Tag: micro-distillers

Knickerbocker Gin

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Maker: New Holland, Holland, Michigan, USA

ABV: 42.5%

Neat

Appearance: Crystal clear with pearl necklace-ing.

Nose: Sweet, a little rough. Citron, anise, a touch of horehound and eucalyptus, a hint of juniper.

On the palate: Full-bodied, but light in flavor. Water brings out the juniper in a big way. The sweet old-fashioned stick-candy flavors are there too: licorice, horehound and bitter lemon.

Finish: Herbal and floral neat, sweetness and candy with a splash of water.

Mixed

Tom Collins: Does very well. Adds depth to the drink without overwhelming it.

G & T: Does fine, but doesn’t particularly distinguish itself when mixed with good tonic. Ironically (or not) it seems to stand out more against supermarket brand tonic.

Bitter Lemon: Overwhelmed by the citrus flavors.

Dry Martini (w/Noilly Pratt): Adds a nice sweet note to balance the assertive herbaceousness of the vermouth. Brings a good amount of body too. As I reach The Olive Zone at the bottom of the glass, it stands up to the brine well. Knickerbocker would probably work even better in a perfect (½ dry vermouth, ½ sweet) martini, but unfortunately I didn’t think of that until the bottle was almost gone. I don’t remember this gin doing nearly this well in a martini the last time I bought it. If they tinkered with it in the recent past, they did a good job. Like Corair’s gin, this is a fine, if less ambitious, example of what micro-distillers can do well. Recommended.

Now Drinking

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Bloody Caesar Cocktail

Recipe: 2 oz vodka, 6 oz (or so) Clamato juice cocktail, dashes of hot sauce and worchestershire sauce.

Featured: Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Clamato, Lea & Perrin’s, Deathwish Habanero Hot Sauce

To celebrate the completion of my midterm in my class on the Roman Republic, I’ve decided to enjoy a Bloody Caesar.  Because I have a feeling the class is going to end with one.

A bloody caesar is a bloody mary made with Clamato rather than tomato juice.  Clamato is a tomato juice cocktail made with clam juice.  It makes a much thinner, more mild drink than tomato or vegetable juice makes.  So I always find myself putting more worchestershire and hot sauce into a Caesar than I do into a Mary.  Especially this hot sauce which, despite the name, is less than deadly.  I also forgot to add any prepared horseradish.  Still, the clam came through.

At any rate, in my expereince pepper (black or red) or tomato infused vodka seems to work best with Clamato juice.  It gives its mild flavor a good boost.  At any rate, my Bloody Caesar was pretty tasty.  A nice change of pace from the Mary, even if it does lack its richness and bite.