Zuidam Dry Gin

[Joe Riley]

After holding onto a sample of this for much longer than I care to admit, I FINALLY bought this gin: www.Zuidam.com

It is really quite lovely stuff and, according to one knowledgeable gin enthusiast whom I sampled it with, it doesn't even require tonic water to show it at its best (although we did try it with Fever Tree tonic, just because we could).

14 botanicals within. Distilled by the former master distiller at Dekuyper.

With any luck, three of the best D.C. restaurants will soon be featuring it.

I tell ya, after tasting it, my taste buds begin to wonder if summer can be too far behind. I could swear that I heard them go, "Aaahhhhh........"

Some knowledge to drop on ya:

ZUIDAM DRY GIN

· Small batch distilling

· Smooth, distinctive taste

· Finest natural ingredients

· Crafted with 9 botanicals: Juniper berries and iris root from Italy, coriander from Morocco, angelica root, sweet oranges and whole lemons from Spain, licorice root from India, whole vanilla beans from Madagascar.

. Each botanical distilled separately for complex, layered flavors, a total of 14 distillations.

Tasting Notes: The nose is clean with fresh citrus and earthy juniper notes and a beguiling hint of spice and vanilla. The balance and harmony of this gin makes for the perfect gin martini.

[Heather]

I'm halfway through the bottle I bought from Joe, and give it 2 thumbs up for gin & tonics. Not so wild about it for martinis.

[Joe Riley]

I'm halfway through the bottle I bought from Joe, and give it 2 thumbs up for gin & tonics. Not so wild about it for martinis.

As I'm learning from Wabeck, there seems to be certain gins which are ideally suited for specific purposes.

Conversely, I've heard from another gin fan that Zuidam should be enjoyed WITHOUT tonic, even Fever Tree. Different strokes