Silver Cocktail

This is another cocktail that is similar to an Aviation. It is that trusty gin and maraschino liqueur combination that keeps coming back in a good way. In this instance, there's a lot more dry vermouth to enjoy in here. I also liked spicing things up with Vigilant gin from Joseph Magnus Distillery in D.C. Their gin is dry and loaded with interesting botanicals like tarragon, sesame, grapefruit and sumac. This is one cocktail that stands out with a good gin base but would fall flatly otherwise.

• 2 oz. gin (Vigilant used)
• 1 oz. dry vermouth (Dolin used)
• 1 tsp. maraschino liqueur
• 3 dashes orange bitters (Regan's used)
• lemon twist

 Combine all ingredients except lemon twist in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the lemon twist.

Bennett

Not a great cocktail, the Bennett. Much of it has to do with the choice of ingredients, but there's a proportionality issue with this one. Mostly that a half ounce of lime juice and three dashes of Angostura bitters will blow anything out. With that in mind, a dry and powerfully flavored gin would stand up better here.

As it was, I chose the mellow Catoctin Creek Watershed gin. This gin is fine in most circumstances, and I only wonder if it was somewhat at fault here. But the Bennett is itself a tropical drink. Any gin you choose would still just be the base behind the lime and tropical spice of the bitters. So why use gin at all. Rum maybe?

• 2 oz. gin
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 3 dashes Angostura bitters

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Wedding Belle Cocktial

I really appreciated how aromatic this drink is. Yes it is a dry gin cocktail, but the other spirits also shine. Kirschwasser has this dry brandy scent and Dubonnet Rouge does a lot to ground the drink with bitterness and sweet wine. Taken together, it is a perfect marriage.

• 2 oz. gin (Caorunn used)
• 1 1/2 oz. Dubonnet Rouge
• 1/2 oz. kirschwasser
• 1/2 oz. orange juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Billy Taylor

The Billy Taylor is named after the jazz pianist and composer and shares a strong resemblance with the Gin Rickey with one exception--there's a little sugar added to warm things up. It's good, still tart and strong, but good for winter as well as summer drinking.

• 2 oz. gin
• 1 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• sparkling water

Combine all ingredients except sparkling water with ice in a shaker. Shake and strain over fresh ice in a Collins glass. Stir gently. 

Maurice

The name of this cocktail is as unexpected as the line from the Steve Miller Bands The Joker: "Some people call me Maurice." It's just not an especially sexy  or sophisticated sounding name. And I can see that this cousin to the Bronx Cocktail is not especially sophisticated, but more like a gateway gin cocktail. That said, much can be made of a juicy drink like this as long as there's some good ingredients.

First off, Caorunn Gin is this native Scotland gin with plenty of local botanicals to remind you that you've been away from good gin for too long. Then I opted to use Byrrh Quinquina instead of standard sweet vermouth to give the drink a whiff of violet bitterness.

• 2 oz. gin (Caorunn used)
• 1/2 oz. dry vermouth (Sole used)
• 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth (Byrrh Quinquina used)
• 1 oz. orange juice
• dash Angostura bitters

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Gin Sling

The Gin Sling is just an easy way to drink gin. Unlike the Gin Fix, which is really similar, it is not made in the glass like an Old Fashioned. This cocktail is stirred in a mixing glass, which is unusual for a drink with this much juice.

Glendalough Wild Botanical gin takes on a cloudy appearance when it is stirred because of its being unfiltered. The herbs, fruits and spices of the gin release into the water for a very intense drink.

• 2 oz. gin (Glendalough Wild Botanical Gin used)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. water
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• orange twist

Combine sugar and water in a mixing glass and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add lemon juice, gin and ice and stir to chill. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass full of fresh ice and garnish with an orange twist. 

Gin Fix

As I've said before, a fix is what we have come to understand as a Sour--a lemon and sugar drink that should have egg white in it and served up. The Fix is served on the rocks. It's built in the glass and it should be in an Old Fashioned or rocks glass.

The NY Bartender's Guide recipe seems to have a misprint, showing a highball symbol for the recommended glassware. This won't work with a built in glass cocktail. The liquid will only go halfway up! I'll print the recipe below with the proper glassware.

Glendalough Wild Botanical gin is one of the new and excellent Celtic Gins to land in the U.S. and cause a stir. It is unbelievably fresh and is probably my favorite gin right now. Glendalough is a whiskey distillery, and I have to say that this is by far their best product, and one that will be well received in D.C. where gin is very in.

• 3 oz. gin (Glendalough Wild Botanical gin used)
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. water
• lemon slice

Combine sugar and water in an Old Fashioned or rocks glass and stir to partially dissolve the sugar. Add lemon juice, gin and ice and stir until chilled. Garnish with a lemon slice.