Gin Tankage?

[leftbrainstuff]

Gin is a very important liquid on a boat. Diesel, water and gin are the big three.

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[Terra Nova]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

...I do hate American Beer though, it's really not fit to drink.

You really said a mouthful!

Becks seems about right. In fact many other countries get it right.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by leftbrainstuff

Gin is a very important liquid on a boat. Diesel, water and gin are the big three.

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Which begs the original question -- if we have water and fuel tanks, why did the makers leave out the gin tank?

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

That is exactly the bottle I have, on board but in a brushed SS finish. They are still readily available.

I find Schweppes too sweet as well (haven't tried Fever Tree) so will report back when I try the homemade blend of syrup. The standard recipe can be modified with even less sugar if necessary, so I am sure I will eventually hit on a good mix.



It is certainly fun trialling, particularly when done blind (someone else pours the glass and you have no idea what you are drinking, not blind drunk LOL). Removing all expectation by not knowing what you are tasting is really interesting. We had an assortment of around half a dozen bottles of Scotch one time and when guests brought a couple of nice bottles, we had a "testing". I preferred some of the single malts overwhelmingly compared to blends that were 2-3 times the cost. Never thought before that I had cheap taste .

The gin trials over the last few nights have been good (not the first, but the first including Hendricks).

SWL

Fever Tree is very tasty, but ridiculously expensive, and possibly unobtainium in Scandinavia. I will bet anything that home made tonic is much tastier, plus you can regulate the sweetness to exactly what you want (which for me will be much less than normal).

But better taste is not the only object of the Tonic Quest, but also cost control -- tonic, like other carbonated drinks, are ridiculously expensive in Scandinavia, making it costly to keep a boat load of thirsty sailors happy at cocktail hour.

Thanks to all the collective wisdom on here another light bulb has gone off in my head -- why bother making carbonated drinks a la Sodastream if you can just mix soda water and tonic syrup? Duh. Didn't think about that.

I remember my parents kept soda syphons around the house when I was a child, but I have no experience of them myself. So it looks like you use an 8 gram CO2 cartridge to make a liter of soda water -- cost about 30p or $0.50. So will unused soda water keep in the syphon for the next day? Or do you have to toss it every time? In any case, the economics look pretty good, as Schweppes soda water costs at least one pound ($1.60) a liter, and you have to haul and store it. The syphon and a few boxes of cartridges starts to look really good -- very compact and easy to store, and at least 3x times cheaper than buying cases of soda water. Any syphon users want to comment?

[Dockhead]

Seaworthlass likes her Tanqueray.

This, on the other hand, is Tankeray:



All hands about ship, prepare to receive cargo!

[Roy M]

San Diego, Beer Capital of the world, winner of more international gold medals than any other spot on Earth, might find that cartoon appropriate. Most beer is just yellow fizzy water. Stone Brewery recently announced it is opening its first Brewery in Germany, and another (I forget who it is) is opening one in Brussels. There's a reason one of Stone's many varieties is called Arrogant Bastard. And the hops come from the U.S.A.!

And Ballast Point Brewery (also in San Diego) is now distilling Rum and Gin! This has to be the best homeport in the world.

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

So it looks like you use an 8 gram CO2 cartridge to make a liter of soda water -- cost about 30p or $0.50. So will unused soda water keep in the syphon for the next day? Or do you have to toss it every time? In any case, the economics look pretty good, as Schweppes soda water costs at least one pound ($1.60) a liter, and you have to haul and store it. The syphon and a few boxes of cartridges starts to look really good -- very compact and easy to store, and at least 3x times cheaper than buying cases of soda water. Any syphon users want to comment?

I buy cartridges from the UK in packs of 360 (36 boxes of 10, a small, but heavy package). The cost is 24p each:
Cream Supplies - Modern tools & ingredients for the creative chef

The soda does not have to be drunk immediately. It will keep for days. The only drawback is that it is not quite as fizzy as bought bottles. The level of carbonation can be increased by making sure the water used is as cold as possible (I keep a bottle refrigerated and also the empty siphon). It also helps to shake the bottle well just before squirting out the soda.

SWL

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

I buy cartridges from the UK in packs of 360 (36 boxes of 10, a small, but heavy package). The cost is 24p each:
Cream Supplies - Modern tools & ingredients for the creative chef

The soda does not have to be drunk immediately. It will keep for days. The only drawback is that it is not quite as fizzy as bought bottles. The level of carbonation can be increased by making sure the water used is as cold as possible (I keep a bottle refrigerated and also the empty siphon). It also helps to shake the bottle well just before squirting out the soda.

SWL

OK! That sounds like the hot ticket. Will proceed to ordering the approppriate equipment and supplies

I guess if the water isn't fizzy enough, you could reduce the amount of water or pop a second cartridge, couldn't you?

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

OK! That sounds like the hot ticket. Will proceed to ordering the approppriate equipment and supplies

I guess if the water isn't fizzy enough, you could reduce the amount of water or pop a second cartridge, couldn't you?

I haven't been game enough to give it a double dose. I have visions of soda exploding .

I do reduce the water a little though for a different reason. I find if it is even a touch over full, the liquid fizzes out where the plastic top screws onto the canister, losing gas at the same time. It is easier underfilling than trying to get it just right.

