Gatorade Frost

This weekend I plan on doing a little dri nking, but I don't know the best way to serve gin. Should it be thrown in the freezer like Vodka or is it fine without being thrown in the freezer and just put it on ice?

I plan on making tom collins and gin and tonics I think.

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I got in a fight one time with a really big guy, and he said, "I'm going to mop the floor with your face." I said, "You'll be sorry." He said, "Oh, yeah? Why?" I said, "Well, you won't be able to get into the corners very well."
Emo Philips

snowy

Gin should be chilled, but not in the freezer; gin bottles don't take to being kept in the freezer well.

Tom Collins are best made from scratch; serving them with mix is like mixing gin and Squirt.

Gin and tonics are excellent. Most people prefer theirs with a slice of lime, some a slice of lemon. Keep both on hand.

My question is...what brand of gin are you choosing? If you're mixing, Tanqueray and Beefeaters are both good quality mixer gins, as is plain Bombay.

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Frosstbyte

Really depends on your tastes. Some people like their alcohol extra cold. I have a friend who doesn't like to drink screwdrivers unless the vodka is cold enough to turn the orange juice into something of a slush. I'm not quite that extreme, but I like my gin and vodka cold, so I tend to keep them in the freezer.

I've kept bottles of every type of widely available gin in the freezer to no ill effect, so I'm not sure what snowy means by them not taking well. I've never had any problems with freezing or shattering. Maybe I've just lucked out or something.

If you're just serving for yourself, I'd go off how you like your vodka. If you throw it in the freezer, dothe same with your gin. If you're happy with the temperature your drinks get when you just mix them over ice, don't worry about it.

I very much agree that Collins should be mixed on the spot, but gin and tonic with a lemon? For shame! You might have one lemon, but all the gin drinkers I know use limes. Gin is primarily a bitter, piny liquor. The bitterness of the lime accents that, while the sour taste of a lemon tends to distract from it. I'll take a lemon over nothing at all, but I don't really know anyone who prefers a lemon to a lime.

If you're mixing and not looking to spend a whole lot, I'd recommend Tanqueray. It's well-balanced and smoother than Beefeaters and regular Bombay. If you're looking to splurge a little bit, though, I'd definitely recommend moving up to Bombay Sapphire. There's a meaningful price difference, but I personally think that the superior taste of Sapphire more than makes up for it. I guess if you're planning on having a few drinks with friends, Sapphire is a better option since you'll be able to apprecaite the quality. If you're looking to booze it up, stick with Tanqueray since then the quality distinction is less important.

Hope that's helpful.

aKula

I recently bought a bottle of bombay sapphire. So I just add the tonic water and gin to a glass with ice cubes? Should I add little bit of lime juice as well or just have the lime slice as a garnish?

Also what ratio of gin to tonic water should I start off with? I'm thinking of starting with the standard of equal amounts.

I want to enjoy my alcohol the proper way, hence all the questions.

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Frosstbyte

Gin and tonic=rocks glass, filled with ice, one shot of gin, fill with tonic, garnish with a slice of lime

Now, obviously, a rocks glass isn't very much to drink, but that's the standard that you get if you order it at a bar. The way it works out is something in the neighborhood of 1 part gin to 2 parts tonic, or so, and the first time I'd keep that ratio to see how you like it. If it's not strong enough, go closer to even portions. If it's too strong, move in the 1:3 direction.

I always squeeze my lime into the drink and stir (and then boorishly eat the thing after I finish off the drink). Other people will just rub the slice on the rim of the glass so they get a hint of lime as the drink goes down. There's not really a "correct" way to deal with the lime. The drink ought to be served with a slice of lime. What you choose to do with it (eat it, squeeze it, throw it away, squirt your date in the eye), is really up to you.

I guess this bears saying: drinking should be something that you do in a way that relaxes you and that you enjoy. If you don't like how a drink recipe makes something taste, for the love of god don't do it. Tkae the parts of recipes you like and keep them and toss the parts you don't like. Mess with amounts insofar as you're comfortable messing with them. Unless you're a bartender and you're trying to conform to the preferences of other people, don't worry about what the norm is or what the recipe says, just make what you like to drink how you like to drink it.

