Homemade Gin; Round 4.5, a check on the Juniper

  Looking back at my past Gin making efforts I can honestly say I’ve learned a lot.  But I can also say that I’ve got a long way to go before I’ll be competing against Bombay, Tanqueray, and Hendrick’s.  Of … Continue reading

The Perfect Dinner Pairing to a Martini

So I’ve been asked many times, “What it the right dinner to go with a Martini?”.   Okay, so I’ve only been asked that a few times.  Well, maybe only once.   But it’s a good question.  After all, scores … Continue reading

Homemade Gin; Round 4

Homemade Gin, round 4!   This batch builds very slightly on the recipe of round 3, adding a touch more juniper, a bit more peppercorn, and a bit more citrus;  this time California Lemon.   I’d like to thank my … Continue reading

Martini Adornment, or Twist vs. Olive(s).

Charles Dickens walks into a bar and orders a martini. The barman says, “Olive or Twist?” Way back at the start of this blog I made a brief comment about Twist vs. Olive in a post entitled, appropriately enough, “Olives … Continue reading

Homemade Gin, Round 3

Round 3 Homemade Gin!   And, yes, I am learning, albeit slowly.   This batch is significantly better than my two previous efforts!  (You can find my posts on those here:   “I made Gin!!”   and here:  “Homemade Gin, Round 2” .) This … Continue reading

Does Vermouth Matter?

Of course it does.   Vermouth transforms chilled gin into a Martini!  Therefore it is indeed a magical liquid! But what type of Vermouth?  Will just any do?  Is there a difference? I’ve already written about the importance of keeping your … Continue reading

Homemade Gin, Round #2

My hopes of being the next gin magnate have crashed.  My first batch of gin was not very good, as I’ve documented in “I made Gin!!”  I had hopes that this second batch would be much better.  Not so.  But … Continue reading

I Made Gin!!

Yes, it is Gin.  No, it really wasn’t that great.  In fact it was pretty poor, barely drinkable. But it was a lot of fun and I learned a quite a bit.   The most important thing I learned is that … Continue reading

The Perfect Martini Process, V2.0

I wrote The Perfect Martini Process, V1.0 back in November of 2015, though it didn’t have the “V1.0” notation back then.  Since then, I’ve been thinking that it really needed an update to make it more readable, logically organized, and … Continue reading

The Perfect Martini “How To”s Collected

Over the course of the almost two years that I’ve been writing this blog I’ve posted many random martini quotes, several reviews of restaurant and bars, made opinionated comments about stemware, and expounded on my pet peeves.  And, of course, … Continue reading