The Cocktail Cabinet: Gin: The Essential Recipes Every Gin Lover Should Know, written by Kara Newman with illustrations by Giacomo Bagnara, features an exciting collection of 50 gin-based cocktail recipes in a fun card format. A few highlights include the Aviation, Bee’s Knees, Gin Daisy, Silver Fizz, and Turf Club. I will also be sharing a recipe for a Sakura Martini following the review.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this deck from Smith Street Books in exchange for my honest review. All comments and opinions are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
Consume alcoholic beverages at your own risk and liability. This recipe is intended only for those over the age of 21 (in the United States). Please drink responsibly.
Kara Newman and Giacomo Bagnara
Kara Newman is a food, wine, and spirits writer currently based in New York City. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, Gourmet, Saveur, Wine Enthusiast, Yankee Magazine, and more. Other books include Cocktails with a Twist, Nightcap, Stir. Shake. Sip., and Spice & Ice.
Giacomo Bagnara is an illustrator and artist with a focus on a bright, bold, and buoyant style. His work has been recognized by American Illustration and the Society of Illustrators of NY. He is currently based in Verona, Italy.
The Cocktail Cabinet: Gin
Instead of the traditional book format, The Cocktail Cabinet: Gin comes in a rectangular 4.17 x 1.65 x 5.55 inch (10.5 x 4.19 x 14 centimeter) box filled with cards. This small size makes it perfect for gift-giving or easy storage in the home bar.
The first two cards in the deck cover some helpful notes to get started with A Guide to Gin Styles, A Guide to Garnishes, A Guide to Glassware, and A Guide to Ice & Syrups.
The remaining 50 cards are each devoted to a specific cocktail. One side of the card has the vibrant, mid century-inspired illustration by Giacomo Bagnara. The other has the recipe with ingredients, garnish, method, a little history, and serving size (serves 1).
Recipes are arranged in alphabetical order. Measurements are listed in ounces and milliliters.
Sakura Martini
When first flipping through the cards, I was immediately drawn to Number 36, the Sakura Martini. I recently picked up some salt pickled cherry blossoms during my latest visit to Los Angeles and this cocktail was the perfect way to show them off.
A delicate twist to the martini, the Sakura Martini was created by Kenta Goto of Bar Goto and Bar Goto Niban in New York. Sake, gin, and maraschino liqueur are stirred together with ice, then strained into a chilled cocktail glass with a salted cherry blossom for garnish.
The use of the clear sake, gin, and maraschino liqueur really allows the cherry blossom to shine. The flower also adds a hint of salinity to the drink.
Try to use a gin distilled in Japan if available.
Salt Pickled Cherry Blossoms
Salt Pickled Cherry Blossoms (桜の塩漬け, Sakura no Shiozuke) are the edible flowers that have been preserved in salt and ume plum vinegar to retain the delicate shape and color.
I briefly soaked the cherry blossoms in water to help remove excess salt (not too much! There should still be some remaining to flavor the drink) and open up the blossoms a bit.
After soaking, pat the blossoms lightly with paper towels to remove excess water. If you have any leftover blossoms, you can use them to make my Cherry Blossom Muffins.
For those in the DC area, I have been able to find salted cherry blossoms at Maruichi Japanese Grocery in Rockville, Maryland. While living in Los Angeles, I would usually get them at the Rolling Hills Nijiya Market in Torrance. They can also often be found online on websites selling Japanese pantry staples.
More Gin Cocktails
I also made the Bennett, Breakfast Martini, Jasmine, and Water Lily.
The Bennett is a riff on the classic Gimlet. In this cocktail, gin, lime juice, simple syrup, and Angostura bitters are shaken with ice, strained, and optionally served with a lime wheel for garnish.
The Breakfast Martini is such a fun option for brunch. Created in the 1990s by Salvatore Calabrese in the UK, this marmalade-spiked cocktail has orange marmalade mixed right into the lemon juice before shaking with the gin and Cointreau.
The Jasmine was created in the 1990s by Paul Harrington at Townhouse in Emeryville, California. This cocktail has a refreshing blend of gin, lemon juice, Campari, and Cointreau. To finish, it is garnished with a lemon twist.
The Water Lily was another personal favorite. Created in 2007 by Richard Boccato while a bartender at NYC’s Milk & Honey, this floral cocktail has a combination of gin, crème de violet, orange liqueur, and lemon juice. The result is a beautiful lavender color with a lemon twist for garnish.
The Cocktail Cabinet: Gin is a great pick whether you are new to mixology or looking for more ways to use gin. The recipes range from quick and easy shaken cocktails to others that require a little more building.
Most of the ingredients are readily available in larger American grocery stores and specialty liquor stores.
Sakura Martini Recipe
Excerpt from The Cocktail Cabinet: Gin
Sakura Martini
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 ounces (75 milliliters) sake
- 1 ounce (30 milliliters) gin
- 1/4 ounce (7.5 milliliters) maraschino liqueur
- Ice cubes
- Salted cherry blossom to garnish
Instructions
- Stir all ingredients (sake, gin, and maraschino liqueur) with ice.
- Strain into chilled cocktail glass.
- Garnish with salted cherry blossom.
Leave a Reply