Stay Sprightly With Gin

The origins of Gin lie in the medicinal value of Juniper Berries, the dominant botanical in this delightful spirit which are believed to be an effective diuretic. Over history many classic cocktails have built on the supposed remediable powers of Gin, the Pink Gin used the addition of Angostura Bitters to fight sea sickness and digestive problems, the Gimlet relies on the citrus in lime cordial to counteract scurvy and the Gin & Tonic made the most of quinine to prevent malaria, well until this naughty little virus evolved.

In addition to these well known and age old gin based remedies there are some other little known but equally cheeky gin based elixirs worth a mention...

One particular remedy which caught my eye wasn't so much a cocktail rather a tasty snack, which just so happens contain gin and is believed to help reduce the pain caused by Arthritis; Gin Soaked Raisins!

This is a very simple natural alternative to the cocktail of pain killers often prescribed to those suffering with Arthritis. This simple remedy only requires two ingredients; golden raisins (not those common black raisins you see so much in these days) and of course Gin. With juniper being the magic medicinal ingredient in gin you will want a very juniper heavy gin, although be aware taht you are only hydrating raisins with it so don't go over the top, Gordon's Gin, with it's punchy juniper flavour and reasonable price tag it suits this recipe down to a tee.

So take your lovely golden raisins and pop them in reliable piece of Tupperware, ensure there is only one layer of raisins with none over lapping, cover the raisins with our favourite juniper laced spirit, seal and leave for two weeks, or until the raisins have imbibed the gin you have sacrificed to them. The recommended daily dose is 9 of these cheeky edibles, which can either be taken in quick succession or over the course of a day. If your feeling rather exotic you could always spice up the mixture with cinnamon, cloves or any other spice which jumps to mind and if you feel like indulging your swet tooth perhaps a spoon full of honey would help the medicine go down...      

It is debatable whether the raisins, the gin or the random combination of both is key to reducing the pain caused by Arthritis but many people have stood bye this folk remedy for years, but why not discover this for yourself...

Moving on from the chronic pain of arthritis to the more fleeting, yet still irritating pain of a headache we present yet another gin based remedy, this time in the form of The London Cocktail, a drink true to the original definition of a cocktail, the recipe was taken from 'Cocktails, How to Mix Them' by 'Robert'. Being such a classic style of drink I thought it was only right to use a classic style of gin, Jensens Bermondsey it is then...

The London Cocktail

Jensens Bermondsey Gin - 50ml

Sugar Syrup - 5ml

Orange Bitters - 2 Dashes

Absinthe - 2 Drops

Stir all ingredients over ice in a large mixing vessel, strain in to a cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

It is worth noting that the following ritual is necessary if The London Cocktail is going to rid you of your head demons...

Take a little absinthe in the palm of ones hands, rub them till dry then sniff through the nose then enjoy The London Cocktail while the pain eases away. Warning overconsumption of this libation may cause the headache to return in the morning, should this be the case you may be in need of a pick me up, so for your morning after needs...

When it comes to gin morning pick me up's one is spoiled for choice a Corpse Reviver #2, the juniper laced cousin of the Bloody Mary; the Red Snapper or better yet a Morning Glory Fizz.

The Morning Glory Fizz is usually considered a Scotch based cocktail although our dear friend 'Robert' is open to using all variety of spirits in this drink, anything from Brandy to Rum is fair game in his book, although I feel gin creates a rather spiffing tipple.

The Morning Glory Fizz

Martin Millers Westbourne - 50ml

Egg White - 25ml

Lemon Juice - 20ml

Absinthe - 5ml

Bitter Truth Celery Bitters - 2 Dash

Blended Sugar - 1 Bar Spoon

Dry shake all ingredients (without ice) then once again with ice strain in to an 8oz glass with no ice, top with soda. Garnish with Peychaurds Bitters in the foam.

So there you have it, a few cheeky libations to leave one feeling full of spirit and vitality, we hope these keep you happy, healthy and full of gin in the new year!

Enjoy

Umpleby & Brown

The Vodka Scandal!

Spirits of all kinds whether it be Gin, R(h)um or Tequila have been popularised by mixed drinks, cocktails with substance, history, oh yes and originality....

Vodka came to America from Eastern Europe where it was classically drunk straight, launched in a society dominated by cocktail culture this traditional method of consumption would simply not do. With no traditional cocktails to speak of and considering vodka is essentially unflavoured gin, one wonders where those marketing genius's searched for inspiration.

