Originally Posted by
gaobest
I go to a gin bar in sf called Whitechapel that has both new and “vintage” gin cocktails. They’re all great.
It’s pure menu joy. Sadly was last there in March and had to cancel a play date there a month ago.
I had a Dog’s Nose - very ace. Pre-1837. Stout, nutmeg, brown sugar, and “ransom old Tom gin”
just saw that Ransom is a distillery that makes “old Tom gin”
I seem to recall that Old Tom gin is an archaic style from the early/mid 19th century that is very sweet and nothing like modern dry gins. Blech, if I want something sweet I'll have a Coke.
Ah yes, I remember now: in Eric Felten's delightful cocktail history book,
How's Your Drink?, he mentions that the modern martini originated in the 1880s as the Martinez, when it was made with Old Tom gin (which he describes as "syrupy sweet" and sweet vermouth, but then goes on to say that "sweetened gin mixed with sweet vermouth still wasn't quite sugary enough for that carious-stumped age - most Martinez recipes called for a few dashes of 'gum syrup' (that is, sugar water) to get it just right."
It's a great, entertaining, informative, and fun read if you care to pick it up.