Tag Archives: tanqueray

Of Drinking and Conscientious Living: The Vegan Conundrum

For anybody who’s made the switch to living a vegan lifestyle, or for anybody who knows someone who’s done it, knows that it can be really hard trying to find the right balance between conscientious living and enjoying a good drink. It also definitely makes it a little more difficult trying to plan the perfect night out with friends if there’s an extra piece of gastronomic accounting that needs to be done.  (But good friends try their best to make everything fun for everyone there, right?)

Overcoming the First Hurdle
The biggest problem when it comes to making a drink for a vegan friend is that there’s no way you can fake it without facing some damage to your moral consciousness. So while it might be acceptable to switch out the Cointreau for a more affordable triple sec in a Cosmopolitan for those on a budget, randomly exchanging ingredients can be dangerous for a vegan drinker. 

image

Becoming vegan isn’t just a state one declares. It means inspecting each and everything that goes into food and drink to make sure that no ingredients come from animals, and there’s no danger of cross contamination.

Generally, one of the smarter options is to go for German or Belgian beers because breweries are required by law to adhere to beer purity laws. When working with liquors, the folks over at Barnivore.com have put together a very well-researched list of what’s okay to serve and what isn’t. Luckily, since Tanqueray happens to be vegan-friendly, SDD’s Gin O’Clock recipes are all in the clear!

Wait, but Isn’t Wine Vegan?
The funny thing is, while wine is made from nothing but grapes, people would think that it would be, by default, vegan. But when wine isn’t served immediately after it’s pressed and this is where animal byproducts come into the equation. Many wineries will make use of finers that are meant to absorb the suspended solids present in the liquid. Some examples of finers include egg whites, gelatin, and isinglass—all of these being ingredients that vegans avoid. So what’s a good host to do?

You can work with a distributor that has options that are vegan friendly and removes the guesswork for the buyer. Dedicated vegan websites like Veggie Wines and Vegan Society list, Marks & Spencer as an option for their vegan-friendly wine selections.

Everyone deserves to have fun and being vegan doesn’t have to mean abandoning alcohol altogether. Cheers to that!

***This article was written by Katrina Wilsons.  (Susie doesn’t do enough research to write this thoroughly.)***

Gin O’clock

G&T.  Bramble.  French 75.  Negroni.  Gimlet.  Aviation.  Gin Fizz.  Bee’s Knees.  Martini.  The list of amazing things you can do with gin are endless (and even include using it as mouthwash and an arthritis treatment — seriously).

Tanqueray is one of the usual suspects, and has been since the 1830s.  A genius mix of botanicals (juniper, coriander, licorice, and some other delicious things), Tanqueray is the perfect base for some really delicious cocktails.

I treated my coworkers to Gin O’clock last week, and we had ourselves a great time (minus the gincident).  I tried my hand at a few recipes, which turned out pretty damn well (which is easy to do with the ingredients*).  Check ‘em out below.


TEN SOUTHSIDE

  • 1 mint sprig (more for garnish)
  • 0.5oz lime juice
  • simple syrup
  • 1.25oz Tanqueray
  • club soda

Muddle the mint, lime juice, and simple syrup.  Add Tanqueray and stir.  Pour into highball glass over crushed ice and top off with soda.  Garnish with mint.

TANQUERAY FIZZ SEASONAL “SIPPER”

  • half a lemon
  • fresh berries of your choice
  • 1.25oz Tanqueray
  • 0.5oz simple syrup
  • club soda

Crush the lemon in a shaker and lightly muddle the berries.  Add gin and simple, shake, and strain over ice in a highball glass.  Top off with club soda.

TANQUERAY BASIL SMASH

  • 2 parts Tanqueray
  • 1 part lemon juice
  • 1 part simple syrup
  • fresh basil leaves

Muddle basil leaves and lemon juice.  Add simple and gin.  Pour over ice in a short glass.  Garnish with basil leaves.

*My theory (which I ascribe to Sam White, is that good + good = really good.  It’s usually true.)

***I was given the bottle of Tanqueray to try out some of these scrumptious cocktails.***

In honor of the recently-realease “The Great Gatsby”, Tanqueray is featuring these five prohibition-style cocktails.  Even if you can’t enjoy them in West Egg, they’re still some of the classic cocktails every drink enthusiast should know how to make.

Cheers, sport!

Gin Rickey
Said to be the preferred pour of F. Scott Fitzgerald, this simple serve is best imbibed on a hot summer day. Don’t forget the chunky ice cubes.

  • 1.25 oz Tanqueray London Dry gin
  • 1 oz lime juice
  • 5 parts soda water

Build in a highball glass, stir, top with soda water. Drag to mix and garnish with a lime wedge.


French 75
This snappy little champagne cocktail’s claim to fame is that it’s the only drink in the classic canon created during Prohibition.

  • 1.25 oz Tanqueray Ten
  • 0.5 oz simple
  • 0.5 oz lemon juice
  • Top with champagne

Shake and strain into a rocks glass and top with champagne. 


White Lady
Introduced in the late 20’s, The White Lady was born from the drink the “Delilah,” which included crème de menthe. The Savoy’s Harry Craddock replaced it with orange liqueur and it became an instant classic.

  • 1.5oz Tanqueray London Dry Gin
  • .75oz orange liqueur
  • .75oz lemon juice

Pour all of the ingredients into a shaker, fill with ice, shake and strain into a chilled coupe glass.


The Southside
The Southside is the signature cocktail at the legendary former speakeasy the 21 Club. It’s also said to be the favorite drink of notorious Prohibition-era bootlegger Al Capone and his gang.

  • 1.25 oz Tanqueray Ten
  • 0.5 oz lime juice
  • 0.5 oz simple
  • 2 sprigs of mint
  • Soda

Muddle one mint sprig with lime & simple. Add Tanqueray and shake well. Pour into glass over crushed ice and stir until the outside of the glass frosts. Top with soda and garnish with sprig of mint.


The Franklin
Let’s not forget Franklin Delano Roosevelt famously celebrated the end of Prohibition with a dirty gin martini. Whether it was with Tanqueray – one of the few gins today that was in production in the 30s – or not is lost to history, but this classic cocktail ushered in a new era of American drinking.

  • 1.5oz Tanqueray London Dry Gin
  • 1tbsp dry vermouth
  • 2tbsp olive juice
  • 2 olives

Fill a mixer with all ingredients including the olives. Cover and shake hard 3 – 4 times. Strain contents of the mixer into the cocktail glass. Garnish with an olive.