Gin

^ Bookmarked, thanks dude.

That distillery tour sounds ace, shame it's on a Friday. (Hmmm, I do have some holiday to use up though...)

^^ Recipie?

For an English Garden?

Not sure of measures, but the best one I've had was cucumber, mint, Hendricks, elderflower and ginger beer (or ale, I forget which). Though I think there are variations (apple juice instead of ginger beer etc).

Sorry, that wasn't really a recipe was it?! Anyone?

https://www.google.com/search?q=english+garden+cocktail

Yeah, there seem to be quite a few variations though. I was thinking someone in the know might have an uber-recipe!

Well the perfect cocktail recipe is the one you prefer, surely? For example, I like cranberries, so I'd lean towards the recipes which include cranberry juice, but you might not share my tastes.

Where I worked, two places had very similar recipes close to this one. But the joy is make it...change it to how you want it next time. Dont like the basil? Throw it. Many places dont put it in...but I like it.

Dont do the whole leave it aside for a few days: just make small cubes of the ccumber and add it to the boston (or mixing glass). As for celery bitters, you could vary and use a couple of large mint leaves and a drop of ordinary bitters if you have some to stir in with the mix to give it the herby bitter edge.
Simple syrup is basically as much sugar in water as you can get. Play with the amount in the drink as you make/taste it to suit what you have made.

Recipe: English Garden Cocktail, inspired by Gordon Ramsay Steak
By: Web Gangsta

Summary: This is our version of the English Garden martini cocktail that is served at Gordon Ramsay Steak at the Paris Las Vegas resort

INGREDIENTS
Hendricks Gin
Celery Bitters
1 cucumber
simple syrup
Fresh lemon juice
Fresh lemon zest
Fresh basil leaf
Fresh ice
INSTRUCTIONS
Peel cucumber and cube into 1/2-inch sized chunks.
Fill a sealable glass bottle or other container with the cucumber chunks. Pour gin into container to cover cucumber, then seal and place aside for a few days
When ready to serve, chill cocktail shaker with ice
Add three shots of cucumber-infused gin to shaker
Add 1/2-shot of simple syrup to shaker
Add one shot of fresh lemon juice to shaker
Add six dashes of celery bitters to shaker
Stir lightly to combine ingredients (do not shake).
Strain into martini glass that contains a basil leaf and one or two of the infused cucumber cubes. Garnish with lemon zest
Sip and enjoy!

A more home friendly version and closer to what I remember as the original before it got tarted up. Add all ingredients to a glass filled with ice, stir untill it is diluted enough to your taste and strain in to a cocktail glass. You may want to add some sugar syrup (even honey may go with the lemon and apple..youll have to try it) to take the bitter lemon and elderflower edge off.
I personally would try adding a basil leaf floating on it for garnish (as fragrance is half the taste) and take it off if it does not go. One cucumber slice for garnish.

All I say is experiment, cocktails are like art/cooking...its not a strict set of rules.

2 shots Hendrick's Gin
2 ½ shots pressed apple juice
1 shot elderflower cordial or St-Germain Elderflower Liqeur
½ shot freshly squeezed lime juice
Cucumber slices, for garnishing

Well the perfect cocktail recipe is the one you prefer, surely? For example, I like cranberries, so I'd lean towards the recipes which include cranberry juice, but you might not share my tastes.

Fair comment. All I was getting at was that I'm interested in what folks on here recommend.

^^ Interesting, thanks Johnny010

Sorted for tonight.
Kids in bed, missus on a night out, and my 1080p rip of Looper has finished downloading.

Good work.

My mother-in-law's partner has a bar just outside Bilbao in Northern Spain. He only stocks (at great expense, might I add) Fever Tree tonic because he tasted it whilst in London and says there's none better. People come from far and wide to taste the varieties of gin (Bombay Sapphire, Hendricks, Tanqueray #10, Sipsmith to name a few) that he has available. And we ALL know how generous the bar staff are anywhere other than the UK.

Free-pouring FTW!

^ Heh, I concur.

Having worked in the odd bar or two years back, the taught method of pouring spirits (no optics) is:

1) Tubo glass ( tall thin highball glass)
2) 3 maybe 4 icecubes
3) Pour spirit until the ice starts to float
4) Top up with mixer

This gives you at the very least a triple :-)

Testament to the amount of Brits you see pissed out of their tree abroad.

Oh and after last night I won't hasten to say that Fever Tree tonic makes the best G&T I've ever tasted and there is no way I'm going back to the cheap stuff now.

I got bought a bottle of Leopolds for Christmas.
Really nice G&T with mint.

For New Year, i got stuck into Monkey 47. Amazing with ginger ale, but also nice neat with lime.
I have a thirst all of a sudden. Great thread.

Ok, I got hold of some Vermouth this afternoon and had a go at making a Martini. Have to admit I'm not a fan. Or am I doing something completely wrong?

2oz Gin (Sapphire)
1oz Dry Vermouth (Martini)

am I doing something completely wrong?

Too much vermouth. You're aiming to flavour the gin, not pep up the vermouth. Try it with different proportions, say 5:1 gin:vermouth as a starting point. Keep cutting down the vermouth until you're just drinking gin. Then switch to better gin. Win.

So, effectively just 'stain' neat gin with vermouth

too much vermouth

take an ice cold martini glass, swirl a splash of vermouth around and empty out, fill with very cold gin.

possibly add a twist of lemon, olive, or cocktail onion (a gibson)

I put the gin and a dash of Noilly Prat in a shaker with ice, swish it round for a few seconds, then strain and add lemon rind.

There was/are competitions for the quickest martini made.
You can just take a chilled cocktail glass, pour half a shot of your chosen vermouth in...swill it round and discard it. While doing that have the decent measure gin being stirred in another glass full of ice with your spare hand.
Double strain the gin in to the pre-washed cocktail glass, take a rough cut of lemon peel (minus the pith), bend over the glass (you will see the oils fly off the peel in to the drink if you look closely) and then drop it in. Martini in 30 seconds.

It seems my palate isn't refined enough to appreciate the intricacy of neat gin :-)
I guess I'll be sticking to G&T

And we ALL know how generous the bar staff are anywhere other than the UK.

Free-pouring FTW!

Testament to the amount of Brits you see pissed out of their tree abroad.

Hmm I don't think it's possible to serve weaker drinks than we get here in Berlin. Somehow it's lousy with drunk Brits too.

Beer exists, though.

^^ A few days on, and the taste is starting to grow on me.

Somehow I feel Johnny010 is going to laugh and say 'I told you so' but I find Gordon's more palatable than Bombay on the rocks / with Vermouth. To the point that the Bombay just tastes like .... vodka

In a G&T though, Bombay still kicks Gordon's arse.

My next gin purchase is going to be a bottle of Plymouths. I only seem to hear good stuff about it.

Sipsmith.

Produced in small quantities in Hammersmith.

Just been and picked up a bottle of Plymouth. Tonic and limes are in the fridge. Just need to go pick up some ice.