Seagram is one of the largest and best- known beverage companies, with product line that includes liquor, coolers, and other products. Joseph E. Seagram founded his namesake company in Canada back in the mid 19th century and began immediate production of liquor. One of his early products was Seagram Extra Dry Gin, a liquor first introduced in 1857 and later introduced into the U.S. market in 1939. Today, this gin is distilled at the Seagram’s plant in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.
Basic Characteristics of This Gin:
Seagram’s Gin has a clear body with a yellowish tint and an aroma that is spicy and herbal with alcohol. The body itself is thin but it does leave traces of lace on the sides of a glass when poured straight.
The taste of Seagram’s gin could be described as a mixture of exotic herbs along with a small amount of lemon or lime. This fruity character is one of the reasons why gin mixes well with lemon and lime and also the reason why these two fruits are often used as garnishes for drinks made with this liquor.
Seagram’s Gin is double- distilled and aged in white oak barrels, similar to the aging process used for whiskey. The final product is 40 percent alcohol (80 proof) by volume and there are 69 calories per one- ounce (30 ml) serving, with no protein, fat, or carbohydrates.
Drinks Made with This Liquor:
Gin is rarely consumed straight. Most people who drink gin add it to one or more of their favorite ingredients or other beverages to create a mixed drink. Here is a list of drinks made with Seagram’s Gin:
Gin & Tonic
1.5 oz. Seagram’s Gin
6 oz. Tonic Water
The most popular gin beverage, this is made by pouring a shot of gin into a highball glass with ice, then topping it off with tonic water and adding a lime wedge squeeze for flavor and garnish.
Gimlet
2 oz. Seagram’s Gin
.5 oz. Lime Juice
Shake ingredients with ice and then strain into a cocktail glass. Add a squeeze from a lime wedge for flavor and garnish.
Tom Collins
1 oz. Seagram’s Gin
3 oz. Sweet & Sour Mix
3 oz. Club Soda
A quick drink to prepare, you simply pour each of the above ingredients into a tall glass with ice. Garnish with a cherry and lime squeeze.
Orange Blossom
1.5 oz. Seagram’s Gin
1.5 oz. Orange Juice
.5 teaspoon powdered sugar
Shake ingredients with ice and then strain into an old fashioned or highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with a slice of orange.
Dragonfly
2 oz. Seagram’s Gin
6 oz. Ginger Ale
Pour gin into a highball glass filled with ice. Pour ginger ale into glass and add a squeeze of a lime wedge for flavor and garnish
Martini
2 oz. Seagram’s Gin
A few drops of Dry Vermouth
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an olive or lemon twist.
Newport Cooler
1.5 oz. Seagram’s Gin
.5 oz. Brandy
.5 oz. Peach Liqueur
1 teaspoon lime juice
Ginger Ale
Add gin, brandy, peach liqueur, and lime juice to a Collins glass filled with ice. Fill balance of glass with ginger ale.
Final Thoughts:
Seagram’s Gin is the best- selling gin product in the world, with sales that are nearly double those of its next- closest competitor, England’s Tanqueray. This product has been produced now for more almost 150 years, starting first in Canada with Seagram’s later moving production to the United States.
Gin is the type of liquor that demands an acquisition of one’s taste. I know many, many people who will not drink gin at all because of the odd, almost medicinal flavor. In fact, when gin was first created, it was used primarily as a prescription medicine. It later evolved into an everyday drink because people liked the way it made them feel (imagine that). I can agree that the taste is quite medicinal and because of this, it has limitations on what it can be mixed with. It doesn’t have the versatility that comes with liquors like vodka. One has to be a little more selective with what they mix with gin.
Most of the flavor present in gin is from juniper berries (the primary ingredient). But gin also adds other ingredients, and each distiller has its own unique process to make their particular gin a product different from the competition. Seagram’s Gin is no exception, with a list of ingredients that includes orange peel, coriander, angelica root, cardamom, and cassia bark. These interesting ingredients are imported from other countries around the world. Seagram’s does not disclose the exact recipe for making this gin. The process and the ingredients are known, but the exact recipe is kept secret, just like with other brands of gin.
Most people choose to drink gin in a mixed drink. I tasted a little bit of Seagram’s Gin straight from the bottle, in order to get a better idea for what unique flavors are present. One interesting thing about this gin is that the taste isn’t quite what I expected after judging the nose. Mostly, I could detect herbs and spice in the aroma. But the taste made me think of medicine and a touch of lemon and lime. There is no lemon or lime in the list of ingredients, but this is the taste that comes through. And even though the gin is very dry, when mixed with plain club soda (gin highball- one of my favorite simple gin drinks), it produces a drink that is actually a little bit sweet and easy to consume. It’s no wonder that so many drinks made with gin include either lemon or lime juice or a lemon or lime garnish. The taste of these fruits is already there, in the gin, so it makes sense that this liquor mixes so well with these fruits in their pure form.
Seagram Gin is considered a middle to lower- end gin, which means it is considered by experts to be of average or lower overall quality. This is one instance where I disagree with the experts. I can agree that Seagram’s Gin is not as flavorful as some of the more premium gins. But I think, for the price you pay, it is a very good- tasting gin. Selling for about $11 per 750 ml bottle or $14 per liter, this is a reasonably- priced gin product and it taste great in most mixed drinks. Other, more premium products often sell for two or three times as much, but I don’t think they are necessarily two or three times better.
I’m not a big fan of gin, but every now and then the mood will hit me for a gin martini, Tom Collins, gin highball, or other gin- based beverage. And when this mood strikes, Seagram’s Extra Dry Gin is one of the products I am most likely to buy. It’s not the best in its field, but it also won’t bust your wallet or send you into sticker shock when you make a purchase. It’s a very good, all- around gin.
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