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The Rebirth of Gin

America is once again finding its love for gin.

America and gin has a long history, from the original “gin craze” of the 1700’s through a resurgance in popularity (when the medicinal qualities of the spirit and its mixers were discovered – think tonic for malaria and lime for scurvy) gin has been a favorite for both Americans and Brits losing out only to a preference for the smoother, milder taste of vodka and a lesser need for its medicinal qualities in the mid 20th century.

But no more. Both America and the UK are experiencing the rebirth of gin thanks to the popularity of craft distilleries and their focus on smoother, clean-tasting gins.

You might think that crafting these reimagined gins would mean using less botanicals.  Cleaner taste = less ingredients, right? Nope.  In actual fact, these gins do not rely on less botanicals being included in the distilling process, but more!

Whistling Andy Cucumber Gin utilizes forty pounds of freshly peeled cucumbers and 8 different botanicals.  From coriander to cardamom to the cucumber notes beneath the body of this dry gin, Whistling Andy Cucumber Gin is now a favorite of those “who never drink gin” and has a smooth, yet crisp spirit with a unique flavor profile you will certainly enjoy!

Try it in this favorite recipe from the local farmer’s market:

The Farmer’s Daughter:

1.5 oz. Whistling Andy Cucumber Gin

4-6 oz. Rosemary Lemonade*

2 slices Cucumber

Muddle cucumbers in a cocktail shaker. Add gin, lemonade and ice. Shake until tin frosts. Dirty pour into a Collins glass. Garnish with a cucumber wheel or small sprig of fresh rosemary.

* For rosemary lemonade simply use your favorite lemonade and add a sprig of fresh rosemary and steep for 20 minutes, more for stronger flavor.

A Montana Bourbon: Born Under the Big Sky

Mellow, sweetcorn base-tones blend with intricate hints of barley, wheat and rye to give Whistling Andy’s Straight Bourbon Whiskey its distinctive flavor.  Born from a vision to create the Treasure State’s first distilled bourbon, this whiskey combines grain grown in the sun and shade cast by the Mission Mountains with the deep-aquifer water of the Flathead Valley.  Aged in American white oak barrels, each and every batch is carefully crafted to produce each bottle of this award-winning Straight Bourbon.

Whistling Andy Straight Bourbon Whiskey is perfect to enjoy either neat, or on the rocks, but if you’re looking for a great bourbon cocktail, try this Builder’s Whiskey Sour:

 2 oz. Straight Bourbon Whiskey

½ oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

½ oz. Fresh Pineapple Juice

¾ oz. Maple Syrup

3 dashes Bitters

Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice, shake until tin frosts, strain over single large ice cube in a rocks glass. Garnish with lemon peel and enjoy!

 

*info, photo and recipe contributed by Beth Woods.  Thanks Beth!

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