I was recently provided with a bottle of this English gin for review and wanted to share my reaction with you guys.  I cracked it a few months ago, and since I tend to really rotate the spirits and brands I quaff, I just now laid the empty bottle to rest out in the glass bin. With each drink I poured using Bulldog, I tried to recall, sometimes successfully and without fog the next day, my experiences with the gin.  Here are my overall and positive reactions.

The bottle itself is my biggest complaint.  I know some love the look of it – a dark smoky-black one with an incorporated spiked bulldog collar around the neck.  I find it almost too bold a statement like a too-hep twenty-something sporting too much ink and facial hair. The Bulldog barks atop your bar. I want a bottle that sits, pops a little, yet stays quiet till you need her.  There, there’s my whine.  Bottle doesn’t really thrill me….but the gin inside, now that’s another story.

When I cracked the bottle and took a strong whiff, the nose of the gin wanted me to immediately make a martini. The juniper used in distillation, along with eleven other botanicals from eight countries, was subtle and delicious.  Bulldog smells special, and the perfume of a spirit usually crosses over into the drink.  Bulldog’s woodsy, flowery-sweet scent also settled into my drinks which I appreciated.

I am happy to write that these smells of nature (lavender, poppy and pine) made their way into the smooth taste of the gin.  When I poured my Noilly Prat French Dry Vermouth into the pitcher with my Bulldog, along with a couple shakes of orange bitters, the resulting martini carried a pretty friendly, yet complex, gin flavor into the pool.  One of the better martinis I’ve ever tasted.  Of course, some credit has to be given to my amazing martini-making skills – just thought I should mention that (wink).

Bulldog is quadruple distilled in the UK, so harshness is not an issue.  I found this robust gin to be as smooth as any I’ve tasted.  Within its first week on my shelf, I made a martini, a gin ‘n tonic and a gibson.  Bulldog played well with the standards, but would she hold up with the juices and sours?  I found out.

Tom Collins is a quiet fave of mine, and I insist that he’s made old-school with fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, club soda, fruit and lots of discernable gin.  I want my gin to stand up and out in my juice cocktails. The glow one gets after a couple well-made gin hi-balls is appreciated, sure…but not as much as the botanicals and the smack of a gin that works in concert yet holds its own.  Bulldog works in a collins, a pink lady, a vesper martini and a gin bramble. I know ’cause I made ‘em all with the Bulldog.

Look for this gin. It would be a nice starter gin for the vodka or white wine drinker you know, yet it stands beautifully complex enough for the serious cocktail lover to appreciate, and that aforementioned novice to stay with, as he/she grows into gin cocktails.  Running between $25 & $30 a bottle, this is a pretty affordable gin.  Keep your eyes peeled for it.

Figured I’d kick-off with this one. It’s an easy drink to mix and you can make up a batch ahead of time if you’re having guests over. This was the first purely Christmastime cocktail I ever tried, and I still love it during the holidays. The peppermint flavor makes it a strictly seasonal drink but one most will really enjoy.

Here we go –

• 3 oz Gin or Vodka (I prefer gin)
• ½ oz Dry Vermouth
• 2 capfuls Peppermint Schnapps

Shake with ice ‘til North Pole cold, strain into one of those Christmas Martini glasses you picked up on sale last year and garnish with a peppermint stick or candy cane.

Here’s a quick and easy cocktail that calls for just two ingredients, tastes delicious, and is perfect for a drink before dinner or before stepping out for the evening. I like this drink a lot. Even though there’s a healthy dose of sour in this cocktail, the spirit can still be tasted and even stands out. The Gimlet, unlike other drinks on this site can be made and mixed in under a minute. The drink dates back to around 1930.Here we go –

• 2 ounces Gin (Vodka can be substituted but I prefer the Gin version)
• 1 ounce Roses Lime.

Pour the two ingredients in a short glass (Old-Fashioned) filled with cracked ice. Stir then garnish with a wedge of lime. Be careful with this one, they’re tasty.

Another fantastic Autumn cocktail, the Empire is another drink which takes advantage of the Fall Flavors. I stumbled upon this one in an old bar bible from1940 and never looked back. I’m a huge Calvados fan (Apple Brandy) and must sample every cocktail I find which includes it. This is a quiet drink, one that you’ll enjoy drinking alone or with another quiet person on a chilly evening. Throw on that Cardigan and have an Empire.

Here we go –

• ½ ounce Calvados
• ½ ounce Apricot Brandy
• 1 ounce Gin

Shake with cracked ice in an old shaker. Pour into a small cocktail/martini glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Like the Pink Lady, this drink has to be made and tasted to be believed. The taste is old, not old like the ingredients have passed their shelf life, but Old like someone would be drinking one during the closing party in an Abbott and Costello movie. This drink is part of the fun of having a bar. You have a bar to have friends over and make drinks like the Fallen Angel. A unique flavor and a cool drink. I like this one.

Here we go –

• 2 ounces gin
• 2/3 tsp. of white Crème de Menthe
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Shake all of the ingredients in a shaker with cracked ice. Strain into a small, pre-chilled cocktail/martini glass and add maraschino cherry as a garnish.

I mention this drink for three reasons – the first being that it’s old and is considered a classic. Second, I once had a hell of an evening traveling with a friend from bar to bar requesting this drink. Only a few in-the-know bartenders could make it, and for those that could, I was damned impressed. She’s not an easy cocktail to mix. Third, it drinks well. This drink is tasty.

The Pink Lady is a wonderful drink to have in your arsenal. It makes guests smile when you mention it. If you’re entertaining ladies or more adventurous gentlemen, ask if you can mix a Pink Lady. You’ll usually get at least one taker. After you mix one, others will demand their own. The drink is something else to look at. It’s gorgeous. And don’t be scared of the egg white.

Here we go –

2 ounces gin
2-3 dashes grenadine (Roses is fine)
1 egg white

Pour all the ingredients into a shaker containing plenty of cracked ice. Shake hard and rapidly ‘til frothy and cold. Strain into a highball or martini glass. Garnish with an orange slice and a maraschino cherry.

Who doesn’t love James Bond. The character’s creator Ian Fleming came up with a damn good version of the Martini in his first Bond Novel, Casino Royal. One of the latest film versions of the story even used this drink as a small character development plot device.

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When you go to all that trouble to find the old, classic cocktail glasses and stemware, you’ll want to mix a beautiful drink to show it off. The White Lady, besides being tasty as all get-go, is a beautiful cocktail that, when mixed properly, will absolutely glow in a beautiful glass. Your less-than-experienced guests will enjoy this one; it’s boozy and not too sweet, yet it still goes down very easy.

Here we go – 

• 2 oz Gin
• 1 oz Cointreau
• 1 oz Lemon Juice

Shake in a shaker with cracked ice then pour into an old, beautiful cocktail glass. If you wish to garnish, an orange slice on the rim will look divine.