“Chasing” the Spirit of the Holiday

By The Young Aficionado–Chase Dalton

Lucky for me, Café Pacific in the highly notable Highland Park Village of Dallas, provided an opportunity for full gin appreciation with its recipe for “The Roxy.” I found myself taken with the smooth artisan Dallas-made gin, Roxor. It counterbalances the juniper berry flavor with hints of citrus (grapefruit and lime) then teases flavors of pecans and cinnamon.

I decided to procure a couple of bottles of Roxor, inviting friends and family to imbibe on a gin-tasting journey. From mixing cocktails, to enjoying gin alongside meals, and pairing it with cigars, an incredible journey was had! And they also agreed that Roxor takes the gin experience to an all-new level.

Next time I’m in Dallas, joining Roxor for a tour and tasting at their Distillery at 8202 Chancellor Row is on my list of must-dos!

I enjoy testing my palette with all things alcohol, but gin has never been at the top of my radar—until now.   Any time I taste a new spirit, my wheels start turning. What can I create, or what would be the perfect pairing? Learning the background and history of gin-making was a first step.

History of the Gin & Tonic

Gin originated back in the Middle Ages as a medicinal liquor. In England it was first introduced as Jenever, a juniper flavored liquor that still was used for medicinal purposes. Gin didn’t become a drink of leisure until import restrictions and tariffs were placed by England on French products including brandy. The unlicensed production of gin was allowed in England, thus the early gin produced in England became the drink of the poor, made with poor-quality barley that was unfit for brewing beer and oftentimes flavored with turpentine! Secretly produced “bathtub gin” was available in the speakeasies of Prohibition-era America as a result of the relatively simple production.

The history of how tonic came around is another quirky tale. Tonic’s distinctive bitter flavor comes from quinine, derived from the bark of the cinchona tree originating in South America. Quinine at one time was thought to cure malaria. Soda water and sugar were added to create the first tonic water. The ever-popular gin and tonic first came about when people used gin to mask the flavor of quinine.

The Recipe for Both Gin & Tonic Evolves

Thankfully, as time went on, quality kept evolving. With the creation of column stills, came the invention of the London dry gin late in the 19th century. The pure alcohol required neither sweetening nor flavoring to mask the quality of the spirit. While the unique aroma and flavor of gin remain primarily that of juniper berries, 20th century distillers including Bombay Sapphire and Hendricks heralded the practice of scouring the world for herbs and fruits, seeds and barks and capturing them in the neutral spirit of gin.

Gin is Personal

Gin allowed each distiller to capture purity and individuality in taste and flavor, resulting in highly personal creations. Chinese green teas and rare Japenese Sencha teas became the core botanicals that underpin Beefeater 24 vaulting gin to the status of becoming the preferred spirit by none less than the British Royal Household before the face of the London cocktail scene brought gin to the center stage with the introduction of the Dry Martini in the 1990s.