About 11 years ago Martin Miller decided to add to his long list of accomplishments (entrepreneur, hotel owner, publisher and photographer) the title of distiller. Advertised as something of an eccentric, the story is told that he was sitting in a bar with his mates, not enjoying his gin and tonic, and the idea hit him like a squeeze of lime to the eye: he wanted to make the perfect gin: Martin Miller’s Gin.

Being that he is English and from the auspicious Notting Hill, naturally London Dry is the style he wished to perfect. He set about gathering his ingredients from the corners of the earth. Juniper from Tuscany and India, Cassia bark from China, Angelica from France, etc. He was meticulous in his methods: only traditional ones will do. Small batches, made in a pot still he calls Angela, macerated overnight with botanicals, always discarding the heads and tails… the way gin ought to be made.

Then of course to bring the gin to proof, he adds Icelandic spring water. His process is a long and arduous one, one that Miller embarked upon without intending to be the biggest gin producer in the world, but the best. How much of the story is a tall tale, adding romance to a subject (gin) that is plagued with plain beginnings and its very own Dark Ages (read: Bathtub), we don’t know. But it’s a fun story and now that Miller’s has been around for a decade or so, we can safely say that is not all that is holding this gin up.

If you are looking for classic, this is your gin.

Tasting Notes
Miller’s is a blend of a batch-distilled London Dry style gin and water from Iceland. Whether that really has an impact on the taste, well, we have no idea. It’s a lovely gin and a lovely example of a London Dry, but we do not purport to be experts of gin. From our inexpert opinion, however, it’s quite nice and tastes something like this:

Nose: Citrus, with juniper notes (you don’t say!)

Palate: Same as above, nice finish. As Miller’s goal was perfecting the London Dry, we daresay that he left this gin uncluttered and true to style.

Recipes
According to rumor, Martin Miller’s favorite drink is a Miller’s Martini (of course); we have included that recipe here, as well as a couple of our other favorite gin recipes for you to imbibe.

Classic Martini
Martin Miller Style

1 oz dry vermouth (his recipe calls for Noilly Prat)
3 oz gin

Stir all ingredients ice, strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist or an olive, if you fancy.

Aviation
This is a classic! Lovely and simple, this one never gets old. The original recipe had creme de violette, so if you are feeling nostalgic be sure to throw in a half ounce of that too.

2 ½ oz. gin
¾ oz. lemon juice
¼ oz Marachino liqueur

Shake ingredients over ice in a shaker and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.

Negroni
This drink was created back in the 1920′s at at bar in Florence, Italy. It’s a bit bitter and dry, but quite tasty.

1½ oz gin
1½ oz Campari
1½ oz sweet vermouth

Stir all ingredients with ice, strain into chilled cocktail glass or old fashioned with ice. Garnish with an orange twist.

Cheers!

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For more information on Martin Miller’s Gin: www.martinmillersgin.com

gin recipes tasting notes