No. 209 Gin

From Gourmet magazine singing it’s praises in a 2007 issue to Simon Difford giving it his highest rating in his London Issue 5.3, No. 209 gin is putting a little sip of San Francisco on everyone’s lips. Registered Distillery No. 209 was established in St. Helena, California in 1882, and in 2005 it was recreated at Pier 50. The distillery is the only one built over water in the world.

The Site: www.distillery209.com
The Proof: 92

• 4 Leaves of basil
• 3 Slices of Parisian cucumber
• 6 mint leaves
• 1/2 fresh lime
• 3 ounces No. 209 Gin
• Splash of simple syrup

In shaker, macerate basil, cucumber, mint and lime with ice. Splash with simple syrup and add No. 209 Gin. Shake and serve up.

Aviation Gin

Aviation Gin is a small batch New Western Dry Gin, produced at the House Spirits Distillery in Portland, Oregon.

Aviation Gin, which takes its name from the classic Aviation Cocktail, evolved from a friendship struck in the summer of 2005, between Distillers Lee Medoff and Christian Krogstad and noted northwest Bartender Ryan Magarian. After meeting for the first time, the three realized that they all shared the same passion for delivering liquid flavor experience through their own individual mediums; Lee and Christian through spirits and Ryan though hand-crafted cocktails.

Lee Medoff presides over a distillation process that begins with a maceration of botanicals that includes cardamom, lavender, coriander, anise seed, Indian Sarsaparilla, dried orange peel, and, of course, juniper, in 100% neutral rye grain spirit. Once the alcohol has soaked up all the flavor, the spirit is redistilled to arrive at the intensely flavored base product, which is then cut to 84 proof with de-ionized, de-mineralized, and desalinized water which affords these gentlemen the perfect “blank canvas” from which to paint the “flavor portrait” upon.

This spirit’s complexity and mixability are not that surprising when the team dynamic behind it is considered.

“Aviation Gin is thought to be the first true partnership between distiller and bartender in American history … ” says Co-owner Ryan Magarian. This means that Aviation distillers had a golden opportunity to gain firsthand insight on how it might work on the palate and in cocktails as the gin was being produced.

The Site: www.aviationgin.com
The Proof: 84