The siphons are sturdy and last well. I bought a spare last time I ordered refills a couple of years ago, but haven't needed to reach for it. My original would be about four years old now and has been used daily.

Pimm, soda water, ice, mint and slices of lemon and orange make a very good low alcoholic sundowner in summer.

[jeepbluetj]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I do hate American Beer though, it's really not fit to drink.

Try any of the micro's from the San Diego region. If you don't like a Ballast Point Sculpin, you don't like beer. (And Ballast Point beer has a pic of a fish on the bottle... that's pretty cool) Or micros from Mammoth, or from San Fransisco, or from the Pac Northwest, or even from Utah - I had some Wasatch Brewing Co. "Polygamy Porter" a while back and it was a fine beer. I'll wager there's even some decent beer to be found east of the Mississippi, I just don't go there often.


Thank you all for this thread. It's so much nicer than the never-ending threads about what kind of boat for what color of water.......... They all seem to drive me to drink.....

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

Unfortunately the stuff of fantasies only .

SWL

Ahh but what a really great fantasy

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

I have hit on my perfect martini .

Trials started a little early tonight, as we had a lovely sail and are fresh from showers after snugging the anchor in very nicely and so early sundowners seemed appropriate.

I am not quite in Dockhead"s father's category with adding only 2 drops of dry vermouth per glass, but I come close. My perfect mix is gin:extra dry vermouth = 12:1. Standard recipes are most commonly 8:1, but anything down to to 5:1 seems common. 12:1 is lean.

As mentioned, when tested yesterday, my verdict was that the Hendricks was a little too perfumed. So today I used half Hendricks and half Tanqueray Export Strength (comparing that to all Hendricks). Don't worry, having finished testing I am not planning on having both - they will be shared .

Bingo! I have hit on the perfect mix for me: 1 shot of Hendricks, one of Tanqueray Export Strength, a teaspoon of extra dry vermouth (=12:1) and two giant lemon infused olives, unwashed, making the martini a whisker dirty. Perfection .

Keep up the good work - all in the name of science!

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

....... The cost of hard liquor back home is probably one more reason we tend to be a country primarily of wine and beer drinkers .

Even then we like to brew our own

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Wotname

Keep up the good work - all in the name of science!

Yes, the quest for perfection is of course all just in the name of science .

Apart from finding them a LOT of fun, primarily what I have learned from blind trials is that expectation plays a big part in perception when it comes to enjoyment and surprisingly even to taste. Also (unless you are rinsing you mouth out thoroughly with water between sips) it is really only that first tiny sip or two that small differences can be noticed. Once you have had a mouthful of alcohol, all bets are off. In addition, differences can sometimes only be picked when comparisons are made side by side. Present just one of the options and it can be significantly harder. It is not just visually that our brains can best pick subtle differences when comparisons are made side by side - leave a gap between the presentations and it may suddenly become near impossible to make judgements that could have been dead easy before.

A lot more is associated with drinking than just consuming alcohol. For me it has a very strong association with relaxing after the stresses of the day have been put aside (not that there are much of these nowadays LOL). Also a sense of celebrating. If consuming a high priced product then it is also associated with an important occasion. There is even more pleasure if a special bottle was a gift. Knowing I am drinking my favourite drop also enhances the pleasure.

Now that I have found I enjoy a Hendricks/Tanqueray mix more than Bombay Sapphire in martinis, it has ruined part of the enjoyment in drinking Bombay, despite in reality there being miniscule difference between the two.
One drawback of doing trials .

SWL
PS Those olives were good though - no blind trials needed there .

[FlyingCloud1937]

Thread DRIFT:tr ash:

All the while I thought wewere discussing GiN TankagE!!!

It stands to reason that without tankage, there can be no...

G&T.

Sheshes!

Lloyd


Once the tankge is resolved, we can begin the finer points of a G&T

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by FlyingCloud1937

Thread DRIFT:tr ash:

All the while I thought wewere discussing GiN TankagE!!!

It stands to reason that without tankage, there can be no...

G&T.

Sheshes!

Lloyd


Once the tankge is resolved, we can begin the finer points of a G&T

Well, I might have a solution.

If one of these bulk alcohol dealers (like Alcohols Limited) will sell to the public (don't know that yet), then I will buy a couple of 5 liter jugs of their premium gin concentrate (80% alco). This company is the distiller which makes the gin sold under all kinds of different brands. They use 100 year old copper pots and appear to know what they're doing. I'm pretty sure that "Tesco's Finest" premium gin comes from here, and it's perfectly drinkable, actually somewhat better than my usual on-board gin, Gordon's.

I will keep these in the laz and decant into some kind of 1.5 liter jug, diluting 50/50 with some kind of good water.

It would be nice to rig up some kind of undercounter system, but I haven't found an appropriate metering pump. If I happen to run across something (or if someone gives me a lead), then I might put that back on the front burner.

For martinis and martinezes, I'll buy a case or two of Beefeater export strength and maybe some Hendricks, in Helgoland. But for G&T's, the bulk stuff should be fine.

For tonic, I'm going to follow SWL's hot tips and buy a soda syphon. And experiment with home made syrups.