The Genever Daisy and Death in the Gulf Stream

Genever is commonly described as the mother of gin, this malty botanically infused spirit, sometimes referred to as Hollands Gin, is what inspired the gin we drink today. Although it is a spirit in it’s own right we believe it is unfair to speak of gin without paying homage to Genever. 

Genever is made in a similar way to gin, a high proof spirit is redistilled with a selection of botanicals, of which juniper must be included. The difference is that this spirit is then blended with a spirit is made from malted barley, the addition of which gives genever it’s distinctive malty, slightly oily flavour.

With the forgotten and classic cocktail renaissance in full swing as well as recent research by David Wondrich suggesting that many classic gin cocktails from the Martinez, the Collins and the Aviation may have evolved from drinks originally containing genever, cocktails with this old spirit are making there way on to drinks menu’s up and down the country. 

We decided to cover two genever cocktails, one rediscovered classic, created by Ernest Hemming way and a forgotten cocktail usually made with gin, rum and just about any other spirit except genever.

The first cocktail is one either created or very much enjoyed by Hemmingway, Death in the Gulf Stream. We discovered this interesting libation in Jigger, Beaker & Glass by Charles H. Baker Jr., a book originally published in 1932 as The Gentleman’s Companion.

The recipe calls for a large amount of Holland’s Gin, in this case we opted for Bols Genever considering its high malt wine content, a characteristic of classic genevers, the juice and zest of a whole lime and four dashes of Angostura Bitters. The original recipe is adverse to adding any sugar although does concede that it is acceptable to add a tea spoon if necessary. It is however worth considering that Hemmingway was diabetic and as a result enjoyed drinks on the rather sour side. In the interest of making a more approachable drink we have opted to sweeten it with agave syrup, a sweetener that has proven diabetic friendly… here's to you Hemmingway!

Death in the Afternoon

- 60ml Bols Genever

- 25ml Lime Juice

- 4 long Dashes of Angustora Bitters

- Zest of 1 Lime

- 10ml of Agave Syrup

- Lime Zest Garnish

Peel lime with a potato peeler, add zest in to Boston glass with other ingredients, Shake over cubed ice, strain in to an Old Fashioned over cubed ice, garnish with a lime zest and serve… 

The second drink we chose to visit was a classic style of drinks enjoying a resurgence in certain circles, the Daisy. The Daisy is a sour based cocktail sweetened with orange liqueur and lifted with a splash of charged water. The Daisy is a very bright, refreshing, summery cocktail and works remarkably well with Genever. The malty characteristics of Genever appear somewhere in the background with the botanical backbone and citrus notes make this drink approachable to new comers to the spirit.

Genever Daisy

Bols Genever - 60ml

Grand Marnier - 10ml

Lemon Juice - 22.5ml

Simple Syrup - 10ml

Soda Water - Splash

Garnish with a lemon or orange zest

Combine all ingredients except soda water in a shaker, fill to the top with ice and shake hard, fine strain in to a chilled cocktail glass, add a dash of soda then garnish with a lemon or orange zest. 

We hope you enjoy

Umpleby & Brown

The Gin Martini

For our first instalment of this blog we could think of no better subject than the most quintessential of gin cocktails… the Martini.

The Martini is the perfect example of liquid alchemy, this classic combination of gin, vermouth and the old school addition of bitters creates a drink more than the sum of its parts.

It’s difficult to pin down the origins of the Martini, some suggest the cocktail evolved from the Martinez, a cocktail consisting of Genever, sweet vermouth, bitters and maraschino liqueur. Like so many cocktails we will never know whether it was developed independently or inspired one of the many mixed drinks containing spirit and vermouth. Either way we feel as though the mystery behind this drink further enhances it’s appeal.

As a true classic cocktail the Martini is an extremely versatile drink and has been able to adapt to suit the changing palates of countless generations. Over the years the proportions of this drink have changed drastically from the vermouth heavy ‘wet’ Martini’s popular at the drinks inception to wisp of vermouth present in the bone dry Martini’s popular today. Advocates of this dry style of Martini include Winston Churchill who was famed for lifting his drink towards France for his intake of vermouth. In addition to the reduction in vermouth the use of bitters have also fell from popularity, although with the new breath of life bitters have received recently one would hope they make a comeback.

So how to make the perfect Martini? Well that is entirely up to your personal tastes and preferences, after all everyone believes they make the perfect Martini and the truth is everyone is right! Our preferred Martini goes a little something like this;

Junipero Dry Gin – 50ml

Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth – 20ml

Bitter Truth Celery Bitters – 2 Dash

Garnish with a Lime Zest 

Classic Gin Martini served wet with celery bitters and a lime twist. 

To prepare take a large mixing vessel, add the ingredients and fill to the top with ice, stir thoroughly ensuring the drink is properly chilled without over dilution, you still want to appreciate that you are drinking alcohol, one minute should just about do the trick. Strain in to a chilled martini glass and garnish.

We are strong advocates that a Martini must be stirred as opposed to shaken. Although James Bond has regrettably made the latter sound cool (not to mention popularising the sacrilegious Vodka based version) a shaken martini aerates the drink inserting tiny micro bubbles which restrict access to certain taste buds thereby preventing you from fully appreciating everything your choice of spirit and vermouth have to offer. If that wasn’t enough a martini is supposed to be a silky smooth beverage something which can only be achieved by stirring the drink. 

Several other Martini variations or Martini inspired cocktails have also branched off from the original including a Gibson, a Franklin Martini and a Dirty Martini.

The beauty of the Martini is that there is one out there for everyone, we are fairly confident with the right gin, the right vermouth, a little ‘practice’ to perfect your preferred ratio and, dare we say it, a healthy slug of bitters you can find a martini which will take your breath away.

We hope you enjoy

Umpleby & Brown