Botanical Engineering: Those Perfect Gin Classics

It might have been around for hundreds of years, but gin remains the cocktail ingredient par excellence, offering endless possibilities for bartenders. David Paskins gets alldewy-eyed over juniper and angelica, and reveals the secrets of those perfect gin classics

If you read through The Savoy Cocktail Book by legendary barman Harry Craddock, you’ll find 66 recipes for rum, 98 for whisky, 106 for brandy and, if you look closely, you’ll spot the three that call for vodka. You’ll also see a whopping 360 gin cocktails. What sets gin so clearly apart from its peers is the perfection of its aromatic structure. Gins are constructed like perfumes: they have a top note – the dry, spicy citrus of coriander; a clear mid-note – the pine-like berry of juniper; anda sweeter supportive base note – the musky rootiness of angelica. So, around this central pyramid, the aromas and flavours of other botanicals can be wound like a floral garland.

And it’s this same structure thatenables the bartender to create a multitude of subtle variations in drinks by matching specific brands of gin with the wealth of botanical ingredients at his disposal: aromatised wines, liqueurs, cordials and juices, along with freshfruits, herbs and spices.
It’s also the responsibility of the bartender to ensure that they not only create drinks with great flavour, but that they also deliver them with a sense of theatre. A cocktail served with style goes a long way in creating a memorable drinking experience that goes beyondthe liquid in the glass.

The Martini

The martini inspires such passion in its devotees because it is so perfect in its simplicity, which is one of the hardest things to do well, and because success offers the drinker, as spirits expert Dave Broom puts it, an inestimable ‘moment of satori’ when the drink’s elements come together in harmony. This is not just the gin, vermouth and ice, but also the glass, the drinking environment and the bartender’s flair in making the drink. The ‘perfect martini’ should be a complete experience.

For me, the path to perfection is one of controlled dilution and chilling: keeping the gin and vermouth in contact with the ice long enough to release their aromas and become truly cold, but not so long that they become watery. For this, the gin needs to be at room temperature, not frozen, which deadens its aroma. It needs to be strong enough to withstand dilution and retain its character. The ice cubes need to be hard and of a good size. The mixing glass needs to be chilled and insulated. The vermouth should be chosen to match the character of the gin, the ratio between them to suit the drinker (for me, 8:1 gin to vermouth works best), and as a fortified wine, it should be stored in the fridge for freshness. I also relish a touch of bitters for that 1920s’ echo.

Such an experience can only be perfect when tailored to an individual’s desires at a specific moment in time. This is mine:
1. Take a Thermos flask filled with double-frozen mineral-water ice that has been standing in the fridge for two hours.
2. Strain off any melted water.
3. Add 60ml of Tanqueray No. Ten gin, 7.5ml of Vya Dry Vermouth and two drops of Fee Brothers lemon bitters.
4. Stir until the temperature reaches -5ºC.
5. Fine-strain into a small Thermos flask to maintain the temperature.
6. Serve alongside a luxury martini glass sprayed with grapefruit zest.
7. Take a breath, pour a little into the glass, settle back, sip and sigh with pleasure.
8. Repeat.

The gin and tonic

Like so many of our common highballs, the G&T is derived from a health potion. Both the spirit and the mixer were first created for the medicinal properties of their botanical flavourings, which is one reason why they fit together so neatly. Tonic water, with its malaria-fighting quinine, was originally created for the British Army, with the first commercial brand being launched in 1858 by Erasmus Bond. The gin was added later in an attempt to ameliorate the bitterness of the quinine, and also to add an element of social ritual. By the 1950s and 60s, the G&T had become firmly established in British culture.

Today, there are a variety of new premium tonics, as well as gins; Fever-Tree, Fentimans and Stirrings are great examples of brands which use natural botanicals and no preservatives (see p122 for Imbibe’s mixer tasting). Otherwise, for a more bespoke touch, why not offer a dash of bitters, as they do at The Bar at the Dorchester? There, you can choose from an ever-changing range of bitters created by Rob Petrie of Nijizaki Sake, including cardamom, ginger, lavender and liquorice, all of which complement the aromas of the gin beautifully.

My tenets for the perfect G&T:
Use a quality dry gin, the drier the better, like Tanqueray, Beefeater or Plymouth. Sweeter gins tend to make the tonic taste flatter faster.
1. Use a clean, tall glass, as this helps to keep the effervescence of the tonic which carries the aromas of the gin so well.
2. Fill it with large ice cubes.
3. Rim the glass with a piece of citrus fruit and squeeze it over the top. No restrictions on whether it should be lime, lemon, grapefruit or orange.
4. Pour the gin over the fruit – this way, the flavours of the juice permeate the drink more effectively, rather than just sitting at the top.
5. Present the glass with a bottle of tonic on the side. There is a wonderful moment when the effervescent tonic first hits the gin and releases a burst of aroma, which you should experience for yourself, so a good bartender should always invite you to pour the tonic.

