A Gimlet on a Rainy Day

Recently, at the liquor sections of major supermarkets (AEON Group), you can find a gin called Koshu Nirasaki.

This wave of Japanese craft gin has spread across all of Japan.

To start with a complaint, I struggle to understand why it calls itself "gin".

For me, gin refers to London Dry Gin, a distilled spirit with the refreshing scent of juniper berries.

If you ask me, domestic gin is just shochu (my apologies to the producers). Furthermore, because craft gin cannot be mass-produced, it is often quite
expensive. I want gin to remain a cheap liquor. The story of that cheap liquor being reborn into a cocktail and starting to sparkle is what is beautiful.

In that regard, this Koshu is excellent. You can buy it for around 1000 yen.

Whether mixed with soda or made into a gin and tonic, it is safe in a good way. In a bad way, it lacks edge.

This time, I will try making the King of Cocktails, a "Martini".

I will pair it with the classic Noilly Prat vermouth.

Mixing glass in hand, I make it seriously (earnestly).

Finally, I won't forget the lemon peel. I finish it with care.

My wife and I each had a glass.

The verdict is that it is sweet.
Sadly, it lacks sharpness. Even though sharpness is the lifeline of this cocktail. Instead of a weak juniper berry scent, perhaps it's cherry blossom, but a

"Japanese-style" scent has been added. Surely, this botanical unique to Japan is
acting to erase the Martini-ness. Like Suntory's "Sui," it also bothers me that it becomes a bit cloudy
when stirred with vermouth.

That's when it hit me: a Gimlet.

Bingo!

What I ended up with was a "damp, humid Gimlet" with a slightly complex aroma. Koshu gin has a lower alcohol content of 37%. Therefore, while it lacks punch, when combined with the scent of lime, it expands into a charm different from London gin. It might be called a

modest Gimlet, much like the Japanese people. What comes to mind is rain.

Right now, thanks to the hits of Suntory Gin "Sui" and Asahi's "GINON", gin is riding a wave of market expansion here in Japan. These two have
proposed the way of drinking it mixed with soda, which has suddenly widened the gateway.

Both Bombay Sapphire and Tanqueray are now twice the price of Koshu. Gin has its own optimal solution. If you can reach that point, a 1000-yen bottle can become a surprisingly reliable partner.

The right person for the right job. Ah, people are the same, aren't they.

A rainy-day gimlet brought a different perspective.