Hello and welcome to our Washington Gin Showcase part 3! Yes, we have that many delicious gins here in Washington State, so expect to see a part 4 down the road 🙂 Be sure to check out parts one and two also.

This go around we’re having a look at Mischief gin, Dry Fly gin, Bainbridge gin and finally 2 gins from the San Juan Island Distillery Spy Hop and Spy Hop Harvest Select.

• Mischief (40% ABV)
  • Nose
    • Very juniper forward, black pepper, cinnamon bark, faint nutmeg, pie spice
  • Palate
    • Nice and clean, very strong juniper, nice black pepper, somewhat spicy. A little bit of cinnamon and dried citrus peel, more lemony as it opens up
• Dry Fly (40% ABV)
  • Nose
    • Briny and olive-y with notes of sweet violet candy (unexpected!), some juniper. More savory brine notes as it opens up.
  • Palate
    • Tastes like a martini; olive, capers, brine, a little bit of juniper. Nice full mouth feel. Slight earthy musky flavors underpinning the front notes.
• Bainbridge (45% ABV)
  • Nose
    • Sweet vanilla pastry, baked goods, slight touch of doug fir resin. Mostly the sweet, slightly creamy smell of good alcohol.
  • Palate
    • Sweet, tiny bit of juniper, vanilla notes. Slight touch of fir resin, very subdued.
• Spy Hop (42% ABV)
  • Nose
    • Coriander and lemon, sharp but not unpleasant alcohol notes. Slight mint and some funky orris root after the top notes. More juniper as it opens up, with some blackberry bramble herbaceaousness.
  • Palate
    • Nice clean citrus, juniper, coriander at the front with a bracing hint of clove. Followed by slight woody and musty notes, then a lemon finish.
• Spy Hop – Harvest Select  (42% ABV)
  • Nose
    • A hint of apple, then quite floral – rose, a bit of lavender  and a bit of geranium, brightened with some bit of citrus. There’s a slight bitter note that balances the strong floral aromas. Very soft alcohol scent. This really opens up after a bit, becomes pronouncedly floral, with sun warmed apple underpinnings.
  • Palate
    • Strong rose and lavender flavors to start and throughout, some apple notes from the cider base. Restrained juniper and herbal flavors on the mid-palate provide balance, but definitely a floral gin.

Once again we have several different gins that each bring something unique and lovely to the table.  Of course, we here at Booze Nerds are all about mixing, so we chose some cocktails that we felt would pair well with each of these gins.

Cocktails

• Mischief
  • The Booze Nerds Jasmine – our slightly funkier riff on a Jasmine cocktail
    • 2 oz gin
    • 1 1/4 oz Clement Creole Shrubb
    • 3/4 oz Campari
    • 1 oz lime juice

Shake, strain and serve. If you don’t have Creole Shrubb, substitute Cointreau with a couple teaspoons of rhum agricole.

Juniper, black pepper, sweet orange to start, then funkiness and sweetness from the Shrubb and Campari, fading into a bitter orange and lime finish with a hint of musty orris root from the gin. Really nice pairing, the balance of the ingredients in this really make the gin shine but also each bring something distinctive to the party.

• Dry Fly
  • Booze Nerds pink gin. We add Fernet and a brined garnish to bring a little more complexity to this classic.
    • 2 oz gin
    • 2 dashes angostura
    • 1 tsp Fernet

Mix ingredients with ice, strain and garnish with an olive or cocktail onion.

Salty, savory brine notes, bitters on the finish. A little bit of spice and camphor without being overwhelming. Clean, sharp flavors, no sweetness. A great aperitif cocktail for a hot summer’s day.

• Bainbridge
  • Lavender Blues. This one is courtesy Stacia Sasso and Scrappy’s Bitters.
    • 2 oz gin
    • 1 oz lemon juice
    • 3/4 oz rich simple syrup
    • 10 blueberries
    • 3 dashes Scrappy’s Lavender Bitters

Muddle blueberries with the simple syrup, add gin, lemon juice and bitters. Shake with ice. Double strain and enjoy.

More spice notes than expected. Astringency up front from the citrus and the tannins in the blueberry skins, then spice and a nice resin hit from the gin. Follows up with a sweet blueberry vanilla finish. It’s a very appealing combination.

• Spy Hop
  • Monkey Gland
    • 1 1/2 oz gin
    • 1 1/2 oz orange juice
    • 1 tsp. grenadine
    • 1 tsp. absinthe

Shake with ice, strain into a glass and enjoy.

Coriander and clove to start, then the anise from the absinthe comes up. Some earthy, slightly musky notes combine with another faint hint of clove on the finish. Orange flavors throughout serve as a background thread tying everything together.

• Spy Hop Harvest Select
  • Last Word
    • 3/4 oz gin
    • 3/4 oz lime juice
    • 3/4 oz green Chartreuse
    • 3/4 oz Maraschino

This drink is greater than the sum of its parts, a truly delicious Last Word. Starts with the perfume of the lime and an explosion of the floral flavors from the gin, then transitions seamlessly into the herbal bitter notes of the Chartreuse and Maraschino. These fade into a warm, spicy, apple and honey finish.

Here’s another handful of fantastic regional spirits crafted here in Washington. We strongly encourage everyone to go out and try each of them and see what you think. We hope you like them as much as we do. We’re scouting for candidates for WA gin showcase 4, so let us know if you have any favorites we haven’t covered yet!

Update: Be sure to check out Part 4 and Part 5.