Posts from What are you drinking right now? Auto-translated

After Gordons went downhill around 2018, and Long Island and Brokers disappeared from the shelves, the question of what gin lovers should drink remained open for quite some time. The most budget-friendly option was Beefeater, which, although inferior to the old Gordons, still maintained a decent quality... And then it was gone. Bombay is expensive, Tanqueray is very expensive, and the "import substitution" options are simply terrifying, even though they are just rectified alcohol.
And then Wenninger, Kinsley, and Windsor Castle appeared. If the first was priced similarly to Beefeater, then Windsor Castle was twice as cheap as Beefeater. 700 versus 1400 for 0.7! Of course, it needs to be tried.
Nose: juniper and citrus are balanced, coriander is noticeable, everything else blends together and is difficult to analyze. The aroma is not particularly sharp or alcoholic; rather, it is slightly sweet, but there is something unpleasant about it, almost sour. Well, yes, according to the Russian classification, it is a high-grade spirit. Only Extra is worse. And almost all of our vodka is made with alpha alcohol... English Barbarians.
Taste: slightly sweet – angelica root is at work, balanced, quite decent, but the finish is not very good. It is oily, lingers in the throat for a long time, and there is nothing pleasant about it, but it is not particularly unpleasant either.
The most important thing is that it is not particularly dry. This is probably its main disadvantage compared to Beefeater, but the price compensates for everything. Even the alcohol content, which is only 37.5%, but perhaps it would be significantly more difficult to drink at 47%. I have been buying only this gin for the last six months. 7.5/10

Loch Lomond Original

Color: rich gold
Nose: Fruity-malty, moist, open, not alcoholic. Banana, quince, baked apples, candies, rubber, fresh birch cut, a light floral note. Blindly – bourbon barrel: pronounced sweetness and a hint of paint smell. Very good, although a bit simple.
Taste: balanced, slightly salty, pronounced smokiness, "industrial" notes, fruits – less distinct. Simple, original, pleasant.
Finish: short, medium-low intensity, seaweed, malt, raisins, tar.
That's the deal. Young, but excellently crafted, and the price is great – on par with many blends. A very interesting style in which traditional fruits and the smoke of the Highlands are mixed with industrial notes. A clear favorite in its price category and a quite decent, distinctive whisky overall.
79/100

Mineral water with blackcurrant juice.

Tea with Uzbek lemon.

Astrale Rosso

Blend: Primitivo, Montepulciano, Nero d'Avola, Merlot
Vintage 2019
Nose: very moist and berry-forward, primarily with dark berries: plums, blackberries, jam, chocolate. Dense "bathhouse" aromas of deciduous trees, a hint of tobacco, lavender, and vanilla. It's not particularly intense, but it has good balance and complexity.
Taste: medium-bodied, medium acidity, soft but noticeable tannins, moderate dryness. Again, primarily a fruity and vibrant berry background, with notes of black tea, wood, and spices: black pepper, cumin. It reacts positively to water, evolving into spicy and woody flavors, and even with significant dilution, it doesn't lose its character or become sour. It's a bit monotonous, but still quite pleasant.
Finish: more herbaceous, with coffee and earthy notes and a slight hint of violet. Slightly astringent, very rich and vibrant, medium length. This is definitely the wine's strong point.

Verdict: the wine is very average, but not mediocre. Balance, richness, and softness – all the most important aspects are excellent here, and although I'm not a fan of fruity profiles, it's an extremely worthy example for its price range. Perhaps the only ones who won't like it are fanatical haters of blends and lovers of one-dimensional palates. If I wanted to, I could find even more flavor and aroma nuances, but I don't want to. The point is not the nuances, but the fact that the wine is acceptable for tasters, very good for heavy drinkers, both in solitude and in company, and it can be enjoyed as successfully in a Greek style as in a Scythian style. And most importantly, it costs 600 rubles per bottle. But it's better to buy a 1.5-liter bottle right away. 8+/10

Death at Noon
I mixed this with something (a disgusting concoction, I regretted buying it a hundred times, even with a 33% discount).

and this (a quite tolerable drink, but not worth the price).

The taste is much better than the first one, slightly worse than the second, but taste is not the main thing here. The bad thing is that the unpleasant aftertaste of anise from the "absinthe" still doesn't go away; you either need to drink it with pure sparkling wine or at least with water.

Added 20 hours 38 minutes ago
James Langley London Gin

Do you see this label? It's the perfect embodiment of design thought. It's the old Gordon's, how could I just walk by?
The aroma is dry, strongly juniper-like, and spicy. The taste is also perfectly correct, classic, the only problem is that it's a bit harsh. An excellent drink, just like in the good old days, and the price is even reasonable.
9/10

Alex, do you ever mix your gin with anything? In bars, they make gin and tonic, and I like that, but straight gin is a bit too strong. If you have a recipe for how you mix it, would you mind sharing it?

Tea with Uzbek lemon.

Added 9 minutes later

Alex, do you somehow mellow out the gin? In bars, they make gin and tonic, and I like that, but pure gin is a bit harsh. If you have a way of mixing it, would you share the recipe?

I rarely make gin and tonic; I enjoy it neat. But there are actually many different types of tonic, so I'm sure one of them would work.
You can make a French 75 with sparkling wine; it's quite potent, easy to make, and delicious. Also, remember that gin is a rectified spirit, meaning it's essentially flavored vodka. If you have favorite vodka cocktails, you can adapt them for gin.
Classic ways to mellow it out are with simple syrup and lemon juice. The proportions are determined through experimentation. The most important thing is not to freeze it; otherwise, it won't go down your throat. Serve it at room temperature or chilled from the refrigerator.
Another tip: instead of mellowing the gin itself, chase it with something. My favorite chaser is grapefruit juice, but other citrus fruits are also good. Take a sip of gin, then a sip of juice. Only the juice remains in your throat.
Roosevelt Martini is an excellent option. It's very tasty and not harsh at all.

Rye Kvass in a barrel with croutons, Hrus Team, with garlic.

Okay, after a 24-hour shift, it's great to finally get your pay after three hours and immediately go buy some beer.

It has a strong aroma of yeast, hops, floral notes, and a slightly sour scent. Not bad for mass-produced beer.
Unfortunately, the taste is almost the same as that bland European lager, only bitter from the hops and with a strange banana aftertaste. It does somewhat resemble a real ale, but it's too weak, both in terms of alcohol content and intensity.
It's not very expensive, and it's not very good – light ale lovers might enjoy it, but there are better options for everyone else, sometimes even for less money.
7/10

Added 7 minutes later
Oh, it also has a little ball inside, like in Guinness.

"Baikal"

"Žatecký Gus" is a light beer.

Hey, Revan, I found a new nickname for you. Here's an avatar to go with it.

The aroma isn't too strong, but it's pleasant. Floral notes are complemented by cereal and woody undertones.
The taste is a classic lager. Not dry, not too sweet, but definitely not as bland as most modern beers. Soft cereal and herbal notes with a mineral aftertaste.
Surprisingly good beer, especially in the summer. Light yet flavorful, it's at least a very decent lager. Better than most German beers, and the price is very reasonable.
8.5/10
Bonus cool story:

According to an ancient legend, a weary samurai, after a battle, entered a Japanese brewery and asked for a fresh beer, but there was no suitable container available. The samurai, without hesitation, offered his helmet to the brewer, and the brewer filled it to the brim.

Note: According to a not-so-ancient legend, a tired reenactor was cooking pilaf in his helmet when there was no pot available.

Not bad, it actually makes me want to try it. The image in the link doesn't open.