Forget your misgivings: Gin is the Bees Knees
By Chelsea White
Everyone has that one friend. You know the one: you warn your new partner before they meet them.
“Hey, this is my person; they mean more to me than almost anyone else. They’re also sarcastic, occasionally abrasive, and in general a little mean sometimes. But they always show up when I need them. Be patient, I know you’ll learn to love them too.”
Those friends, if you were to distill them into a spirit, would be gin. Earthy, sharp, aggressive if not handled properly, but some of the brightest and most valuable parts of your life (or cocktail) if appreciated appropriately.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told as a bartender that a guest doesn’t like gin. “I had a bad experience in college,” they say. Or, “I don’t like drinking pine trees.” When I get that guest, I’m not going to lie, I consider it a challenge to change their opinion on gin. Odds are, they tried one crappy martini and hated it, or got completely obliterated with gin and tonics in high school, but they’ve almost definitely never experienced the versatility of this spirit.
Gin is the kind of spirit that elevates its cohorts in a cocktail; you just must work a little harder to coax it out. Take the Prohibition-era cocktail the Bees Knees, for example: acidic lemon juice, complex honey simple syrup (yes, a contradiction in terms) and gin. Herbaceous, earthy and brave, the gin in that cocktail balances everything to a point of perfection, bringing its forthrightness to a drink that would overpower vodka and be overpowered by whiskey. Gin has just enough attitude to make it beautiful.
We all have people in our lives like this. They’re not to everyone’s taste, but they are invaluable. We may even be the friends who are like this, bringing stark honesty and beauty to others’ lives. Much like gin, we bring the beauty out. That balance between kindness and honesty? That’s gin, and it’s sheer genius. Even those of us who don’t think we like it could probably use more of that in our lives. Everyone needs to be challenged occasionally, otherwise how do we grow?
In my Bruised Spirits column, I talked about how shaking spirits alone can change their chemical composition and make them weaker or different. The same, in my experience, can be said of those of us who can be a little too much. We know we’re a little too much, and as such, we’re fragile. We don’t want to hurt or overpower anyone, and we certainly don’t want to chase you away. Our force is strong, but so is our love, and we are here to make your lives better.
I used to be one of those people who had no appreciation for gin, but I’ve not only grown to appreciate it, I actually relate to it. It’s a spirit that is powerful in theory. It has a strong forward flavor that if misused can be overwhelming and unappetizing. It can be a vessel that highlights beauty and diversity, but this overwhelming urge to shake it alone bruises it and beats it down. Truly, people, walk away from your shaken martini. Gin can be more. As those of us who are strong but easily damaged should be.
Bees Knees
Here’s the thing with this cocktail: there was a minute during Prohibition when gin was really, truly bad. The honey simple syrup helped mask that and now, with the right proportions, gin can be a star in the show. You can use any gin in this: barrel aged, floral, London dry. I encourage you to try them all because, honestly, this is a safe way to figure out what style of gin you love most. So, I’m not going to recommend anything other than you research different gin styles and play with this beautifully simple cocktail until you find your sweet spot.
2 oz. gin of your choice (Seriously, I’m not helping this time.)
.75 oz. lemon juice
.5 oz. honey simple syrup*
*So here, you’re going to make a super-simple recipe. It’s equal parts honey and water, boil it together, and store it for up to two weeks. Use an exceptionally good, preferably local, honey. The more complex, the better. I promise the gin can handle it.
