I'm glad to look back and see that I didn't like New Amsterdam 6 years ago. I haven't tried anything too expensive since then, but martinis definitely taste better with Tanqueray 10 or Hendricks. I still go back to Tanqueray Rangpur Lime as a more affordable gin for martinis. I think that lime tastes different in the sweltering Phoenix heat.

I bought a bottle of the Sevilla Orange variety, and it's delicious in a G&T. I'll be sure to pick up the Rangpur Lime next.

Diageo is offering a $60 rebate on 6 bottles of Tanqueray, Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, and Ketel One. I picked up three more bottles of Sevilla Orange and one Rangpur Lime (amongst other things). Basically made the bottles about $15 each.

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This has been sitting in the liquor cabinet unopened for months. I couldn’t find an open bottle so this is it for tonight’s g&t. I took a straight shot first and it tastes like pansys and jalapeños. Weird.

So, in three words, describe this gin. "Spicy and gay" :D

Actually nasturtium was the flower whose name I couldn’t come up with. So it may be more of a “hot and nasty”.

Couldn't help saying this in Cleveland Brown's voice.

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Ok, I've tried a bunch of other Gin brands and still not into it.
Maybe I need to try the real old stuff to appreciate it?

Did a reasonably thorough Gin and Tonic tasting on Friday, with two Haymans Gins, a Salcombe gin, Bathtub gin and Gordons. Each paired with both Schweppes and Fevertree.

It may well show a serious lack of sophistication amongst our group, but the favourite was Haymans Old Tom and after that it was Gordons. The general consensus was that the difference between Schweppes and Fevertree was so marginal it didn't justify the price of Fevertree.

I mean, Gordon's was the gin of choice for James Bond, so it can't be all that bad, right? :) (That said, Gordon's back in Bond's novel days was a stronger version than what's available now.)

I also can't appreciate the difference between Fever Tree and Kroger-brand tonic water; then again, I never admitted to having a good palette.

Wow, I’ve got a terrible palette and to me the difference between Gordon’s and a proper gin, or Schweppes and a proper tonic is night and day. Nothing against haymans old tom though, I usually have a bottle in the rack for a Martinez.

Anyway, my current favourite gin is Archie rose bone dry. I expect difficult to get outside of australia and unfortunately is a limited run but it’s easily the best gin I’ve had in years. Preference is to have it in a dry martini (I started at a 12:1 ratio and ended up settling on a vermouth wash) with a dash or orange bitters and a lemon twist. You get a lovely louching as you stir it down with what I can only describe as a smashing of strangely smooth juniper balanced by citrus. Outstanding gin and after the first martini I ordered a few more bottles to hide in the back of the cabinet.