And, having been a bartender, no matter what you think a long island iced tea is, you're wrong, and people will be happy to tell you how you're supposed to make it.

Charlatan

Another way to serve gin is in a Gimlet.

one measure of gin
two measures of lime cordial (just buy Rose's Lime Cordial, if you have to use plain Rose's Lime you will need to add sugar).
Shake with ice and serve in a martini glass with a slice of lime.

Very tasty.

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aKula

Thanks for the advice frosstbyte, next time some friends are over I'll know how to serve them.

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Gatorade Frost

I've got Bombay Sapphire since it was asked all the way up there.

I suspect I'll throw it in the fridge. Good to know about making drinks - I'm shocked at how quickly and how extensive all of the responses have been.

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I got in a fight one time with a really big guy, and he said, "I'm going to mop the floor with your face." I said, "You'll be sorry." He said, "Oh, yeah? Why?" I said, "Well, you won't be able to get into the corners very well."
Emo Philips

maleficent

Some people, myself included have "interesting" reactions to Gin... It's a reaction that I've never seen with any other form of booze and causes a big of a personality change... Like the night I was travelling with a colleague... We were in the bar, drinking gin and tonics, I was tired and went to bed, my colleague stayed... The bartender called my room an hour or so later, asking me to come please fetch my friend as he was basically picking fights with other people in the bar ad about to get his butt kicked... Gin made him mean... it tends to make me a little hostile as well (though some days, how anyone can tell is beyond me... )

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snowy

Frosstbyte, what I meant by "not taking well" is that freezing a gin bottle tends to strip the cap and make it hard to screw on or unable to screw on at all. I've seen this less with Bombay bottles and more with Tanqueray bottles.

As for preferred temperature--that's personal preference. I like my gin really really cold, which is why when I have it I keep it on the top shelf of my fridge (closest to the output from the freezer, heh). People get weird about gin, especially if it's top-shelf.

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robodog

A bit off topic but since you brought it up.... what's your recipe?

Mine is:
Vodka (Grey Goose or Kettle One)
Rum (Bacardi white)
Gin (Bombay Sapphire or Tanqueray)
Tequila (Cuervo 1800 or Chinaco Blanco)
Cointreau or grand marnier
Sour mix (I used to use Ocean Spray 100% fruit juice mix but they stopped making it, now I just use the common bar mix)
splash of Coke for color

Anxst

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edmos1

Funny no Martini talk at all, I started Martini drinking as a Gin Martini only. And it is the traditional way (no matter what James Bond says) I am an equal opportunity Martini drinker now though.
I prefer an in and out Martini
Ice Cubes in your Boston Shaker
a splash of Vermouth, shaken
pour out the Vermouth now
pour in Bombay Saphire into Boston Shaker.
then shake, and pour into chilled martini glass
add an odd number of Olives (and never more than 2)
drink and enjoy.

edmos1

Forgot some additional thoughts
Shots of Gin are NOT Good
I have not had a Long Island in a while, might be good to have this weekend. Also a GT about 5 in the afternoon sitting relaxing is the way to go.

snowy

That's because we have a whole other thread for martini talk!

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Cynthetiq

hmmm gin made me quiet and isolated.

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Bryndian_Dhai

Actually, freezing any sort of alcohol, vodka and gin included, affects the flavor of the alcohol. Kind of no point in drinking it if you don't like the way it tastes au natural.

A gin or vodka tonic should not actually be served in a rocks glass, but in a tall glass (not a pint, but a tall slim glass, like a collins glass). 1 1/4 oz (one jigger) of gin or vodka over ice, fill glass with tonic, garnish with a twist (Peel and zest) of lime or lemon. One lovely way to punch up the effect of the garnish is to flame it... It takes some practice, but you essentially hold the very tip of the strip of zest and light it on fire, dropping it over the drink as it lights... The fire and heat release the oils in the zest, giving the drink a sharp lemon or lime flavor.

Because gin is essentially a distilled tincture of juniper berries, there are theories that if you shake it (rather than stir it), you "bruise" the gin, making the distinctive evergreen flavor stronger and sharper. *shrugs* I can't stand the stuff myself, so I couldn't tell you. I do know that amongst my gin drinking customers, there are definite opinions regarding the taste of their gin. Conversely, shaking and stirring do not cause any noticeable difference in the taste of vodka, so it doesn't matter if you shake it or stir it, except that stirring it (for a martini) regulates how much the ice melts as it chills the vodka, resulting in a much more balanced martini, without too much water diluting the alcohol.

