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Gin Notes: Desert Juniper Gin

Desert Juniper Gin is 41% abv. / 82 proof and like its more powerful sibling, Cascade Mountain Gin, is made by Bend Distillery in Bend, OR. This bottle is micro-distilled, hand bottled and numbered and from Batch # 124.

It has a light gold/yellow color to it and the aroma is that of very light juniper, citrus, and fruit; smelling slightly sweet, sharp, and dry at the same time. Its not as piney and floral as the Cascade Mountain and has a much softer and fuller aroma with some nice notes that are hard to pin down, but there seems to be a slightest hint of cedar going on and as it warms up even a warm touch of hazelnuts. What first started out very mild, develops depth and complexity in the nose.

The taste starts off very light and soft. Then you get a mild fruitiness and sweetness that develops; with just a touch of juniper, fruit and nuts. This is a light and mild gin that is smooth and soft. Tasted next to Cascade Mountain you immediately notice the difference. Desert Juniper is the soft and delicate, dusky younger sister to Cascade Mountain's big, sharp, and bold; mountain man big brother. This is a very nice gin, but on the lighter and more delicate end of the gin spectrum. If using with a mixer I would tend to stick lighter tasting juices like just a dash of grapefruit juice or tonic; and if in a martini, then very dry.

Gin Notes: Hendrick's Gin

hendrick's ginHendrick's Gin is 44% abv. / 88 proof and is distilled in Scotland. I tasted Hendrick's for the first time around 7-8 years or more ago when I stopped by the New Hampshire state liquor store on my way to vacation in Maine. What attracted my attention was the same thing that everyone else in the world notices about Hendrick's. The squat, very dark brown that it's almost black, apothecary style bottle. That and then I noticed the price. It was on sale ridiculously cheap because it had just made it onto the shelves and was being first introduced. I had heard of it just recently and been wanting to try it and at half the normal price this was a steal. So I bought a bottle and figured that if it was good I could pick up a few more on sale when I headed back to NY, something which I later did.

The aroma is quite big, with a strong hit of juniper, followed closely by its star ingredients out of its various botanicals; cucumber and rose. The sharp, piney scent grabs you first but is quickly mellowed by the sweet, vegetal cucumber bottom notes and floral rose top notes. Then as it warms and opens up you get faint layers of spices coming in to play.

The taste is a medium juniper, again mellowed by the cucumber, and perked up with the rose petals. It is a soft and smooth gin, coating your mouth and tongue in soft, aromatic warmth, feeling sort of like a mouthful of warm, freshly made English custard. The mouth feel is very comforting and that softness of warm custard just jumps into my head. After the first hit of flavors you then get hints of citrus and herbs, and a very mild note of spearmint and rich chocolate and coffee. It has a long finish with semi-sweet layers of flavors following each other through your palate. The end is dry and aromatic and stays with you for several minutes.

Over the years I have had Hendrick's many times because it was one of the more easily available premium gins to locate, and helped start the trend of the new styles of gin. The first year or so they had some inconsistency with the product. Three bottles in a row would be excellent, then the fourth would taste like chemicals and benzene. Those issues were cleared up and they seem to be producing a consistently good product. This is a fine sipping gin, and if used in a martini you should make it very dry.

Know your cheese terminology

Walk into the cheese section of any market, especially at an upscale gourmet-type store, and you are going to see a tremendous variety of cheeses available. And that selection doesn't even come close to scratching the surface of the number of cheeses that are out there. It can be difficult to figure out the differences between each product until you've tried all of them, but here is a quick guide to cheese terminology that might help you sort through the basic types of cheese.

Fresh - High moisture cheeses that have not been aged, like cottage cheese, cream cheese, feta, mascarpone and ricotta.

Soft-Ripened - These have hard rinds and soft interiors, like brie and camembert. They often have edible rinds made by "spraying the cheese with Penicillium candidum mold before a brief aging period."

Semi-Soft - Cheeses that are neither hard, nor runny, but that are high in moisture and creamy in texture, like Monterey Jack, fontina or havarti. They are often easy to grate and slice.

Firm/Hard - Less creamy than soft cheeses, but ranging in texture from slightly elastic to brittle. These are also good grating cheeses and tend to melt well. The category includes Asiago, cheddar, Gruyere, Swiss and Parmesan.

Continue reading Know your cheese terminology

Tip of the Day

Drying fruit is easy, mostly hands-off and yields a sweet and healthy snack.

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