TheTom Collins

At its heart, the tom collins is a long gin sour charged with soda; it’s crisp and fresh and perfect for summer. It works because the sugar and the lemon juice represent primary tastes of sweet and sour, and when these are in balance, they provide an ideal platform for the flavours of the gin, with the effervescence of the soda lifting the aromas to the drinker’s nose.

The collins is a great drink to use when comparing the virtues of different brands of gin, but it really comes into its own when you start substituting sweeteners and citric juices and adding in new aromas. It is a wonderful opportunity to introduce local and seasonal fruits or cordials. Aromatic English garden ingredients such as elderflower, nettle, rhubarb, gooseberry, blackcurrant, cucumber, and dandelion and burdock are great through spring and summer. Try using fresh Scottish raspberries in
late summer, or sloe gin in the autumn.

This is a favourite recipe of long standing:
1. Take a large collins glass, generally 2–4oz larger than regular highballs.
2. Fill it with plenty of clean ice.
3. Build in 50ml Plymouth: a good base as it is both fruity and rooty. G’Vine is also interesting, because of its highly aromatic profile.
4. Add 10ml lemon juice.
5. Add 10ml elderflower cordial (use organic syrups and cordials for clarity of flavour, both Belvoir and Bottlegreen do interesting combinations).
6. Add 25ml cucumber juice (fresh whenever possible).
7. Add 5ml gomme (sugar) syrup.
8. Top with soda, and garnish with a long slice of cucumber and lemon zest.

The Negroni

The Negroni is named for a Florentine, Count Camillo Negroni, a regular of Florence’s Casoni Bar, who liked a little gin with his Americano instead of soda. The balance of the ingredients is crucial; dry London gin with the sweet herbal notes of Martini Rosso, and the bitter orange of Campari. As with the Collins, the marriage of the two primary tastes, in this case bitter and sweet, provides a perfect platform for the complex botanical aromas of all the ingredients.

As contemporary bartenders, we have an unprecedented wealth of quality ingredients and flavours to play with, and the temptation to tinker with and twist classic recipes is irresistible. Brian de Silva has some excellent variations on the Negroni theme – if you can prise them off him. Failing that...

Try this version inspired by Audrey Saunders
1. Stir together the following ingredients in a large, chilled mixing glass over plenty of ice: 25ml Bombay Sapphire (the spiciness of Bombay particularly suits the Negroni), 25ml Lillet Blanc and 15ml Suze (this can be a dominant flavour, so use cautiously).
2. Fine strain into a rocks glass (a heavy-based one is ideal).
3. Garnish with a large orange zest – Ago Perrone has a neat trick of spraying the orange oil squeezed out from the zest all around the glass as well as inside to maximise the aromatic effect.

The gin genie

David Paskins pops out of his battered old magic lamp to make all of your juniper-based dreams come true…

Choosing a gin range

• There are certain must-stock brands: Tanqueray, Tanqueray No. Ten, Bombay Sapphire, Plymouth, Beefeater.
•  Choose a few contemporary aromatic styles: Miller’s, Blackwoods, G’Vine, Whitley Neill. Look for distinctive character and innovative botanicals.
•  Offer a genuine Dutch genever for historical relevance and comparison.
•  Source niche or guest brands as specials, like Aviation, Bulldog or Jensen’s.

Selling the range

•  List brief tasting notes on the menu to give guests a rationale for their choice.
•  Match brands to each cocktail, but allow for substitutions.
•  Suggest flights of gin cocktails to showcase your range (History of the Martini, Vintage Recipes, London-specific recipes), served in canapé martini glasses with about 35ml of liquid.
•  Ensure all staff can articulate between brands in simple, quick language.
•  Create theatre in service.
•  Prominently display ingredients and glassware to create anticipation.

Storing gin

• Best just on the bar, but definitely not in the freezer, as this deadens the aroma.
•  Beware of leaving gin bottles open for long periods with speed pourers in, as they can lose their flavour over time.
• A prime example of how to do all of the above can be seen at The Establishment in Parsons Green: a comprehensive range, great cocktails, knowledgeable staff, and a lovely atmosphere to drink in.

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Many thanks to The Establishment in Parsons Green for hosting the shoot.

Editorial feature from Imbibe Magazine - July / August 2008

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