Ransom Note

     Ransom Old Tom Gin is finally here,  praise the liquor gods!  After a nice tasting I find myself leaning more towards the vermouth than the actual gin,  I love the taste Ransom produced on the dry vermouth,  it's like nothing I have ever tasted before.  This is seriously a sippable dry vermouth,  I didn't think that was possible. Outside of the Chrysanthemum Cocktail a dry vermouth was never the highlighted base, or at least one I would go for.  I am quite fond of the Chrysanthemum and my beer-based Dusted Mums Cocktail.
     Now let's just see what a martini version of these two lovely spirits would produce.  I prefer to follow the Marguerite Cocktail recipe for making my martinis,  I believe it is the most true to spirit as does David Embury.  Pick up a copy of The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks,  if you'd like some light reading, the recipes are exactly the same.
   





Ransom Note
2 oz. Ransom Old Tom Gin
1 oz. Ransom Dry Vermouth
2 dashes orange bitters (Regan's)
- stir and strain;  lemon twist garnish






The nose of the drink was quite complex.  It smelled of old tom and citrus and a nice white wine fruitiness. The initial sip was slightly boozy at first but melded into a very nice light cocktail with a spicy cinnamon and absinthe-like finish.  Everyone who tried it was so impressed they kept coming back for more.  If this is what drinking in the '20's was like I want to go back.