Barr Hill Reserve Tom Cat Gin - And The Martinez

Love Valedonia Spirits in Vermont. They make their vodka and gin from honey, and it makes for a unique experience. I have long been a fan of their Tom Cat Gin. Barr Hill Reserve Tom Cat is their Barr Hill Gin aged in new American oak barrels. This is a bigger, and bolder gin. 

According to Wikipedia, "Old Tom Gin (or Tom Gin or Old Tom) is a gin recipe popular in 18th-century England...The name Old Tom Gin purportedly came from wooden plaques shaped like a black cat (an "Old Tom") mounted on the outside wall of some pubs above a public walkway in 18th-century England. Owing to the Gin Craze, the British government tried to stem the flow of gin with prohibitive taxes and licensing, which drove the scene underground. Under the cat's paw sign was a slot to put money into, and a lead tube. From the tube would come a shot of gin, poured by the bartender inside the pub."

There are many mentions of Old Tom gins in English Victorian literature, even in Dickens. In fact, George Cruikshank, long time Dickens collaborator, drew several renderings of Old Tom gin barrels during the course of his career.

                                        

Additionally, the progenitor of the modern day Martini, which featured Old Tom, is known as The Martinez, which dates back to the mid-1800s. "Two early stories attribute the making of a cocktail named the Martinez to bartender Jerry Thomas at the Occidental Hotel or by a bartender by the name of Richelieue who worked at a saloon in Martinez, California," states Wikipedia. "Both stories are difficult to verify because records of drinks at the time are missing or incomplete, but the 1887 edition of Thomas' The Bar-Tender's Guide includes a recipe for the Martinez. It calls for a pony of Old Tom gin, a glass of vermouth, two dashes of Maraschino, and a dash of Boker's Bitters with ice, garnished with a slice of lemon."

The Martinez is actually an excellent cocktail in and of itself. And it's a great way to experience Old Tom. So grab a bottle of Barr Hill Reserve Tom Cat Gin and have a couple of Martinez cocktails....and enjoy a little history.