Post #176539 by Rum Numb Davey on Tue, Aug 2, 2005 10:19 AM

Jersey Red & Urban Tiki..thanks for the correction, and the appreciation of the brand tip. I have yet to read "Dr. Cocktail" although I am aware of who he is, and I certainly know David Wondrich through my association with Slow Food USA. (Both of us write articles for the Snail relating to liquor, wine and cocktails). I enjoy his writing style tremendously.

Juniper Green Gin is part of the Organic Spirits Co.,Ltd. It is the ONLY gin actually made in the actual city of London at the tiny doll house Thames Distillery. A canny Scot, Mr. Christopher Parker, a member of the Worshipful Company of Distillers has crafted three brands of Organic Spirits. The first and lead brand is Juniper Green, named after the small Scottish hamlet of that name. It is exceedingly pure and is rectified in two 30 liter stills (aptly named Tom Thumb and Thumbellina, due to the diminutive size of each apparatus).

This gin is comprised of four organic botanicals, and is the ultimate cocktail and sipping gin to me. I believe I have tried every brand of Dutch, Belgian, French, and English Gin not only in the US market, but in the EU market as well. In any event, the Gin has an elegant flavor due to the lack of persistent toxins from chemicals applied to the botanicals in the growth stage. http://www.junipergreen.org/

Their is also an organic sugar cane white and spiced rum in the line from Paraguay called Papagayo Organic Rum. Produced in a remote area of Paraguay, this is the first organic rum to be made commercially. In 1993 an organic farming project was set up to help struggling sugar-cane producers in the Arroyos y Esteros region. The benefits are two fold - incomes have now improved as organic sugar-cane commands a higher price, and the environment is protected by the use of organic methods. The cane is crushed, the syrup extracted and fermented for 36 hours. Distillation follows, then filtration and finally barrel aging. Very clean, as well. I sip the rums straight quite often and flambe deserts with them. One of my favorite uses for the Papagayo Spiced Rum is to imbue some cheap bundle cigars in my Aromador for sweet after dinner smoking.

The last organic spirit in the line is an organic grain vodka called Utkin's UK 5. I asked Chris why he named his Vodka "Utkin's" and he cleverly told me it was a name not found in the London phone book. Although, it sound's very British to me. http://www.uk5.org/

I stock all three of the organic spirits at home for sipping and cocktailing and all are available in the USA. They truley are pretty much hangover free.