Three Ways to Enjoy Ransom Spirits
Ransom Old Tom Gin
Old Tom gin is a slightly sweet style of gin that dates back to the 1700s in England. Ransom Spirits enlisted the help of David Wondrich, a cocktail historian and spirits expert, to help them recreate an historically accurate recipe for their Old Tom Gin. The spirit is aged for a short time to round out the flavors. This spirit has received consistently high marks from critics and experts.
If you're looking for the perfect cocktail to make with this unique gin, the classic Martinez has all the right ingredients to compliment the flavors of Ransom's aged Old Tom Gin:
Martinez
1-1/2 ounces Ransom Old Tom Gin
3/4 ounce Italian sweet vermouth
1 tsp. Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
1 dash orange bitters
Combine in a mixing glass, add ice and stir. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Small's Gin
Ransom starts with a 19th-century recipe for gin, then adds a number of locally sourced Oregon botanicals, including raspberries, orange, lemon, coriander, cardamom, and juniper. You'll definitely taste the cardamom in this spirit so keep that in mind when coming up with cocktails you want to make. It goes really well with spicy foods and Indian food.
To take advantage of the fruit and spice in this spirit, Lila Martin at Oregon Live created the following summery cocktail to take advantage of this gin's fruity and spicy flavors:
The Backwoods Bramble
2 ounces Ransom Small's Gin
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 ounce Clear Creek Distillery Blackberry Liqueur
5 fresh blackberries
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Ice cubes
3 ounces club soda
Combine all ingredients except soda into cocktail shaker. Shake very well. Strain into a cocktail glass over ice, then top with club soda.
WhipperSnapper Oregon Spirit Whiskey
This whiskey is certainly in a category by itself, which is exactly what distiller Tad Seestedt intended. He set out to take "the best parts of several distinct styles" of whiskey, and combine them into a single bottle.
WhipperSnapper Whiskey is made from two spirits: the first is an un-aged Kentucky corn whiskey, and the second is a spirit made of malted and un-malted barley. Seestedt takes both spirits and distills them together a second time, then ages the resulting whiskey for between six months and two years. This whiskey has "got some real gumption," writes Seestedt.
You should certainly try this spirit on its own to appreciate what the distiller has created. If you want to try it in a cocktail, start with a Manhattan, then let your imagination run from there.
Manhattan
2 ounces WhipperSnapper Oregon Spirit Whiskey
1 ounce Italian sweet vermouth
3 dashes Angostura bitters
1 maraschino cherry for garnish
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass, and fill with ice. Stir gently for about 30 seconds, then strain into a chilled martini/cocktail glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry.
