Love a gin and tonic. Hendricks is great in it if someone else is buying but, if it is me, tonic and lime is too much for a clear spirit to overcome.
G+T are just fine with a decent inexpensive gin.

Martini's are another story entirely!!

I do not like my martini dirty, but, i do want a few olives on a toothpick in the glass before the liquid is poured over them.

I like a traditional martini with an actual part of vermouth.
Then the rest can do no better than Tanqueray RANGPUR. Liquids in well iced glass and stir ( don't shake gin )for what seems like an eternity before straining and pouring over the olives into a chilled martini glass.

It should start a religious movement.:-):-):-):-)
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Remember that time on that point on that island in Ohio that one summer? Yup, neither do I! :-) Thanks to the gin and tonics. Delicious. I can't remember what gin we had but I have some very cheap gin at home in the cabinet that I mix once in a while. I think it times to start looking into drinking more gin.
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:-)
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I heard Hendricks says to use cucumber rather than lime/any citrus with your GnT is that just a suggestion or is it pivotal? I love the citrus note in a GnT I've been using lime and orange slices is it all preference?
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All preference. Put an anchovy in it if it floats your boat.
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Hahaha
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Peter/Pnoon

I have the utmost respect for you right now!

I can only hope that someday i have the privilege of sharing a smoke and a martini with you.

While you may not share my exact taste,you obviously know your stuff.

And after reading a number of old threads here, i dare say that you are a much wiser cigar man than i.

But, with all due respect, i believe that with your obvious knowledge and experience that i could easily sway you with a well stirred martini as i have described.
Again, with all due respect, i know that you can't get one well done as i described at any bar or restaurant. They just don't have time to do it right.

But, if i made it for you, you would not only see what i mean but, be one of the few that i would trust to duplicate it.

Much love from one BOTL to Another

Terry

P.s. On your suggestion, i absolutely will try the sake!!!

But i worry about it standing up to the aromatics
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Thanks for the kind words, Terry.

There are some here who have forgotten more than I know. I continue to learn here every day.

I would never turn down a stirred martini. I just prefer mine shaken.

It would be a pleasure to share a smoke and drink with you one day.
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I've been on a gin kick lately. I've been drinking more Martinez than martinis though.

Been using Ransom or Hayman's Old Tom gin. Some sweet vermouth, orange bitters, a splash of Luxardo Maraschino liqueur and an expressed orange peel on top...pretty tasty!

I enjoy the Martinez as a nice change up from a Manhattan.
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I mean this with all do respect but HELLLLL NAH!

I only drink G&Ts so I can say I have had more then 35 gins from modern to traditional London Dry. Now taking that there are 5 very different tonics in my rotation to mix with these gins all of which dramatically change the drink it is entirely more complex then stated. These tonics are all extremely different which I think is where your inexperience in the issue creates the problem. Take for example Q tonic a tonic more on the bitter side. Pair this with a gin like Gvine and your drink is completely different from pairing it with a traditional London Dry like beefeater. I find there are only a few gins I can enjoy Q with. Another good example is pairing NA Gin with cheap Schweppes which is not to bad vs pairing it with Fever Tree which becomes over citrusy almost to the point of being undrinkable to me.

This matter of tonics and their respective impact on gins is deserving of a lengthy post. I myself am a fever tree guy. But I prefer the traditional fever tree for most gins not the Mediterranean version. Then there is Fentimans which is different from Fever tree and Jack Rudy, Tomrs, Bradley Kina, etc. The last three are syrups you must mix and are much darker and impart their own very different profiles on your G&T.

So in closing I say no sir. You must first begin to dabble with the many tonics and tonic syrups out there not names Schweppes or Canada Dry to begin to understand just how much G&Ts can vary given the different Tonics and Gins.
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Peter im interested in knowing if you are drinking Uncle Vals with Schweppes/CD or are you using Fever Tree or Fentimans? I only had Uncle Vals with Fever Tree and found the citrus over bearing much like in the New Amsterdam with Fever Tree. However as mentioned above I thought NA was much better with Schweppes.

I am guessing this is why I thought hendricks was better then Uncle Vals. Now im wondering what Uncle Vals would do with Q tonic. I dont think its sweet enough to pair well with Q though. Found Q to work well with Gvine, Comb, and Martin Miller though.

Think I should start reporting on different combinations.
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To be honest Mike, my gin consumption is roughly 2/3 martini and 1/3 GnT.
I have to confess that I have not tried or experimented with tonic beyond Schweppes/CD. Sounds like I need to broaden my horizons.

My experiences with gin varieties is close to yours.
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:-)
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Ditto!

I stand humbled and corrected. And I thank you for the schooling! :-) :-)

In fact, can't wait to start down the tonic experimentation road.

Feel free to :-) me any time I can use it!
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I too can't wait to sip a GnT and puff a cigar alongside Peter once again. Terry, perhaps if you carpool a ride over to Shack sometime, we both might get to make that happen.
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Wow ... I've missed a lot during the last few weeks. It seems that the gin drinkers have come out of the woodwork.

Not a big fan of the heavy citrus flavors. Much more devoted to the traditional London dry gins in my martinis. And I like them wet with a dry vermouth.

Martini drinkers can go though a lot of gin. Just ask my liver doctor. And, if you like London dry gin like I do, Beefeaters is a reasonably good gin at a good price point. Plus, I've heard that it's the only London based distiller still in operation.

I've tried a lot of pricy gins and seem to always return to my old stand-bys ... Beefeater, Bombay (regular ... you can keep the Sapphire ... the almond flavor ruins it for me) and Tanqueray (love the No. 10). I guess I'm just a cheap drunk.

And, contrary to what everyone else experiences, martinis DO NOT overpower cigar flavors for me. In fact, they enhance a lot of the cigar flavors that I really like. Martinis have been my favorite cigar drink for years.
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I found the Berkshire Greylock at Total Wine.
My son will be stopping there this weekend and he'll be picking up a bottle for me.

Full report next week. :-)
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Nice.
Pete the fact that you had only had NA and Uncle Vals with Schweppes/CD was what I was hoping to hear because other wise I was going to be confused. Let me know about the Greylock.

Tried Aviation gin. I cant get around the root beer profile. I actually thought it was disgusting I could not find a tonic that made it palatable. Stuff has such an odd profile.

I think there is a bottle of etheral up here at a local shop. May grab another
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I think you ARE confused. Or we both are. :-)
I've had numerous craft gins. I've never ventured beyond Schweppes/CD when it comes to tonic.
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Not confused I know you have extensive gin experience. Sorry should have been more clear.
My comment was directed at the fact that I found Uncle Vals and NA to have an over the top citrus profile with fever tree tonic. I found NA much more drinkable with Schweppes because it doesnt bring in as much citrus as Schweppes CL. I was thinking i should revisit uncle vala with either fever tree mediteranean or fentimans or maybe jack rudy. I think this will reduce the overly citrus aspect. I was just glad that you had not liked NA or UV with fever tree or it would have confused me given the over powering citrus when drank with fever tree.
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