Think of gin and one often thinks of the predominant flavor of juniper berries.  Long shrugged off as what grandma drinks, I consider it one of the most complex bottles in my bar.  Add to this the explosion of boutique varieties over the past few years and the options are even greater.  I often ask guests which spirit they least like and gin is a common response.  Challenge accepted as I then try to surprise them with some new cocktails!

For traditional juniper-forward varieties, a simple G & T to cleanse the palate is nice and it’s hard to beat a martini paired with oysters on the half-shell!  For boutique varieties that show off a wider variety of botanicals, I like to play around with a drink like the Martinez or a Negroni.  Old Tom and traditional Dutch Jenever are also good to experiment with as they offer much milder flavor profiles.