Fords Gin x Detroit Metro Times: Gin it to win it

You can’t spell engine without “gin” and without the sophisticated, beautifuly botanical and balanced choral taste of Fords Gin, professional bartenders around the world would have to settle for life in the slow lane.

A collaboration between Charles Maxwell, an 8th generation Master Distiller and “gin guru”and beverage business veteran Simon Ford, the journey to creating London’s award-winning dry gin started with a pen, cocktail napkins, and an insatiable need to give professional bartenders around the world a well-rounded and versatile spirit fit for any gin-based cocktail. (Spoiler alert: they pulled it off).

It took Maxwell and Ford nearly two years to perfect the adaptable blend of botanicals — some traditional, others less so — that make up Fords Gin. By taking classic gin cocktail recipes and breaking down flavor profiles of the most popular botanicals, the ima-gin-ative duo narrowed it down to nine thoughtfully curated botanicals from all over the globe (juniper, coriander, lemon, bitter orange, grapefruit, cassia, angelica, jasmine, and orris), which are then steeped in stills for 15 hours to maximize each flavor note, giving Fords Gin its … well, its everything.

Whether you’re in the mood for a bitter and fruit-forward negroni, an herbaceous gin martini, a refreshing and citrus-centric gin fizz — or maybe something from the annals of your own imagination, adding Fords Gin to the mix will bring flavor to life.

THE COMPETITION:

To prove the versatility of Fords Gin, three Detroit-based mixologists were challenged to craft a unique cocktail as part of Fords Gin Cocktail Competition which took place on Tuesday, July 26. The results? You’ll have to try them for yourself.

The mixologist: Tara Jagodzinski

The cocktail: "So Fresh & So Clean"
The recipe:

2 oz Fords Gin .25 oz apricot puree .50 oz snap seas juice .50 oz green pepper juice .50 oz club soda

The mixologist: Matt McGrail

The cocktail: "15th Street"
The recipe:

1 ¾ oz Fords Gin 1 oz kaffir lime lavender simple syrup ¾ oz Lime Juice ¾ oz Thatchers Elderflower kaffir lime leaf carbonated sugar garnish

In a shaker tin, combine all ingredients except the garnishes, shake with ice for 10 seconds, strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with kaffir lime leaf and carbonated sugar.

The mixologist: Roxanne Phillips

The cocktail: "Draco"
The recipe:

• 1.5 oz Ford’s Gin
• .5 oz dry vermouth
• .75 oz snap pea juice
• 1 oz lime juice
• .75 oz cardamom and pink peppercorn syrup
• 3 drops orange bitters
• 1 egg white

Dry shake, wet shake, and double strain into a coupe glass, garnish with Peychaud bitters “branches” and pink peppercorn.

And the winner is … Tara Jagodzinski and her cocktail “So Fresh & So Clean”
As the winner of Fords Gin Cocktail Competition, Tara won $1,000, which will undoubtedly help her to shake things up.

You must be 21 to enjoy Fords Gin…please drink responsibly.