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Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/458161
www.cheersonline.com 14 • January/February 2015 of the gin-averse. She'll start by introducing a different tonic, either house-made or one of the new super- premium brands like Fever Tree or Q to guests. Then once they trust the changes, she can move them to different brands as well. Offering an Old-Fashioned made with Old Tom gin—a slightly sweeter, richer style of gin—instead of bourbon sometimes can do the trick for the gin resisters, Brar notes. "People are versatile in their tastes, and this is a good time for them, since distillers are having so much fun with the herbs and spices they are including in their gins." While many of the chain restaurants emphasize vodka, rum and whiskey drinks, some have reacted to the interest in gin. The nearly 200-unit Bonefish Grill is currently testing a Gin and Tonic made with Hendrick's gin and a bartender-made tonic syrup using cucumber and ginger. Even those operations with a more modest collection of gin drinks see opportunity in highlighting the spirit. Philadelphia's Juniper Commons, which opened in December and highlights 1980s-style dining and drinking, has a healthy gin portfolio, says general manager Tom Pittakas. "Gin came into focus for us because one of the big things for Juniper Commons is a really large raw bar...and no spirit goes better with a raw bar than gin," he says. BETTING ON BOTANICALS AND TONIC In addition to Hendrick's, which came out in 1999, some of the newer gins on the market include Aviation, Brockmans, Caorunn, Uncle Val's Restorative Gin and Monkey 47. Juniper Commons categorizes gins by flavor profile—floral, astringent, citrusy—and includes a large selection of gin cocktails and house-made tonics. Pittakas believes now that gin is widely available with different aromatic notes—lavender, rose hips, verbena and other botanicals—customers are more easily intrigued by the flavors and are interested in how bartenders can make them work in drinks. The various Jaleo restaurants overseen by chef José Andres include a range of specialty Gin and Tonics. At Jaleo in Las Vegas, for instance, Gin and Tonic varieties include José's (Hendrick's, Fever Tree tonic, lime, lemon, juniper and Kaffir lime); the Cítrico (Oxley gin, Fever Tree Mediterranean tonic, grapefruit, lemon, coriander and mint); Hierba (Aviation American gin, Jack Rudy tonic, orange, lime, rosemary and pink peppercorn); and Tierra (Ford's Gin, house-made tonic, orange, lemon, kaffir and cardamom). At the Jaleo location in downtown Washington, D.C., the list of Gin and Tonics includes versions made with unique combinations, such as Kaffir lime, juniper, lemon and lime; fennel, radish and cubeb; pickled ginger, allspice, orange and lemon; and grapefruit, mint, lemon and white pepper. Creating the drinks and matching them with garnishes, which are added to the drink rather than muddled in, involves a thoughtful process, says beverage director Juan Coronado. "The way to create a successful Gin and Tonic is to sit down and analyze the gin's flavor aftertaste and aromas, pouring a glass and returning to it every five minutes or so, smelling and tasting, allowing it to water down and trying it again, because it changes the flavor," Coronado says. "We do the very same with the tonics." Breaking down old prejudices about gin is one of the points of the well-attended spirit classes Shenaut holds at Raven and Rose. During the summer gin class, attendees smell fresh and dried botanicals, sample gins blind—neat and in cocktails—and get at least a basic understanding of the history of gin. "Many customers come into the bar and look at the bottles and have no idea what the differences between them are, and blind tasting is the best way to share," says Shenaut. "What's in the glass is what's important and helps people pick out, say, the big citrus profile of the London drys, the lavender in Aviation, or the botanical influences in others. All that versatility helps them understand that gin can be many different things." Jack Robertiello is wine and spirits writer/consultant based in Brooklyn, NY. Flintridge Proper's gin cocktails include the class Aviation, left, and the brunch specialty Angel's Kiss, with fresh grapefruit and lemon, Aperol, simple syrup and Burnett's gin.