How to make a classic gin recipe

When you are looking for some classic cocktails you will have to come across a gin recipe. No cocktail evening or afternoon is complete without a couple of gin soaked recipes. What makes gin so special is its highly aromatic juniper berry flavor coupled with other additional botanicals such as orange peel, angle root, coriander seeds, angelica root and cassia bark.

All gin makers have their specific classic combinations of the vibrant blue green berries and the other botanicals which make each product different or very similar to the other.

What makes a gin top quality is the way it has been flavored. The base spirit released during the distillation process of gin is redistilled once more. It is during this final distillation process that the alcohol vapor that is produced is made to waft through a chamber where the dried botanicals along with the juniper berries are suspended. It is the vapor of the alcohol which extracts maximum flavor for these botanicals on its way to the condenser. What results is a spirit which is perceptively complex in its flavor.

There are many types of gin. London Dry Gin is a huge favorite amongst gin lovers and mixers alike. Some other varieties of gin are Old Tom Gin and Plymouth Gin. It is these gins that go into some of the classic gin recipes. If you are looking for one gin recipe you can be sure to find many. One such gin recipe is the Vesper Martini.

The Vesper Martini found a mention in Ian Flemings book Casino Royal. It is here that we discover what the worlds’ greatest fictional spy’s favorite form of cocktail is. A Vesper Martini is made with three measures of Gordon’s gin, one part of vodka, and a dash of Kina Lillet (a French aperitif). This mix along with ice should be shaken till it is ice cold and then strained into a deep champagne goblet to enjoy with a lemon twist.

This gin recipe is a little different from a classic gin martini. Unlike in a classic martini, in a Vesper Martini both gin and vodka have been used. While a classic martini uses dry vermouth, this has been replaced by the Kina Lillet aperitif and the quintessential olive has been replaced with a lemon peel.

Another gin recipe that is very popular is the Gin Fizz. This is perhaps the most popular of the cocktails from the fizz family. A classic gin fizz has gin, lemon juice, carbonated water and sugar. This drink is served on the rocks (poured over ice) in a tall highball glass. There are a number of variations of the classic gin fizz as well. If you add an egg white to the mix it becomes a Silver fizz. Add an egg yolk and you have a Golden Fizz. If you add an entire egg you will get the Royal Fizz. Use sparkling wine in the place of carbonated water and you will have a Diamond Fizz. And a dash of green crème de menthe gives you the Green Fizz.

A variation to the gin recipe of Gin Fizz is the Ramos Gin Fizz where along with the classic gin fizz ingredients lime juice, egg white, cream, orange flower water and soda water are used. Popularized by the Roosevelt Hotel of New Orleans this drink is poured in a tall zombie glass and served straight up.