Favorite Gin for Martinis?

[Rabrrrrrr]

Poll question: Favorite Gin for Martinis?

I think in terms of gin and tonic, Tanqueray has it so far hands down it's not worth considering the gin and tonic in this survey.

So today, we're asking only about favorite gin for a martini.

It is a difficult choice, because sometimes it's a Sapphire kind of night, sometimes a Boodles kind of night, some times a Magellan kind of night........


(and also, since I love to screed about this, a moment of education: a Martini exists in the category of cocktail, different than a mixed drink; a Martini is a concoction of solely gin and vermouth. One can make a Martini out of vodka (Svedka is a good one for that, btw) but then it is a "Vodka Martini". The word "martini" is not synonymous with cocktail - in fact, note that Martini is properly captialized, since it's a name, whereas cocktail does not, because it is not a proper name. So if you go to a place and see their "Martini list", please know that they are wrong, unless all it has is "Wet, dry, very dry" etc. It is, otherwise, a "cocktail" list. And drink names ending with the suffix "-tini" are all wrong - the drinks might be good (though mostly they are overly sweet 'drink-to-get-drunk' uninteresting drinks designed for SOHO Euro-trash-wannabes and other uninteresting people), but the nomenclature is all wrong.

So remember: cocktail is the overching category; "Martini" is a specific kind of cocktail, for which the only allowable variation is the amount of vermouth and the use of either an olive or a lemon twist. Any other garnish, or any other ingredient mixed in, and it is a different drink with a different name. The "James Bond Martini" you might erroneously see printed in some drink lists is actually a "Vesper". Since it has Lillet and Vodka, it is not a Martini.

Martini is to the world of drinks what Labrador is to the world of mammals. Cocktail is to the world of drinks what "dog" is to the world of mammals.

Now that you have it right, take the poll)

[dave123williams]

1. Sapphire is very, very good.

The problem I have with Gin, tho, is that it's flavored with junniper berries, which are super-poisonous.

[Rabrrrrrr]

2. They're not poisonous in the gin, though

At least, not as much as the alcohol is. :-)

[dave123williams]

6. I dunno...

I never feel worse than after too much Gin. Eeech.

[soothsayer]

10. juniper berries are a natural diuretic

Do they kill you too?

[Guy_Montag]

11. I've eaten Juniper berries.

I use them in stews & I'm still kicking.:shrug:

[Magrittes Pipe]

13. Juniper berries are not poisonous.

Okay, ANYTHING will kill you if you eat enough of it. But juniper berries are an essential part of central and eastern European cooking. I cook with them all the damn time. Tasty stuff.

[dave123williams]

21. The berries aren't, but most of the rest of the plant...

is pretty poisonous:

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/Junipco.htm

Low toxicity, resulting in uncontrollable diharea.

[Rabrrrrrr]

3. Hey - who was the other Magellan poster?

That's what I chose- I'm curious about who else has been able to try it.

[HEyHEY]

4. I get in fights with friends about gin

I am an Tangerauy guy, they all like bombay, I tell them it is an inferior gin and they're paying extra for an image. It's a fun game

[Rabrrrrrr]

5. Tanqueray is tops for gin and tonic, that's for sure

But not for martinis, IMO. it's good, don't get me wrong, but a little heavy for my taste. That said, I won't turn one down by any means.

[Donkeyboy75]

15. Can't agree with that.

Beefeater's is my favorite for G&T's, hands down.

[Rabrrrrrr]

7. At 1:19 "Capital of the World" time, it's dead even at two votes

for Sapphire, Magellan, Tanqueray Ten, and Beefeaters!

Woo hoo!!

But no Boodles or Hendriks drinkers?

[BrotherBuzz]

8. Late west coast Boodles vote

Travis McGee turned me on to it years ago. Damn, I miss him.

[Bunny]

9. Rabrrrrrr, thank you for bringing this vital issue to the public's

attention. People, a Martini contains gin and vermouth, with perhaps an olive (or a twist). That's it. Period.

Chocolate and -tini are never mentioned in the same room, much less the same drink. Apple and -tini, likewise. Ordering a "chocolatini" or "appletini" does not make you sophisticated. It makes you look like a beginner, for whom it will soon be nap time. And it is offensive to us experienced drinkers!

So ask for your chocolate, or your apple, but don't call it a -tini. Just, don't.

Oh, and anyone making a martini without Bombay Sapphire is doing the Devils' work. Just so you know...

;)

[Rabrrrrrr]

18. You're welcome!

This idiocy must be squashed, though I fear it is aleady too late. The damage has been done. The idiots are in charge of everything now.

But I have to disagree on the Sapphire comment - many gins make excellent martinis. Sapphire might be the best, though it's difficult to quantify, but others are good at the right times.

[Bunny]

20. I have never tried Plymouth gin.

Can you make a decent martini with it?

[Rabrrrrrr]

22. I think it makes a good Martini

Though I find Plymouth to be a bit too floral/orangy for my tastes on a regular basis, it's a nice change once in a while.

[GOPisEvil]

12. Once again, GOPisEvil's perfect Martini:

Chilled gin (Bombay works just fine, Tanqueray will work, too).
Show the Martini glass a picture of Benedetto Carpano, the inventor of vermouth.
Pour gin into Martini glass, garnish with an odd number of olives (1 or 3).

[Magrittes Pipe]

14. Tanqueray Ten is, to me, the perfect martini gin.

The aromatics are perfect for the classic dry martini.

If you subscribe to the Winston Churchill/GOPisEvil school of martinis (which I am known to do on occasion), there are better gins to drink straight. Hell, I am a HUGE Hendrick's fan (though I wouldn't put olives in it -- make a Gibson instead).

[EstimatedProphet]

16. I make Citadelle martinis which I like

5 parts Citadelle
1 part drydrydry vermouth-get the kind that's so dry that dust comes out when you pour it
Shaken with ice
2 olives and an onion

[Magrittes Pipe]

17. No love for Gordon's?

:shrug:

[chiburb]

19. Regular Tanqueray...

I drank Beefeaters martinis for years, but switched about 5 years ago.
Martini ordering advice: DO NOT make the bartender ask you the Dickens question (olive or twist?)! Know how to order properly...

[David Zephyr]

23. Gin Martini. My Favorite Drink.

Tanqueray has long been my favorite, but lately I'm partial to Bombay Sapphire.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

24. I'll down some Sapphire with ya

but then you have to let me sleep over :D Gin gets me buzzed FAST!

[David Zephyr]

25. You Can Sleep Over Anytime.

Hell, your family now.