The chief flavoring agent in gin is the highly aromatic blue-green berry of the juniper. I have vivid memories of drinking gin as a youth and the taste of pine needles remains a clear and awful memory. I pretty much stayed away from gin since then, but in full disclosure, it was probably the cheapest rot gut crap available. My good friend Pat’s love of Bombay made me rethink gin, and I did get to try Hendricks Gin at a summer visit to her house. I decided I loved it but what is better on a hot summer evening than a good gin and tonic.
Keeping with the advice I gave my daughter when she was a young adult, I say you can drink cheap beer, but don’t drink cheap liquor. My favorite vodka is Kettle One, and I do prefer the Carmel flavor of E & J Brandy, which I know is not an expensive brand, but I like it. Living a life as a single parent high end liquor was never within my budget, so its a good thing I mainly drank cheap beer. ( Bud Lite now but early on it was Hamm’s).
So now that I am older and get to splurge once in awhile, I choose carefully. I went to a party and a friend was serving Kirkland brand liquor and raved about the taste, quality and price. They were drinking whisky but raved about the other Kirkland brands of liquor. I have since bought the Kirkland Vodka and am pleased with that, but have yet to test in in a gimlet.
Back to the gin. Quality mix is important when you are talking about a Gin and Tonic. Don’t make the mistake of splurging on quality liquor and then going cheap on the wash. For this taste test, I used Fever Tree tonic which is excellent. It is available by the case on Amazon.
I picked two matching typical WI supper club Old Fashioned mixed drink classes. They both had an equal amount of ice and I added one shot of gin. I then added two shots of the Fever Tree Tonic and squeezed a lime wedge of equal size in each glass. A slight stir and the tasting was to commence.
The Hendricks brought a smile to my face and memories of my summer at Pat’s house. I like this gin. It has a smooth light citrus with a hint of the juniper. It finishes smooth with a light linger, leaving you waiting for the next refreshing sip. The label includes flavors such as Juniper, Coriander, Citrus Peel, and Cucumber. Hendricks runs about $30 for a .750 bottle.
The Kirklands, had more than a hint of juniper, and finished somewhat sharper. I liked it and had no flashbacks of my pine needle gin experience. I will say that the Kirkland is $18.89 for a 1.75 liter bottle. The label claims Natural Botanicals and mentions Juniper, Coriander, Orange Peel, Rose, Lemon peel and a few others.
As I sipped on the two drinks, I would take a drink of one, and thought hard about what I was tasting, then I would taste the other. As the testing went on, the more the ice melted the less of a difference there was. The price difference was staggering. Bottom line is, if money is no object, buy the Hendricks. They even come out with special summer blends that are extra fancy. The Midsummer solstice is a small batch, limited edition from Hendrick’s, that would make a great special gift to your special gin friend.
If you have fishing tackle to buy, and are saving for vacations, you will be perfectly happy with the Kirklands. I am currently drinking in the face of the COVID-19 apocalypse so this may not be the best time to review liquor. At this point volume may outweigh quality. If you haven’t tried Hendricks you should. If you just lost $140000 in the stock market, and you don’t want to risk a trip to the store, the Kirklands will be great. I think I will pick up a bottle of Bombay someday, to do another test between Kirkland and Bombay. They don’t sell Hendricks in my town, and I am being conservative with my cash on hand.
One additional tip, add a splash of tonic to your other favorite drinks such as tequila and orange juice, or a screwdriver. Lightens it up and gives it a little fizz.
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| They were both good. |
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