Drinking Death's Door

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Tonight, "flush with cash" from getting a new cell phone package that will save $30 a month, we decided maybe we ought to stray from our usual weekly bottle of Beefeater (well, we got a bottle of that too anyway...) and start exploring some other fine distiller's of Gin.

Thinking "locally", at least in the same geographical realm, as it were, we picked up several new bottles from the shelf and inspected them. Seems the local liquor store has started expanding its line of Gins. (maybe there is a God?)

When it comes to Gin, 45% alcohol by volume is a preferred - no need for that wimpy 40% and below crap. Other than that, we'd prefer it not taste too heavy, which was the case with the New Amsterdam Gin we tested just over a year ago.

Turns out we don't know much about Gin, other than it's supposed to have some element of Juniper Berry to the flavor, and is made with a wide range of botanical herbs and spices.
An obvious neutral grain spirit, also known as ethanol/ethyl alcohol/grain alcohol (generally made with corn). A neutral spirit is optimal in order to bring out the delicate flavors of each distinct brand, and it's certainly what we're used to with Beefeater, Tanqueray, Bombay Saphire, Hendrick's, and New Amsterdam. We wondered what flavor a more specific grain might bring to the palette. Certainly if the bottle is specific on the type of grain used then it should mean something to the flavor of said spirit.

Death's Door, chosen for price point, but mostly for the name of the bottle, is made with hard red winter wheat (organic)...from an island in Wisconsin - Washington Island, to be exact (the island even has a webcam).
                        
 It's got a pretty good story behind it too, all about tenacious revival of farmland with a heavy pointed nod towards sustainable agriculture and production, years after the death of the local potato industry in the 70's - reading through the lines of the story one gets the feeling that the death was due to the beginning of the rolling gears of corporate overhaul in the independent farming industry during that time. 

Okay, so how does it taste, you ask?

The guy at the liquor store said it has citrus undertones. Personally, *I* didn't detect that at all. It tasted more like sweet anise, very subtle. Kind of like a mild black jellybean. And it's not because we ate a handful of jellybeans hours before. But it could be off. Every person has a different palette, perhaps it would taste more citrus-like to you. And maybe what we're picking up on is a mix of citrus and anise.

All in all is definitely worth the $32 (for 750 mL), and far better than the gin by New Amsterdam.


Death's Door also makes Vodka and White Whiskey, so if you're into that you can check them out on their website: http://deathsdoorspirits.com/ and find their products using a really snazzy locator map.
Or Follow them on Twitter: https://twitter.com/deathsdoor

The Last Saturday Gin Test

It's the last Saturday in The Mother's house. James works until close, and so, to celebrate we will be enjoying some cocktails for the first time in many weeks, on a Saturday.

Okay, by cocktails we mean Gin.

Instead of a movie or music review, or a food entry, we thought a sort of alcohol review was in order for the blog. Something fun.

We're testing out a new less-expensive Gin called New Amsterdam tonight. It's an American Gin, as opposed to the British Tanqueray that we usually drink. It boasts itself as a refreshing modern balance with hints of Juniper and notes of Angelica. They use the word "sophisticated". We'll see about that.

The New Amsterdam is over $10 cheaper for the same volume of bottle we usually buy of Tanqueray (1.75L); so due both to an tightening of the purse strings, and an experimental streak we're feeling today, we decided tonight we'll give it a whirl, see if our palate can handle it, and if we wake up with a headache from a "lesser quality" spirits. (Gin of high quality comes from Europe, in our opinion; they even have four different legal classification for Gin, whereas in America there are far less classifications, and we imagine lesser general standards.)

In any case, Gin on the rocks, stirred with a knife, as usual. (we've grown to dropping out the lime wedge these days)

Come back after tonight and we'll post our opinion here.

Have a fun and happy Saturday. Cheers!

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The New Amsterdam Gin turned out to be a good purchase. It did have a little heavier taste than we're accustomed, but nothing we can't get used to. The finish was reminiscent of a good quality cough syrup, or perhaps even a bit of a Galliano (a very specific sweet Italian herbal liqueur), which might sound unappealing, but unable to detect the specific flavour that was so familiar it was the best we could come up with.

It's no Tanqueray or Bombay, but for under $20 (on sale) for a 1.75L bottle, it makes our wallet smile.