THE SHEER VARIETY OF GINS AVAILABLE IS STAGGERING AND IT SEEMS THAT, AT THIS VERY MOMENT, WE ARE ENJOYING ANOTHER “GIN CRAZE” REVIVAL


red somewhere is often employed, the authority of mono or duo chrome wording, the colour (or not) of the bottle itself, an engaging hand script, the visibility or invisibility of the liquid within and of course, perhaps most importantly, the name. One that becomes generic. And then there is the huge importance of a cocktail name - that sticks, in the way that a Bloody Mary for vodka does. By the by, if using gin instead of vodka it is known as a Red Snapper. But, Fallen Angel, French 75, Moon River, Old Etonian, Satan’s Whiskers, Vesper, Gibson and The Last Word are all, of course, individual,


Lift the spirits: lemon, lime and cucumber complement Indian tonic water


each moniker conjuring a sense of taste, space, time and idea, long before glass has reached lip. Arguably, gin cocktails have the most enigmatic of all alcoholic beverage names. Often they sound like sensory or historical or mischievous adventures. The gin arena is vast and competitive. But, because of the choice available, with more on the way, almost seemingly every day, there is room for all. But they do stand or fall ultimately. Fashion, while fickle, is a factor. Those brands that can equate with a lifestyle or time or provenance, treat these aspects as preciously guarded hallmarks. Gin is the liquid heart. What exactly


characterises it? Sometimes, gins come back from the brink of near extinction because of fashion or companies being bought. New ones are often readily welcomed and give the enthusiastic barman more tools for his alchemy making. While the definition of a spirit


in gin’s case is the prosaic, “a strong, alcoholic drink”, it may be well to look at the other meanings of spirit - not usually applied. “Something’s characteristic quality”, “a person’s mood”, “courage and determination”. Somehow there is something


of a flow between the same word, used for two completely different things. n


SAVILE ROW STYLE MAGAZINE


69


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