G’Vine Is Simply D’Vine

Gin's French Revolution..

The English and French have been at it for years; battling over land, religion, culture and now... gin. Yes, the good old “London Dry” is challenged by a cheeky French upstart. The United States, the world’s largest gin market, is under invasion by the Froggies… (and, might I say, invasion never tasted so sweet).

G’Vine is the first gin to be distilled from Ugni Blanc grape flowers, grown in France’s Cognac region. Distilled in small batches with nine botanicals: ginger root, licorice, green cardamom, cassia bark, coriander, juniper berries, cubeb berries, nutmeg and lime, it is blended with the flowers of the Ugni Blanc leaves, and distilled again. The resulting floral bouquet delights, first, the nose, and then, the palate. As I swoon, shall I mention it is French romance at its finest?

Delicate and floral, spicy and warm (and strong!) the subtle aromatic vine flower, together with the grape spirit, softens the traditional juniper taste inherent in most gins. For cocktail enthusiasts looking outside the vodka box, G’Vine is smooth, well balanced and lusciously versatile.

I wanted to try the cocktail called the G-Spot (what woman wouldn’t?) but I am out of Chambord! So, I went for the G-Man, which is quite refreshing, though rather strong. (And, we all like strong men, no?) I added a splash of grapefruit juice to it, and it is absolutely perfect, for my taste. Try it for yourself…

G-Spot
1 1/2 oz. G’Vine
1 oz. sour mix
1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
1/2 oz. chambord
Shake and serve in a martini glass, garnish with lime wedge

G-String
1 1/2 oz. G’Vine straight over crushed ice in a Collins glass
Fill with tonic
Squeeze a zest of lime

G-Man
2 oz G’Vine
Squeeze of Lemon
Dash of simple syrup
Dash of angostura bitters
Serve on the rocks in a low tumbler glass, garnish with a twist of lemon

Sipster On the Scene...

Carly Sachs Reviews the G'Vine Launch Party at Rocket Bar

Do you like to know the latest in liquor trends? Well, then you've come to the right place. The Liquid Muse Community is peppered with people of like mind. Last week, I sent out a special invitation to Monthly Museletter Subscribers to the G'Vine Launch Party last night, in Washington DC.

The lovely and talented Carly Sachs (bartender at Rouge, blogger at Five Feet Above Water and teacher of the literary arts) was kind enough to be the Sipster on the Scene, and let those of us who could not be in DC know what we missed. (btw - I whole-heartedly agree with her point that G'Vine is best drunk with few other ingredients.) Read on, here is what Carly has to say...

"A few weeks ago I was at a bar helping solve the debate of two drunken pals. One had ordered a gin martini and the other had ordered a vodka martini, but they could not agree on whose drink was whose. It seemed pretty easy to me---the gin one obviously smelled like pinecones---no need to even take a sip to decipher this one or pull my I’m a bartender card.

And speaking of pinecones, up until tonight I was not a fan of the gin martini. That was what my grandfather drank, or my boyfriend for that matter with his gin and tonics. Every now and again I’d order the Pickle martini at Palena in Cleveland Park, but it was for the pickled cucumbers and onions floating at the bottom. Really, I was a bourbon girl, preferring to keep my liquor pure. No need for anything in my cocktail besides a few rocks!

That was me, before I tried G’Vine. The spin (and delicate taste) of G’Vine comes from the rare green grape flower---which differentiates this gin from all others. This is a gin that I think both non-gin and gin drinkers will like. There are some interesting recipes on the G’Vine site but I prefer to keep it simple. Or you can try the variations at Rocket Bar across from the Verizon Center---my favorite of their concoctions is the Blueberry Soda which has G’Vine Gin, blueberry juice and soda. The pink cosmo looking thing pictured here looks pretty, but the more juice and syrup you throw in, the easier it is to lose the integrity of the spirit. Shame on me for telling the bartender to surprise me, I should know better!

I have to say, I’m very impressed with the French and their spirits---you may already be familiar with Ciroc which was also created from the distillers at EuroWine Gate. Look for innovation and class and perhaps we’ll see some new spins on Tequila in the years to come. But keep that hush hush---I’m not sure if Jean-Baptiste Prot, the Commercial Director was supposed to spill the beans to a flattering bartender/writer.

So, if you want to get your hands on this hot new gin, you can find it at Ace Beverage, Georgetown Liquors, and Cairo Liquor Stores. It’s just starting to be distributed in DC, so look for it to crop up in your favorite bars and my guess is that you’ll find it on bar menus this spring. I know I’ll be pushing for it at Rouge."