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07/13/2001 Archived Entry: "Gary Regan and Gin Drinks"

We often associate summertime with total relaxation. But I don’t know about you, my responsibilities do not end on July 4th. If anything, my stress level often rises with the mercury.

I’ll drink to that. Actually, I’ll drink to just about anything. Of course, always in moderation. Truly. I like the flavor of good drink. I like the way it relaxes me. I don’t like the feeling of being high. I am very careful about quantity.

Gary Regan is of a similar mind, which is why I always enjoy him as a guest on Food Talk. A former working bartender, he is the author of The Bartender’s Bible and New Classic Cocktails (among others), and he has a website called www.ardentspirits.com. We discussed all types of potent potables, but I drove the conversation to some of my favorites. I am a long-time Scotch drinker (I often joke that I was weaned on Chivas Regal), but I take to gin in the summer.

On that subject, Gary pointed out that the most important ingredient in a Martini is the water that melts from the ice in which the gin and vermouth are stirred, and that if you stir for 20 to 30 seconds the temperature of the cocktail will be 38 degrees – the perfect Martini temperature.

He also gave us, off the top of his head, my three favorite gin cocktails – the real, the classic, and as far as I am concerned the only true Martini, plus a recipe for a Negroni (I was so happy it’s the same formula that I use), and a Gimlet (all three follow).

You may not have realized that gin is becoming fashionable again, but it is. Tanqueray, for instance, recently introduced a new super-premium product called Tanqueray No. Ten, which is more aromatic than the already very aromatic Tanqueray. This is the opposite of vodka, which is the white spirit with very little flavor. Gin drinkers, like me, who also like malty Scotch blends, go for big, big flavor. Instead of being made with dried roots, berries and seeds, Tanqueray No. Ten is made with only fresh ingredients, notably citrus fruits – grapefruit, orange, and lime. Of course it has the essential juniper berries (from which gin gets its name), but it also has fresh coriander and chomomile. These are all very refreshing, very aromatic flavors, a blend of citrus and evergreen., very dry, and rather high proof -- 94.6, as opposed to the more typical 80.

Two summers ago in the Maven’s Diary, I gave recipes for other great warm-weather drinks: the Bellini, the Cosmopolitan, and the Metropolitan. They are in an entry called The Frustrated Bartender. The Cosmopolitan may seem a bit outdated, if only by minutes, but who can argue with a drink’s fabulousness when Sara Jessica Parker still swigs them incessantly on Sex and the City.

For more information on mixology, check out Gary’s Bartender’s Bible where all these recipes can be found or log onto his website: www.ardentspirits.com, where you can sign up for his free monthly newsletter and apply for Gary’s, believe-it-or-not free two-day bartending course called Country Cocktails.


Classic Martini

2 1/2 ounces gin
1 1/2 teaspoons dry vermouth
1 lemon twist or 1 cocktail olive

In a mixing glass half-filled with ice cubes, combine the gin and vermouth. Stir for 20 to 30 seconds. Strain into a Martini glass. Garnish with the lemon twist or the olive.


Negroni

1 ounce Campari
1 ounce gin
1 ounce sweet vermouth
1 lemon twist or 1 slice of orange

Pour the Campari, gin, and vermouth into an old-fashioned glass almost filled with ice cubes. Stir well and garnish with the lemon twist or a slice of orange.
Arthur’s note: I prefer this with a twist of orange zest.


Gimlet

2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce Rose’s lime juice (see note)
1 (or several) lime wedges

Pour the gin and Rose’s lime juice into a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice. Shake well and strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Finish by squeezing the juice of the lime wedges into the drink and garnish with another wedge.
Arthur’s note: Rose’s lime juice is a sweetened lime juice available in all major supermarkets. I mix my Gimlets as above, but like the juice of at least one whole lime. For a real treat, try using Tanqueray No. Ten, a new gin blend that contains citrus flavors and is particularly aromatic.