REFINED VICES

I ordered a Martini last night. I was engaged in conversation and wasn’t watching the bartender as she poured me a stiff, ice-cold concoction that she then gingerly placed on the table in front of me. My mouth watered a little bit. But as I carefully raised the precariously filled glass to my lips, I could tell something was amiss.

“What kind of gin is this,” I asked?

“Ohhh,” came the reply, “you wanted a gin Martini…”

“Yes, please, a Martini with gin,” I said, as dryly as possible.

Few perfumes are as seductive as the aroma of the juniper berry. My co-worker Maggie Ruggiero also understands the pine-berries’ haunting coax: She braised beef short ribs in juniper-laden red wine to surprisingly sophisticated effect. The resin-heavy broth transforms would-be standard pub fare into a debutante’s delight of a dinner. It’s special. So special, in fact, that I decided to cook her recipe at home. After dinner, the only remains were the cleaned bones and 2 tablespoons of leftover juniper berries.

Of course, I would have saved the berries for the next time I cooked Maggie’s short ribs, except I was out of gin. So I decided to try and make some.

<SNIP>

Ian’s Gin Recipe

1 (750ml) bottle of inexpensive vodka
2 Tbsp juniper berries
3/4 tsp coriander seed
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp fennel seed
3 green cardamom pods
2 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf, torn into pieces
1 (3-inch) sprig fresh rosemary
1 (2-inch-long) fresh lemon or lime peel
1 (1-inch) sprig fresh lavender