I was not always a gin fan. I’m sure a large number of the works of writing about personal experiences with gin begin, “I was not always a gin fan.” Gin is an intimidating sort of alcohol; it’s got all kinds of confusing flavors, and bad gin tastes like something you’d use to sterilize a burn. I avoided gin and made fearful facial expressions at the substance until Thanksgiving of 2005, when I went to see Martha (of 2 Tasty Ladies) and Stephen in San Fransisco. Martha, you see, is a gin-soaked fiend. She loves gin, and has written about the topic quite in quite a lovely manner here and here. She was my Janie Ginnyseed, laying sprinkles of Bombay Sapphire in my heart to grow to a full-fledged love of this most rich, nuanced, complicated, interesting of heavy liquors.

I came home from that trip and started drinking gin and tonics and dirty martinis (and the topic of what should be in a damn martini is the subject for a post to come). Martha had sung the praises of Hendrick’s to me, and I sought it out, but sadly my previous liquor store of choice had what we experts refer to as a totally shit section when it came to gin. But Astor, blessed Astor, has all the fancy gins you could dream of.

To be poetic for a moment, Hendrick’s tastes like music. It is simply beautiful. It has the sharp, crisp scent of juniper, like any gin should, but on the tongue it opens up into this wonderful explosion of cucumbers and roses. This is a gin that is perfectly palatable, and perhaps even preferable (oy, alliteration) when consumed just on the rocks. Or as some might call it, a dry martini, but again, that’s a subject for anothe post. A gin and tonic mixed with Hendrick’s is a different experience from a G&T with any other gin. To start with, they recommend you put slices of cucumber in your drink instead of the usual lime, and I heartily agree with this recommendation. I don’t know if there’s anything more delicious than slices of cucumber that have been soaking in delicious gin and tonic.

Alone, Hendrick’s is a whirlwind on the tongue that makes you close your eyes and say, “Oh.” In a cocktail, it brings a certain unique character and interesting floral hints you wouldn’t find with another gin. I keep meaning to make myself try a different brand, but it’s just so hard.

The only bad thing I have to say about Hendrick’s? It’s bottled in dark glass apothecary-style bottles, and thus it is impossible to tell when you are almost out.

BUY IT AGAIN: Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.

Angel’s Hope

Ingredients
1 part gin
1 part calvados
1 part orange liqueur

For this drink, I used Hendrick’s Gin, Christian Drouain Calvados, and Grand Marnier. In an earlier incarnation I also tried a cheaper triple sec, and found it somewhat cheapened the overall drink. It’s entirely true: quality components make for a quality cocktail.

In a shaker filled with ice, combine all ingredients. Shake well, then strain into a cocktail glass. Enjoy! This drink is a lovely balance of spicy and sweet, and with Hendrick’s in particular, has a wonderful floral undernote.