One thing I love about classic cocktails is the hefty dose of gin you’ll find in every gin drink recipe. Those Prohibition-era scofflaws of the 20s and 30s really loved their gin. In the decades since, gin has risen in and fallen out of favor, often mixed down in smaller proportions with juices or tonic. For decades, the Martini, made to order, was the best way to enjoy lots of gin. Today’s cocktail revivalists have introduced drinkers to other potent combinations of this essential classic ingredient.
Like vodka, gin has undergone a transformation in order to keep pace with deluxe brown spirits. Trendy top shelf gins like Bombay Sapphire and Tanqueray 10 are losing shelf space to locally produced products. Lower priced imports are also making their way into cocktail recipes in the District’s classier bars. The cocktails they make are impressive departures from their historical antecedents—delicious and very appealing to broad swaths of drinkers, not just gin fans. But they are also intoxicating and well worth your hard earned money.
Descend the stairs on the southwest corner of 6th and F Street to Denson Liquor Bar. Here the drinks are strong enough that the word liquor in the title is more of an understatement than a redundancy. Bartender French Marshall tells me that The Emerson is made with “a solid two ounces of New Amsterdam,” a good quality, mass produced American gin. Like the Aviation or Philly Flyer, Emerson has that classic gin, Luxardo maraschino liqueur and lemon combination that is made richer with the addition of sweet vermouth. Sloe gin is on the menu as well. Try it in the classic Modern #2 with scotch and Pernod, but I recommend cocktail chef Theo Rutherford’s original creation, Modern #3. It’s a rocks drink with Ezra Brooks bourbon, lemon juice and plum bitters. The sloe gin and plum make this a sweet drink with dark fruit and berry notes, not to mention the warmth of oak and vanilla from the bourbon.
The French 75 is one of the original champagne and gin cocktails that hearken back to World War One. The saying goes that the cocktail “hits harder than the French 75,” referring to the bore of French field guns. But cocktails and weaponry have since advanced; The Riggsby (1731 New Hampshire Avenue NW) has developed the Virginia Slim. Beefearter gin, Aperol, sparkling rose, and lemon juice arm a magnum size champagne flute with a bitter, stronger version of that old warhorse.
Bar Pilar (1833 14th Street NW), known for their classic style cocktail menu and funky environs, has a coup glass drink that sounds a little blasé, but actually packs a punch. The One Part Gin is a good start, with the dry and well-rounded Ford’s Gin. Brovo Witty dry vermouth helps keep it stiff and Dolin sweet vermouth adds dimension. Pomegranate bitters does more for the finish and the nose, with fruit flavor and aroma without the sweetness of the juice.
Right now Zengo (781 7th Street NW), the Richard Sandoval Asian-Latin fusion restaurant, has one gin cocktail that will make your head spin. The TK Tucuman is a stiff, bittersweet drink that is similar to the Normandy Cocktail. A heavy dose of gin is the backbone to dominant fruit flavors of apricot brandy and blood orange bitters. This one’s a great aperitif to pair with ceviche.
My last recommendation is the Friendly Stranger at Station Kitchen and Cocktail (2015 Massachusetts Avenue NW) The Embassy Row Hotel bar uses Hayman’s Old Tom, one of the sweetest gin styles, for a light and herbal fizz. St. Germain, lime juice and a basil sprig garnish make it a refreshing and earthy scented cocktail.
I like a rich gin cocktail in the winter months, and the Bonnie Prince with Drambuie scotch liqueur is a great flavor combination. Some recipes I’ve seen call for a half ounce of dry wine or Lillet blanc, but Dubonnet blanc is just as good.
• 1 1/2 oz. dry gin
• 1/2 oz. Lillet or Dubonnet blanc
• 1/4 oz. Drambuie
• orange twist
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with orange twist.
