NZChris wrote:I'm sampling a G&T made with the 10ml foreshot and 40ml run off after 'hearts' and I get an after-taste of olives from it.
I just noticed this post.
A day later, drinking the last of this 'Special', I didn't get the olives at all, it's mostly thyme and citrus. It's not the first time I've had a wanted gin flavor disappear 24 hours after the run.
NZChris wrote:I'm sampling a G&T made with the 10ml foreshot and 40ml run off after 'hearts' and I get an after-taste of olives from it.
I just noticed this post.
A day later, drinking the last of this 'Special', I didn't get the olives at all, it's mostly thyme and citrus. It's not the first time I've had a wanted gin flavor disappear 24 hours after the run.
Just throwing this out there could that be possible due to a lack of fixative? Something I noticed from your ingredients list. Or are you thinking this is just the gin settling down after being pulled off the still?
Poured a shot tonight, while I get very little if any olive up front I do get a pleasant oil like coating in the back of my mouth on the finish. Maybe that's the olive coming through?
Oldvine Zin wrote:Poured a shot tonight, while I get very little if any olive up front I do get a pleasant oil like coating in the back of my mouth on the finish. Maybe that's the olive coming through?
OVZ
That took a long time to show up. Interesting though, cheers for the update. I'm working away from my versión of gin mare so it'll be another week before I get to try it
Maybe I got bad tonic water but damn, that stuff ruins a good gin. Way too sweet for my tastes and that quinine (sp), or something else in it covers the taste too much. I went back to martinis. I still think a touch of olive juice and shaken with OVZ’s gin mare would be the bomb. A “Dirty martini.” I’m reluctant to buy a whole jar of olives just for the juice though.
I did a little reading on the history of tonic water. Was originally a medicine used to keep British troops that were away from home healthy, put into gin so they would drink it.
Reading this forum is harsh as I am still away and haven't tried my version of it. Although I am thinking a dirty Martini would be the go for something like this
OtisT wrote:I’m reluctant to buy a whole jar of olives just for the juice though.
I've heard that I should try a cocktail with 60 ml Gin Mare, ice and a 200ml Fever Tree Indian Tonic water garnished with four green olives, a sprig of rosemary, sprayed with EV olive oil and sprinkled with flaky sea salt. If it's as nice as it sounds, I'll have to quickly knock up a larger batch of Gin Mare.
Fever tree indian tonic over powers my subtle version of this gin. If you use the Mediterranean version of their tonic in that cocktail I think it will showcase your gin a little more.
Tonight I am trying the following":
60 mL Gin mare
100 mL Fever tree mediterrean tonic
Thyme garnish
My olive botanical is not strong on the palate but the the aroma is very olive forward which is what I was hoping for
Overall I should be thanking OVZ as this gin has really made me excited!!
Not having tasted a Gin Mare in it's native habitat I'm flying blind as to what the real thing should taste like, but what I have made after reading your OP is a very nice addition to the varieties of gin I make, both straight and in a cocktail, and opens up a new rabbit hole to go down. I don't think it really matters if what we make never closely emulates the drink that inspired it as long we and our family like it, (unless you want to go commercial, which I don't).
I've heard that there is a brand of it in available in NZ, so I'll try to find some.
My second batch is done. Increased the olives and included the pits. I still can't taste them neat and any olive flavor would get overpowered by the olives and oil in my cocktail, (which I like very much).
Yea in my last batch the olive wasn't up front and in your face but it was there in the background. Added a lot to a dirty martini. Also nothing but compliments on the flavors from my friends, but they are the type to not complain about free booze
I tried my usual London Dry styled gin with Schweppes Tonic after having a Gin Mare with with Fever Tree Mediterranean tonic and wasn't impressed with my London Dry&T.
The FT Mediterranean is bloody expensive compared to my usual favourite Tonic and I wouldn't go chucking it into most of my gins, but Her Indoors thinks it's nice with everything
Giving this a go and going big on the olives.
60g of Arbequina olives, pitted and chopped and added to 900ml of 50% ABV spirit. I'll add the other savoury herbs while its 50% ABV and then dilute down to 43% for the juniper/citrus.
I don’t have a gin basket but would love to try this out. I have about five gallons of 70% set aside for gin experiments. What quantities would you use to macerate this out?
Initial impressions off the still, the citrus and juniper are at the forefront. The earthy herbs come late in the finish and my mouth is left with a salty taste and coated in oil. Fairly hard to identify the olives and the fresh basil hasn't come through at all from what I can tell. Rosemary has, but its subtle. Louche'd once I diluted below 45% ABV.
Will be interested to see how it develops in the bottle. Really like the finish and I hope some of the citrus settles down. The spanish olives I used were very smokey and I'm surprised none of that carried over. Will be sniffing the empty glass tomorrow as I suspect that is where I'll find the smoke...
If you want a noticeable olive presence, you might have to make an essence to experiment with. I see I noted earlier that that is the way the commercial distillers do it. I expect it's safe to assume that they do what they do because they're not stupid.
