A quick posting tonight, and I promise in February I'll pick up the pace again and post more than once a week.
One of the types of spirits I'm focusing on this year is gin. I like the flavors of gin, especially the juniper, and I'm one of those guys who would rather have a gin martini than a vodka one.
I cracked open tonight a bottle of Baffert's, a gin that was unfamiliar to me. It has a distinctive bottle that looks like a skyscraper.
80 proof, and it's been distilled in London since 2000. Baffert's is one of the "new breed" of gins that go light on the botanicals, trying to attract vodka drinkers back to gin. It uses only juniper, coriander, and orange and lemon peels.
I tried a drizzle straight up. It's a very light and smooth gin; the botanicals just barely peek through. One other reviewer said it's good on ice. I started with a gin and tonic, and (as that reviewer also commented), the tonic pretty much covers up the botanicals. For a G&T, I'd prefer Rangpur.
I'll try a martini with it the next night or two and let you know how it stacks up there. Although first I've got to find some good quality olives. No point making a gin martini without that little salty orb (or orbs) of green to munch on at the end of the drink.