The gin revolution as 007`s vodka martini comes under scrutiny

Gin, with its secret blends of herbs and spices, is gaining ground in the premium spirits race, writes Melissa Singer - reports TheAge.

Vodka is dead.

OK, maybe not quite dead, but 2007 is almost certainly going to be the year the king of white spirits makes way for its more aromatic cousin, gin.

While vodka basically offers a free hit for anyone with an imagination and a cocktail shaker - think lychee, ginger and lemongrass martinis - gin offers the bartender, and by extension the consumer, more of a challenge.

Just ask mixologist Jason Crawley from Maxxium Australia, importers of Plymouth gin.

"There's been a vodka overkill," says Mr Crawley. "There's no challenge in cocktail making (with vodka).

"People are moving back to gin because it tastes of something, rather than nothing."

Mr Crawley says thanks to a new subtle underground movement in the US known only as ABV (Alcohol by Volume), bartenders have united to move away from vodka towards the more complex spirits, in particular gin, by creating more diverse cocktails.

Last October, the makers of Beefeater gin even held the inaugural Global Gin Symposium in London, which was attended by more than 100 bartenders, spirit writers and industry members - proof that gin's star is rising once again.

Even the iconic martini, which Mr Crawley says started out exclusively as a gin drink before it was "poached" by vodka giant Smirnoff (a trait that stuck largely thanks to the James Bond film franchise), is making a comeback. After years of drinking vodka martinis - shaken, not stirred - last year's remake of Casino Royale saw its star, Daniel Craig, ordering a Vesper - three parts gin to one part vodka.

However, the first documented martini, according to Mr Crawley, contained far more vermouth than modern drinkers are accustomed to. It is believed the martini derived from the 19th-century martinez, a drink made with two parts vermouth to one part gin and a dash of cherry liqueur. Nonetheless, the amount of vermouth required to make the perfect martini remains a hotly debated topic.

Further proof that the juniper movement (juniper berries are the dominant ingredient in gin) is gaining momentum is in the number of niche gins that have appeared on the market. If names such as Blackwood, Prince Albert and Hendricks don't ring a bell, don't worry, they soon will.

But arguably the greatest success of the "new" gins, which include names such as Bombay Sapphire, Tanqueray and Plymouth, has been South, made by the New Zealand-based producers of the award-winning 42 Below vodka.

Tammy Richardson from Foster's, which distributes 42 Below locally, says the unique blend of New Zealand botanicals in the gin - nine in all - gives it a smoothness that sets it apart from other niche gins such as Blackwoods, which is sourced from the Shetland Islands in Scotland.

"Gin is most often drunk as a basic mixed drink, like in a gin and tonic, so it relies on its own characteristics (for flavour)," she says.

After juniper berries, the South recipe includes angelica root, meadow sweet flowers, sea pink flowers, gentian root, manuka berries and wild water mint.

Because of the combinations of botanicals from gin to gin, Ms Richardson says there is more differentiation between brands, and even within brands, from year to year.

While Shae Silvestro from the Railway Hotel in Windsor believes vodka is still moving full steam ahead, particularly in the premium market, he says a lull in the vodka cocktail boom, which peaked three to four years ago, has opened the door for gin.

"Gin has more character and is more stimulating to work with," he says.

Still, converting vodka drinkers to gin swillers is likely to be a slow process. Mr Silvestro recommends gin novices start on Bombay Sapphire or South.

"New gins owe a lot to Bombay," he says. "Bombay started the trend of advertising what's in the gin. It rejuvenated the gin category."

But if you ask Mr Silvestro, the 2005 Australia Liquor Industry Awards' bartender of the year, his favourite gins are a mix of old and new. He likes Tanqueray and Plymouth for their citrus bang, and newcomer Aviation, not yet available in Australia, for its notes of lavender.

Mr Silvestro says it's up to consumers to take a risk, bartenders to create the drinks and the companies to educate both bartenders and consumers about life after vodka.

"The more we can help people understand gin and lead them from a softer style to a new-age style, that's how gin will move forward."

TASTING PANEL

South, $49 for 700ml
Smooth mouth feel and a subtle, herbaceous finish make it an ideal martini base.

Plymouth, $39 for 750ml
Massive hit of citrus with a long, smooth finish. Best for gin and tonic.

Blackwoods, $59 for 750ml
Dry taste with a robust, briny smell with notes of citrus and cucumber.

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