be a classic cocktail – but his choice of gold plated olives sure gives it an updated twist on a timeless classic.

The Goodman Gold ‘Double’ Martini

2 oz Bombay Sapphire
2 tsp Dry Vermouth
2 olives plated in edible gold for garnish

Stir Bombay Sapphire and vermouth over ice until chilled, strain into a chilled martini glass, garnish with 2 gold olives on the rim of the glass.

The Goodman Gold Double Martini

So the story behind Martin Miller’s Gin goes something like ..

In the late nineties, while sitting in a pub in Notting Hill imbibing in what could barely be considered gin with two friends, Martin Miller declared that he would begin making his own gin.
It’s now 2009, and here we are enjoying Martin Millers gin. A formula that includes like most good gins, Juniper though this time followed up by a supporting cast of coriander, angelica, lime peel, licorice root, cassia bark and florentine iris. This unique mix of botanicals instills Martin Millers Gin with just the right amount of balance. The bouquet of the spirit reflects all these botanicals, however what you don’t realize until you taste Martin Millers Gin is that there are several addition flavors that don’t appear until it hits your tongue. Not only do you taste the juniper, and light undertone of licorice, but you also get a bit of a peppercorn flavor along with a warming and soothing finish.

When Martin Miller set out on his mission to make a great gin, I doubt even he imagined the flavor nuances that his final project emerged with.

We, at A Muddled Thought decided to try out Martin Millers Gin with a few light cocktails, that we felt the floral undertones and lightness of the gin would balance out correctly.

A few of the recipes that we tested out:

The Delmonico
1 ½ Oz Martin Miller Gin
½ Oz Dry Vermouth
Dash Regan Orange Bitters
Ed. Note-This drink should be garnished with an olive. However at the time of this article, we ran out Olives.

A Gin Mojito with Absinthe-

This is based on Audrey Saunders French Pearl Recipe, with slightly different proportions. This drink is a bit heavier than Audrey’s and was more of an experiment in proportions.

2 oz Martin Miller Gin
1 oz Pernod
1 oz Simple Syrup

Muddle Mint Leaves and Simple Syrup
Add Gin, Pernod
Shake
Serve in high ball filled with ice

A Gin Mojito using Martin Millers Gin, Pernod and Simple Syrup

A Classic French 75

1 ½ Oz Martin Miller Gin
¾ Oz Lemon Juice
1 Teaspoon Sugar
Top with 4 Oz of Champagne

A French 75 comprised of Gin, Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup and topped with Champagne.

The Southside Cocktail

2 Oz Gin
1 oz Simple Syrup
¾ oz Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
4-8 Mint Sprigs
Muddle Mint leaves with lime juice and simple syrup
Fill Highball glass with ice.
Top with Club Soda.