Martini lovers take note!
The Spirit of Gin, A Stirring Miscellany of the New Gin Revival is destined to become the new bible for martini lovers. Filled with cocktail recipes, gin history and detailed descriptions of visits to some of the most renowned gin bars in the world, this book will fascinate any gin lover. The book is an entertaining read that you’ll want to keep nearby as a reference book. It will also look awesome whether you show it on your coffee table or wet bar. We recently chatted with author Matt Teacher about his gin obsession and how he came to write this tome on all things gin.
“From when I became of drinking age, I gravitated toward the martini,” Matt explained. “My dad was a martini drinker and he would make them for me and I took to it. About 4 years ago I noticed some gin brands that I’d not seen before. I started collecting notes on these gins.”
“The concept of the book started about two years ago,” Matt said. His gin journey took him to such disparate places as London, Portland, Brooklyn and Venice, where he visited legendary gin bars and learned the subtleties of the craft from gin distillers.
In between his short travelogue pieces, Matt steeps us in gin history with stops during London’s gin craze of the 1700s, U.S. prohibition and more.
“Early on with this book, I would have called myself a gin enthusiast but hardly an expert. It reads almost like fiction. I chronicled my journey into the world of gin, from London to Italy, and interviewed distilleries. It’s the journey of me learning about gin.”
And of course, there are cocktail recipes. You’ll want to mix a classic, such as a Tom Collins, or experiment with an Uzi Tenenbaum. Matt has chronicled more than 200 gins in the book and he believes “the United States is one of the most happening places for gin.”
“One of the reasons gin is most popular here for distilleries is because they can distill it and it doesn’t have to be aged. New distilleries keep popping up.”
So how is gin made? “People have a lot of different methods. Basically, gin has to be distilled with juniper berries. The pot-still method is basically a big pot heated to a certain temperature that purifies the liquid. The other method is the column still, which is popular because it can run continuously; it’s sometimes called the continuous still.”
Gin comes in many variations, Matt explained. “What makes gin different than the vodkas is the botanicals and spices used. Getting the flavors into the alcohol is the key—they either steep it into the alcohol or place the botanicals in the still with the liquid—possibly in cheesecloth bags. A lot of these gins are collectibles—some are made in batches of only 100 bottles.”
Matt sees the gin revival as part of the larger back-to-nature foodie scene. “The whole farm-to-table movement is not limited to food but we’re seeing it everywhere, down the street from me in Philadelphia, from homemade jewelry to free-trade coffee and their spirits, which hold all natural ingredients.”
When asked about his favorite martini, Matt pauses. “I can’t pick a single favorite, but there’s a few that I like. I did find in my travels that a lot of people like to test a new gin against something and the Beefeater martini is the standard point for testing other gins.” After reflecting a moment, he admits, “One of my favorites is Death’s Door gin, which is made on a small island in Wisconsin. They use fennel and you really get that flavor with it.”
One final question. “My favorite martini bar in Philly? There’s so many great cocktail bars opening up in Philadelphia; I usually try some of their unique cocktails during my first visit. Franklin Mortgage and Investment Co., The Ranstead Room and the bar at Positano Coast.”
