I often think of that Hogarth print, when I drink G & T, so I tend to only have the one drink before dinner. I just checked and I have a full bottle of Angostura bitters which has not been opened. It was a phase I went through, but I might add some tomorrow, if the Sun comes out. I chop and change between Lemons and Limes. I regard Gin as the London drink. Glad to read that 'Gin is the drink of the modern sophisticate'. Pleased to have left the Hoi Polloi behind.
Oh, and I think good quality Tonic is important in a G&T.
Last edited by 4F Hepcat (2013-04-27 10:15:14)
I didn't know that, I thought it was suitable for all G&T's.
I didn't know that either, but luckily I have a bottle of Plymouth Gin. And come to think of it I used to use Angostura bitters in a Plymouth Gin. Pure instinct.
My Gin drinking over the years has followed a certain trajectory
Gordons
Beefeater
Plymouth
Bombay Sapphire
Tanqueray no. 10
Hendrick's
and finally 'falling over the cliff' to
Aldi Oliver Cromwell
(and a free bottle of Gordons given to me by a neighbour, who no longer drinks)
My favorite soft drink is bitters, soda, and lime. Sometimes I will add gin to this concoction. But I never liked bitters with tonic.
Anybody tried Jenever the Dutch precursor/inspiration of English gin?
I haven't, it widely available here in the Netherlands. Supposedly, more earthy and primitive tasting compared to English gins.
^ Hepcat, Jenever is an interesting diversion from the major brands of Gin you may be used to, more complex and varied in taste but seems to produce the worst hangover if you over-indulge :-)
Aldi own brand gin has just won the silver medal at the 'World Spirit Awards', praised for it's 'neutral' flavour, I prefer something a little more interesting tho' Sipsmiths being my current fave.
Aye, plenty on offer over here, some in the 7 Euros range which is always a bad warning.
I've bought some as gifts, including a couple of bottles from the two distilleries near me, but they don't look good from the outside. Some of jenever also has raw sugar alcohol in its make-up which is a sure sign of serious hangovers as Acton_Baby has experienced.
I was going to buy a bottle today, but decided to peddle on and keep riding, probably a good decision for a Sunday night.
Glenn Elgin 15 yrs cask strength with Nabisco social tea biscuits. Strangely compatible.
Finished off the bottle. Fear tomorrow only 8 hrs away...
The Sun came out yesterday so I made some G&T's. Formby will probably shake his head at this but I mixed the cheap Aldi Gin with an Export strength Tanqueray (to finish the bottle) added cold Tonic, no ice ( the freezer box had been unplugged) and lemon slices. Tasted good.
Later we had more cheap Aldi red wine. It was called 'El Toro Macho'. Great name, not bad wine. The missus complained of a headache so I think that will be the last of my cheap wine experimentation. I had to get passport photos today and the results suggested to me that perhaps I should consider cutting back on the alcohol.
When I first moved into my house the Italian neighbour introduced me to jenever. I quite liked it but it gave me a headache. She is long since dead but I have recently found out that there was something of a 'swingers' scene going on in my neighbourhood in the late sixties and 'exotic' drinks were part of the mix. I was a generation too late, thank God.
When I was in Mexico I actually preferred the local Mescal to the more familiar Tequila.
With, seemingly, everyone trolling each other on FNB I decided to just carry on with my drinking.
The Sun was still shinning yesterday and the local farm shop had new season English asparagus for sale. The perfect time for a bottle of Peter & Peter German Riesling 2011. Dry and fresh, the wine proved to be a great choice.
Had some Macallan 18 last night. It's still pretty good stuff, if overpriced.
Blue Nun, holy crap.