One of the cocktails that popularised vodka was the Moscow Mule, created in 1941 by John G. Martin, the chap who had just acquired the rights to Smirnoff vodka in the U.S. and Jack Morgan, the owner of the Cock 'n' Bull salon and coincidently a fellow who was trying to launch his own ginger beer. The two met and gave birth to the Moscow Mule by combining their products and adding a splash of lime juice, a friend of theirs had just inherited a copper factory so as a way of promoting this lovely libation they served it in copper mugs... what a lovely story.

A similar drink which was found on bar menus in the late 1800's and early 1900's right up until World War II was the Gin Buck, a refreshing, spicy drink perfect for the summer, the recipe for this beverage can be found below, although it may seem suspiciously familiar;

The Gin Buck

Tanqueray - 60ml

Fentimans Ginger Beer - 150ml

 Lime juice - 15ml

Gimmicky drinking vessel aside this is remarkably similar to the Moscow Mule, only difference being the Gin Buck has the added pleasure of a punchy juniper flavoured spirit providing it with a more interesting flavour. I would recommend using ginger beer as opposed to the widely recommended ginger ale for this drink as what would have been described as ginger ale in the 1900's would not be the lightly flavoured Canada Dry we are familiar with now, it would be a fiery ginger soda... ginger beer it is then.

It would be unfair to accuse Vodka of pilfering this drink from Gin, after all, rum and scotch have also been known to mix well with ginger beer and were widely drunk around the same time as the Gin Buck, but what about the Martini?

There is little argument that the Gin Martini was the original. Despite this it has become common practice to inquire if someone requests a Martini as to their spirit of choice or in some uncivilised establishments to simply whip up one with vodka.   

The popularity of the Vodka Martini and the decline of the Gin Martini can be attributed to an American drinking habit coined as 'the three martini lunch'. During their lunch break from highly stressful jobs American professionals began to indulge in a liquid lunch of several Martini's. Now three martini's can no doubt make any ones afternoon go quicker, unfortunately gin's distinctive aroma would often give away the reason for an employees reduced productivity, que clever marketing...

In the 1950's Smirnoff launched a campaign using the slogan 'Smirnoff, Leaves You Breathless'. Now this could simply be suggesting the product is outstanding and will leave you marvelling at it's quality, or as it was widely interpreted, it was suggesting that vodka based martini's could not be detected by the boss on your return to work... the three martini lunch reigns supreme. 

Once again it would be unfair to suggest Vodka robbed the martini from gin as prior to Smirnoff's clever marketing antics the combination of Vodka and Vermouth was known as a Kangaroo. Although if the Kangaroo developed independently from the Martini it cannot be denied that Vodka, like a cheap groupie, tagged on to the popularity of this drink to aid it's own success.

For further information on the Gin Martini check out our post.

Fast forward to the 1980's and we come to one of those modern classics, the Cosmopolitan, a vodka creation through and through right? The widely accepted creator of the drink was Cheryl Cook around 1985 who wanted to craft a martini style drink to suit a wider palate adding cranberry juice for aesthetic value 'to make it oh so pretty in pink'. The Cosmopolitan was popularised by Dale DeGroff who gave the signature flamed orange zest garnish and served it to celebrates such as Madonna before being made even more famous after appearing on the popular TV show Sex in the City.

Funny thing is the modern Cosmopolitan is remarkably similar to a recipe for a 'Cosmopolitan Daisy' which can be found in a compilation of recipes from between 1903 and 1933 entitled 'Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars'.

The Cosmopolitan Daisy

Plymouth Gin - 50ml

Cointreau - 15ml

Lemon Juice - 20ml

Raspberry Syrup - 10ml 

Garnish with an orange zest twist

So simular in name, ingredients and still pretty in pink, however The Cosmopolitan Daisy has a flavour profile far removed from the modern Cosmopolitan. In addition to this the recipe has only only recently surfaced from an obscure book published fifty years before the birth of the vodka Cosmopolitan, I would therefore be inclined to believe the Cosmopolitan developed independently from the Cosmopolitan Daisy after all, it's a small world.     

Personally I remain undecided whether vodka has pillaged most of it's more credible libations from gin or just managed to develop very similar drinks, either way it has been said that the fight for survival can justify swindle and theft, just be sure to respect what preceded these popular vodka drinks after all I hear trends have a way of  coming back around...

Hope You Enjoy

Umpleby & Brown