#dillon's

Source: mygrandpadude.com

I’m a huge fan of Dillon’s Distillery. They make great booze and help to promote local cocktail culture. I’ve got 4 of their products sitting on my bar at home. The one I’m bringing up today, the Dry Gin 7 was just recently released. 

It had a strong aroma or juniper & pine. It was softer on the soft palate than the nose, but was very much what I imagine from a gin. 

It was soft and warm on the palate, the juniper tends to overwhelm the majority of the others flavors which then become expressed through the long finish. 

The tasting bar attendant suggested that while their Unfiltered Gin 22 is nicer for most of your cocktails with complex and delicate flavors, this one is more suited to strong flavors like say the olive you add to your standard martini. It’s got a great mouthfeel and the different flavors that come through on the finish make a wonderfully complex finish. 

There is more to holiday entertaining than serving great wine.  Sometimes you have to mix it up (see what I did there!).  In case you didn't know you can make a fantastic Caesar using Gin.  I'm a big fan of the Gin they make at Dillon's Distillery which is located right in the heart of wine country.  It drinks very easy in a gin and tonic but makes a great addition to your Caesar ($39.95 / LCBO 358556).  If you have never had a gin based caesar you are definitely missing out.  

Now if you're going to be picking up a premium spirit to make your holiday cocktails you now have options for premium mix.  I recently had a chance to try Walter mix for Caesar's.  It is thick, and delicious and you can really taste the fresh ingredients from which it's made.  As you can see in the first photo I made myself a basic Caesar... but this was a mistake.  While this mix tastes great it does need a little salt, and I didn't rim my glass.  A few options I can suggest to make your Dillon-Walter Caesar perfect would be to add some pickle juice, a pickle, or a pickled bean to the mix.  Let's face it ... nobody likes the celery you get at your typical pub in the glass.