Summer Time Is Gin Time!

Jun 06, 2019

Ok, so you’ve had a good run drinking IPAs, Scotches, and of course American Whiskey all winter long… but now it’s finally here, yes, summer.  Pool parties, BBQs, baseball, and of course refreshing drinks.  Normally when cocktailing you have a couple vodkas. 

The possibilities are endless with vodka because it’s neutral and works for most cocktails. Normally you’d indulge in vodka tonics, Moscow Mules, and martinis. Then one weekend you go to a random get together with friends and someone hands you a gin and tonic.  You think, wait a second I don’t like gin, but then you take a sip.  It’s refreshing, complex, unique, and of course different than the traditional gins you’ve had in the past. Then your friend tells you the gin is made with honey and he used an English botanical tonic. Well now, this is starting to make more sense!

The possibilities are endless with all the unique gins entering the market.  Juniper or [pine tree] forward gins are still around but there’s a new wave of gins entering the market. To make it through the growing category, brands must be different, stand out, and take consumers in new directions.  Walking through the growing Wine Warehouse book there are some great new additions to the category and some gins that have paved the way for new entries into the market.  From now on you just might start to hear, “I love gin!” a bit more often.

The Gateway Gin- Barr Hill Gin

For all those friends and foes who have said I don’t like Gin.  This will be quick to change some minds.  Barr Hill Gin is a unique endeavor in that just two botanicals are used: juniper and honey. Juniper is added to a neutral spirit and left to macerate for a period before being put through Caledonia Spirit’s custom designed 300-gallon extraction still. The spirit is then blended down to 45% with water before the honey is added.  This is one of the simplest Gins on the market, juniper and honey only, yet very different because of the bee’s activity and extraction from the flowers brining out more flavors than one would expect.  Have the gin over ice with a lemon twist or a Bee’s Knees cocktail is always a crowd pleaser.

The Variety Pack- Uncle Val’s Gins

3 Styles each more unique than the last.  Uncle Val’s Gins are distilled in Bend Oregon and are inspired by the Sebastiani Families Uncle Zio Valerio’s love of gardening and native Tuscan cuisine.

Botanical-Juniper, Cucumber, Lemon, Sage, and Lavender compose this heavy Meyer Lemon tasting Gin!

Restorative-Juniper, Coriander, Cucumber, Rose Petals compose this traditional American Gin.

Pepper-Juniper, Red Bell Pepper, Black Pepper, and Pimento complete this savory and spicy gin.  Bloody Marys, and dirty martinis pair extremely well with this unique blend.

UK Import-Silent Pool

Silent Pool is made in small batches using a custom still which is heated by steam from a reclaimed English boiler that’s fired on local hardwood.    The name is derived from the unique water source called the Silent Pool.  Made with 24 botanicals.  Rich in citrus, orange, lightened with kaffir lime, and balanced with chamomile, rose, and lavender. This 43% ABV. gin sits nicely between the London Dry and New American styles. This is an ultra-premium gin in an ultra-premium package.

Organic Grain to Glass-Farmers Gin

In order to produce a flavorful organic gin, a unique partnership was formed with local farmers dedicated to sustainability and preserving the earth. The partnership has four farms growing organic crops that could help create the highest quality organic gin.   The gin contains Juniper, elderflower, lemon grass, coriander, angelica root, and a few secret botanicals comprising a gin that is balanced and highlights the individual components.

New Amsterdam Gin

Crafted with a corn grain base, then a combination of botanicals, citrus, and a nod to juniper to create a citrus forward gin.  As one of the best gins available, it’s a modern take on the 400-year tradition. The smooth finish lets you drink this flavorful gin straight or as the centerpiece of a perfect martini.  Distilled locally in the California Central Valley.

Benham’s Gin

Straight out of Graton California, Benham’s is a classic London Dry with New World ingredients for a new style: “Sonoma Dry”. It’s made with 12 botanicals including hand-zested local citrus from their backyard, Tuscan juniper, chamomile, mint, and warm exotic spices. Each botanical is individually vapor distilled in a botanical basket to bring out the best flavors, then combined to make this gin bold but balanced.

