Broker's Gin

Hiatus over. I MUST share this wonderful gin with you all.

Three points of interest about Broker's gin:

- Delicious
- Spicy yet smooth
- $16.99

No, that's not a mistype. This gin, from a 200-year-old small batch distillery in London, is only 17 bucks (for 750 mL). And for what you get, it's an unbelievable price. Many gins in this price range tend to be either watery or so overly saturated with juniper that they burn all the way down. This one has a nice blend of botanicals that is predominantly junipery, but still delicate and smooth. And it's no slouch on the ABV either, checking in at 94 proof, the standard for high-quality gin.

I encourage you to pick up a bottle and sample it yourself, or visit their website at http://www.brokersgin.com. It's fantastic in dry martinis or other simple cocktails. You will not be disappointed.

Grapefruit Diet

Contrary to my last attempt at making my own cocktail using Campari, this one actually tastes pretty good. This drink came about because I wanted an Americano and I was out of soda water, so I substituted the Cointreau and made it a short drink instead. The bitter orange flavor of the Cointreau blends well with the Campari, to make something that tastes like... you guessed it - grapefruit. Voila:

• 1.5 measures gin
• 0.5 measures Campari
• 0.5 measures Cointreau

Mix ingredients over ice in a lowball or rocks glass, stir a few times, and enjoy.

Bitter Enemy

I threw this together on a whim, trying to incorporate some of my favorite ingredients. It's very bitter, pretty strong, and really not very friendly, hence the name. But here it is, all the same:

• 1.5 measures gin
• 1/2 measure Campari
• 1/2 measure dry vermouth
• Dash absinthe

Shake it with ice, strain, and beware. Garnish with a maraschino cherry, for irony.

Cocktail Preachers + Boltini + Negroni = A Great Night for Cocktails in C-U

Tonight was a terrific night for cocktail exploration in Champaign-Urbana. Boltini, the fantastic martini bar in downtown Champaign, featured a *free* show by swingin' surf-rock band The Cocktail Preachers. The place was packed full of cocktail culture enthusiasts and retro hipsters, including local lounge/exotica/retro swing DJ and bachelor pad king Java, of Java's Bachelor Pad, who was handing out samples of his new quarterly magazine.

Boltini is notoriously awesome for never having a cover charge, and shaking arguably the best cocktails in town. I tried a negroni, a gin-based cocktail I've wanted to sample for awhile, and it was indeed tasty. It's made with gin, sweet vermouth, and bitters (the "poured" style bitters, such as Campari, versus the "dashed" style, such as Angostura), the last ingredient lending most of the flavor to the cocktail. The gin and vermouth are still there, though, and add a smoothness to the bitterness of the Campari.

NEGRONI

• 1 Measure Gin
• 1 Measure Sweet Vermouth
• 1 Measure Campari
  

Shaken with ice, and strained into a martini glass. The one I had was garnished with orange, which provided a nice color complement to the red hue of the drink.

Bennett

I got this recipe from a book of cocktails I received as a Christmas gift. The author says that this cocktail sometimes includes sugar to sweeten it, but I tried the "original" recipe, at his recommendation. It is short, sour, sharp, and spicy - a very serious cocktail.

• 1.5 measures gin
• 1/2 measure lime juice
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Shake with ice, strain into cocktail glass. No garnish.

Diablo Sucio (Dirty Devil)

This is another original (as far as I know) recipe of mine that I've been messing around with since I made the chili pepper vodka. It's simply a dirty martini with a measure of the hot pepper vodka added. The batch I made was very spicy, so this can be a very hot cocktail.

• 2.5 Measures Gin
• 0.5 measures dry vermouth
• 1 measure chili pepper infused vodka (to taste)
• Splash olive juice (to taste)

Shake with ice, strain into glass. Garnish with olive and chili pepper on a cocktail toothpick.

Van Gogh

I recently discovered this cocktail at Carmon's restaurant in downtown Champaign, the first establishment in the area to carry Lucid Absinthe, made with genuine wormwood. It's the best (and as far as I know, the only) place in town to try this superb cocktail. The creme de cassis adds a touch of blackcurrant sweetness to the robust flavors of the gin and absinthe, for a very satisfying (and powerful) drink.

• 3 measures Gin
• 1 measure Absinthe
• 1/2 measure Creme de Cassis

Shake these ingredients well with ice, and strain into cocktail glass. Personally, I think a layer of ice on top is not objectionable, but that's at your discretion. No garnish necessary.