This wine has one of those noses that almost makes you forget to take a drink. Aromas of orange blossoms, distant magnolia, and freshly-sliced pears all float up from the glass. Soft, round fruits lead on the palate, poached pears and mangos, with cut grass in the background. Pink and
Monkey 47 is not your typical London Dry Gin. If you want to think London think Malcom McDowell's Alex, raging through a futuristic London in the first 20 minutes of A Clockwork Orange. Barely recognizable from just hints of juniper, it's pounding milk-plus and doing ultra-violence, with Beethoven from its home in Germany
This is an absolutely lovely wine, rich but balanced, with complex fruit and a solid backbone. The nose shows blackberry and elderberry, bright on top with earthiness in counterpoint. It really explodes on the palate, with the black fruit getting elbowed aside on the mid-palate by black cherry and ripe
It's Monday again. I got through it. How about you? Let's celebrate. Today we're going to start with Dry Fly Washington Gin, a delightful offering from Dry Fly Distilling, in Spokane, Washington. It's a lovely gin, intensely fruity, with berries taking the front seat to traditional juniper. Too much vermouth,
Juniper? Of course, but that's not what drives Principe de los Apostoles Mate Gin. It's the peppermint, the eucalyptus, and yerba mate, used in traditional Argentine tea, that makes this go. The peppermint and eucalyptus take the lead, but a silky chocolate lingers on the finish. Turning this into a
Today's martini started with North Shore Distiller's Gin No. 6. It's a lovely gin, a bit off-dry, with juniper that gives way to Valencia orange and honeysuckle. We went through 9 different vermouths, and a few more combinations, before hitting on the preferred recipe to match this gin. North Shore
Monday. The toughest day of the week. So we're going to top them off for a while with martinis, Monday Martinis. What is a Monday Martini? First, of all, it's a martini. That means it is made with gin and vermouth. There won't be any stories about perfect moonbeams, or
The nose shows black currant and eucalyptus. Loads of complexity show on the palate, with black currant, mint, and eucalyptus joined by tobacco leaf and high-toned red fruit. Tannins are dusty and acids surprisingly bright. The finish falls off a bit quickly, but everything about this says buy some