Give me vodka any day. *grins*

Anyway, Webtender has some pretty cool drink recipes, and its pretty easy to use.

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Gatorade Frost

I can't decide whether I actually like gin or not. I've had a few gin and tonics, and it's alright, but nothing special. One thing I noticed about it, though, is that it doesn't taste like liquor. Not like hard liquor. I guess the piney-taste kind of ov erpowers the taste of the liquor.

I guess if it's sweetened up it's pretty good, but otherwise I think it's going to be an acquired taste for me that will take a little while.

__________________
I got in a fight one time with a really big guy, and he said, "I'm going to mop the floor with your face." I said, "You'll be sorry." He said, "Oh, yeah? Why?" I said, "Well, you won't be able to get into the corners very well."
Emo Philips

Frosstbyte

Gin's kind of a werid you love it or you hate it kind of alcohol. It's not shootable, either, so if you have friends who like drinking it you can't kind of throw it back and bite a lime/lemon like you can with tequila and vodka.

Very few people are into drinking straight gin, though, so you don't really need to worry about acquiring a taste for gin without some tonic or ginger ale or something. There's a reason vodka has replaced gin in the martini for much of the drinking world: it's a hell of a lot easier to drink. Us stalwart few who like our alcohol to taste like our backyards will continue to drink it by the gallon, though.

Gatorade Frost

Well, last night I mixed gin and tonic again to give it a go. This time I had the gin in a freezer and nice and chilly along with cold tonic. I did a 1:1 of Gin and Tonic Water with a lemon wedge and it was pretty damned delicious. I'm not sure if that's because I had a drink before that made the liquor more palatable or what, but it was good stuff.

Gin and Tonics+Vodka Tonics=Good times

__________________
I got in a fight one time with a really big guy, and he said, "I'm going to mop the floor with your face." I said, "You'll be sorry." He said, "Oh, yeah? Why?" I said, "Well, you won't be able to get into the corners very well."
Emo Philips

rthmchgs

I think like all food or alcohol it comes down to taste. If you like it in the freezer, put it in the freezer, if not then don't. I personally like my gin and vodka very cold, so I keep them in the freezer. They won't solidify, so there really isn't anything to worry about.

I usually mix my g&t's in a pint glass. Put a bunch of ice in, some gin, then some tonic. I couldn't say I ever really measure them. Just what tastes good.

snowy

Next time, try it with a couple thin slices of lime and a good squirt of fresh lime juice.

Mmm...might have to have one of those today.

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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

deri

I keep tequila, vodka, rum, and Tanqueray in the freezer and have no problems with any of them.

Gatorade Frost

Oh yeah, forgot about the lime slices. Definitely included that, but forgot to add that in apparently.

__________________
I got in a fight one time with a really big guy, and he said, "I'm going to mop the floor with your face." I said, "You'll be sorry." He said, "Oh, yeah? Why?" I said, "Well, you won't be able to get into the corners very well."
Emo Philips

duck0987

I am anti freezing booze especially gin. Gin is an aromatic, by freezing it you are not able to taste the full flavor of the gin. Most mix drink recipes work best with room temp alcohol, because the recipe takes into account water from the melted ice.

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bermuDa

I like my gin with equal parts vodka, rum, tequila, triple sec, a bit more sweet and sour mix and a splash of coke. I don't know how I do it, but no one can tell it's alcoholic. Only drink I can make really well.

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maleficent

mmm Long Island Iced Teas.. silent but deadly

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stevo

gin goes in the cabinet, vodka in the freezer. I've been drinking scotch lately, but all this talk about gin might get me to switch back for a bit. GnT is the best lemonade...

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Gatorade Frost

Hm. Personally I prefer it out of the freezer because I guess you're right that it mutes some of the flavor. I like the taste, but sometimes it can be overwhelming.

__________________
I got in a fight one time with a really big guy, and he said, "I'm going to mop the floor with your face." I said, "You'll be sorry." He said, "Oh, yeah? Why?" I said, "Well, you won't be able to get into the corners very well."
Emo Philips