The California Local, Blade Gin

Master Distiller and owner Davorin Kuchan produces by hand every bottle in Belmont Ca. at his craft distillery he built himself in 2005.  His California gin is inspired by California culture, surfing, citrus groves, light and refreshing lifestyle. Blade gin redefines the premium gin category.  It is crisp, rich and full bodied, yet not a heavy juniper-bomb like a traditional London Dry gin. Blade is made with 12% California Grape Eau De Vie. Blade Gin makes terrific martinis with a lemon zest and candied ginger garnish. It’s great mixed with premium tonics and citrus mixers. Any citrus forward cocktail will come alive with Blade gin including Blade & Tonic, Blade Basil Gimlet, Blade Corpse Reviver #3, Blade Aviation and Martinez.

Big Catch –Dry Fly Gin

In Spokane Washington they have been creating grain to glass spirits utilize local ingredients.  The botanicals in their Gin feature amazing botanicals, including Fuji apple, coriander, lavender, mint, and hops.  A light refreshing Gin.

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Nevada Farming’s Finest-Frey Ranch

At a 1,200-acre Ranch Estate Distillery in the heart of Nevada’s Great Basin Desert their making something special.  On the Ranch they have been growing their own grains for over 150 years.  They utilize these grains to create their own base in their custom hand built stills.  The gin is complemented by juniper berries and sagebrush sourced right from the ranch and blended with botanicals from around the world creating a amazing cocktail gin at 90 proof.

Barr Hill Gin is our ode to the hardworking bees of the Northeast. Each batch is distilled in our custom-built botanical extraction still. The juniper-forward botanicals are brought to a perfect balance by the floral depth of the raw honey. The results are distinctive and unparalleled. How do we extract such complexity from simple raw materials? Our secrets are kept in the hive.

Uncle Val’s is a small-batch botanical gin inspired by Zio Valerio’s love of gardening and native tuscan cuisine. The botanicals are not only Uncle Val’s favorite cooking ingredients, but also happen to make an exceptionally unique and smoothly delicious gin.

Our signature gin, with 24 botanicals carefully chosen for their uniqueness. All the botanicals work together in unison to afford a romantic, complex flavour. Fresh floral and clarifying citrus notes are grounded by earthy and spicy cassia bark and cubeb.  The smooth finish is achieved with the help of local honey. Refreshingly individual, intricately realised gin at an ABV of 43%. Recommended serve is with a generous handful of ice, a dash of tonic, and a twist of orange peel to garnish.

Produced with a proprietary selection of the finest botanicals including Juniper, Elderflower, Lemon Grass, Coriander, Angelica Root, and others. Handcrafted for ultimate smoothness and has a remarkably balanced flavor perfect for cocktails.

New Amsterdam Gin is crafted with botanicals, citrus, and a nod to juniper. As one of the best gins available, it’s a modern take on the 400-year tradition. The smooth finish lets you drink this flavorful gin straight or as the centerpiece of a perfect martini.

The taste is big, bold and still well-balanced.  It touches every part of the palate.  Rich, ripe juniper is well-integrated and provides the framework.  Citrus and exotic fruit flavors enhance and brighten the botanicals. On the nose, there’s the scent of warm cardamom, baking spices, truffle-like angelica earthiness and floral chamomile notes. On the palate, the full flavors are balanced by sweetness from star anise and creaminess from the orris root. The gin dances on the finish, with a touch of cool mint and peppery spice from the galangal and grains of paradise.

Blade Gin redefines ultra premium gin category.  It is crisp, rich and full bodied, and balanced in the symphony of flavors, not allowing any one note to scream out.  Blade is NOT a heavy ‘Juniper-bomb-suck-on-the-christmas-tree’ London Dry Gin. Just like the California wines beat the French, Blade is the answer to why once again, we can beat the traditional European mass-produced gins.  

Dry Fly Washington Gin uses the same base spirit as our famous vodka. The botanicals feature amazing Washington grown botanicals including fuji apple, coriander, lavendar, mint, and hops added to fresh Oregon juniper berries. A light and refreshing gin, Dry Fly Gin is recognized as one of the first new American style gins with a regionally specific botanical deck.

A smooth, clean and distinctive taste. Bottled at 90 proof, we’ve married homegrown ingredients with exotic flavor to create a premium gin that can be enjoyed neat, on the rocks or in your favorite cocktail. Experience gin done right – Frey Ranch Gin. The next great spirit from one of the world’s only estate distilleries.

Breakthru Beverage California South

6550 E. Washington Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90040

Breakthru Beverage California North

912 Harbour Way South
Richmond, CA 94804