96 replies to this topic

[flyfish]

The only gin for our martinis, after what one might call excessive experimentation over a period of many years, is Plymouth Gin.

Fly

[g.johnson]

I'm not an expert but I have never thought of Plymouth as being anything other than a pretty standard gin. Essential for pink gins, but that's more the naval associations than the taste.

A little research.

Oddbins (UK): Gordons 12.49, Plymouth 13.49, Tanqueray 15.49 (pounds sterling for 70ml)

Astor (US): Gordons 11.99, Plymouth 19.99, Tanqueray 19.99 (dollars for litre).

So my suspicions are confirmed: Americans are being ripped off for Plymouth (but Brits are being ripped off for all gin).

[bigbear]

.....

Edited to add:  Hmmm.  Doesn't seem like any liquor stores in NY may carry the Junipero.  Anyone seen it anywhere?  Bars?

BevMax in Port Chester.

Pop's Wines & Spirits in Island Park.

[Adam]

Another interesting scottish gin is BLACKWOOD'S - Nordic Dry Gin from the Shetlands. Tastes a little like an alpine liquer .

Never got Plymouth, tastes like fancy Gordon's.

[winesonoma]

If you local Trader Joes sells it Admiral Joseph's Gin makes a fine Gin & Tonic. House brand, cheap.

[Squeat Mungry]

If you local Trader Joes sells it Admiral Joseph's Gin makes a fine Gin & Tonic. House brand, cheap.

I'll back Bruce up on this. This is decent gin (for mixed drinks) and a real bargain!

[Steve R.]

Hmmm.  Doesn't seem like any liquor stores in NY may carry the Junipero.  Anyone seen it anywhere?  Bars?

Well, as a matter of fact yes. The Anchor Junipero Gin was also part of the tasting I went to & is available for purchase. It was described as "Premium hand-crafted gin produced in California by Anchor Distilling, a company started by Fritz Maytag. Botanicals: a blend of juniper berries and about a dozen botanicals that they ain't revealing".

The tasting (stop chuckling Ron) was at a place called LeNells, on VanBrunt St in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

[yvonne johnson]

Anyone tried Old Raj gin?.

It has saffron in it, and has won some awards. I'd not heard of it till recently. It goes for around $50 in Astor Wines.

[Steve R.]

And how about the French entry, "Magellan"?

The write up from the tasting; "Naturally blue color from iris. Wheat base spirit with botanicals distilled in cloth for fourth distillation in copper pot still. Botanicals: cloves, iris root and flower, juniper, cinnamon, grains of paradise, cardamom, cassis, orange peel, corainder, licorice, nutmeg".

Twas a very pretty blue. Twas vile, although the licorice was nice.

[Daisy]

I love licorice, and I like gin, but they should not even appear in the same sentence together. Notes of licorice? Shudder.

[jsh]

Thanks bigbear and Steve R.! Ok, now it's just getting ridiculous that I've never been to Red Hook. Between the food at the fields and LeNell (bf loooooves bourbon, and now I know they have interesting gins too?), you'd think I'd have moved there on reports alone, but no, I've somehow managed to never even spend a few hours in the neighborhood. Sunday. This Sunday. I hope.

Of course, I just checked and this weekend, neither the F or the G are running normally, so how I'll get there I don't know. Crawl?

[winesonoma]

I love licorice, and I like gin, but they should not even appear in the same sentence together. Notes of licorice? Shudder.

I get my licorice from Pastis.

[flyfish]

A little research.

Oddbins (UK): Gordons 12.49, Plymouth 13.49, Tanqueray 15.49 (pounds sterling for 70ml)

Astor (US): Gordons 11.99, Plymouth 19.99, Tanqueray 19.99 (dollars for litre).

So my suspicions are confirmed: Americans are being ripped off for Plymouth (but Brits are being ripped off for all gin).

LCBO (Ontario, Canada): Gordons 22.75, Plymouth 24.95, Tanqueray 23.95 (CDN$ for 750ml)

[Steve R.]

Thanks bigbear and Steve R.! Ok, now it's just getting ridiculous that I've never been to Red Hook. Between the food at the fields and LeNell (bf loooooves bourbon, and now I know they have interesting gins too?), you'd think I'd have moved there on reports alone, but no, I've somehow managed to never even spend a few hours in the neighborhood. Sunday. This Sunday. I hope.

Of course, I just checked and this weekend, neither the F or the G are running normally, so how I'll get there I don't know. Crawl?

Check the bus routes. I'm pretty sure that there's a bus that runs Van Brunt all the way to Atlantic Ave & up Atlantic to trains. You can go to the ballfields first by taking the "abnormal" F train, then make it to LeNell's by foot, then to the art ("Brooklyn Waterfront Artists' Coalition) at Beard St (2 blocks down Van B., great water/Statue of Liberty views), then dinner at 360 (reservation) 6 blocks up Van Brunt. Then bus it back to Atlantic Ave. Okay? Fine. That settles it.

[g.johnson]

A little research.

Oddbins (UK): Gordons 12.49, Plymouth 13.49, Tanqueray 15.49 (pounds sterling for 70ml)

Astor (US): Gordons 11.99, Plymouth 19.99, Tanqueray 19.99 (dollars for litre).

So my suspicions are confirmed: Americans are being ripped off for Plymouth (but Brits are being ripped off for all gin).

LCBO (Ontario, Canada): Gordons 22.75, Plymouth 24.95, Tanqueray 23.95 (CDN$ for 750ml)

All of which confirms the utter spuriousness of price as an accurate indicator of inherent quality.