Broker's gin, anyone?

[Spang]

I went in search of an alternative London dry after getting PO'd at Pernod Ricard for reducing the proof of Beefeater, my standby for many years. Basically, they just added more water to Beef, thus increasing their volume, and corresponding profits, by 6%. This seems to me like a very misguided and shortsighted business approach: in order to increase profits, rather than raising the price a buck or two, they instead reduce the quality of the product. Idiotic, and damaging to the brand, IMO. Apparently, it's all about the next quarter with no long view as to brand integrity.

Moving on from the rant: My current replacement for Beefeater is Broker's; same proof (94) as "original" Beef, right at the same price point ($20 here in the control state of Oregon), and seems to me to be pretty solid in in delivering London dry character. I should add that my application is mostly G&Ts and Negronis, my summer staples, as I'm not really a Martini drinker.

How about it, any Broker's fans (or detractors) out there?

 

[Tirvine]

I went in search of an alternative London dry after getting PO'd at Pernod Ricard for reducing the proof of Beefeater, my standby for many years. Basically, they just added more water to Beef, thus increasing their volume, and corresponding profits, by 6%. This seems to me like a very misguided and shortsighted business approach: in order to increase profits, rather than raising the price a buck or two, they instead reduce the quality of the product. Idiotic, and damaging to the brand, IMO. Apparently, it's all about the next quarter with no long view as to brand integrity.

Moving on from the rant: My current replacement for Beefeater is Broker's; same proof (94) as "original" Beef, right at the same price point ($20 here in the control state of Oregon), and seems to me to be pretty solid in in delivering London dry character. I should add that my application is mostly G&Ts and Negronis, my summer staples, as I'm not really a Martini drinker.

How about it, any Broker's fans (or detractors) out there?

The hat is too small for me. It is a very good but sedate London dry. In either a G & T or a Negroni I love St. George Terroir. It is not for the faint of heart.

 

[Spang]

The hat is too small for me. It is a very good but sedate London dry. In either a G & T or a Negroni I love St. George Terroir. It is not for the faint of heart.

Yeah, "sedate" is a very apt description for Broker's. It hits all the notes for London dry, just not very loudly. Definitely less assertive than Beefeater. The St. George Terroir sounds interesting, but it is well above my mid-tier price range for regular gin. Might have to check it out on a splurge, though.

 

[bobmsp]

Yeah, "sedate" is a very apt description for Broker's. It hits all the notes for London dry, just not very loudly. Definitely less assertive than Beefeater. The St. George Terroir sounds interesting, but it is well above my mid-tier price range for regular gin. Might have to check it out on a splurge, though.

Terroir is a great gin - but it's not a London style gin. Herbaceous and piney. IMHO St. George hit the mark of evoking the natural scents of Northern California and because of that it's one of my favorite liquors. I've only drunk it straight and in martinis. Perhaps I'll have to give it a try in a Negroni.

 

[Tirvine]

For a splurge and treat Terroir is my favorite gin, which is a good thing. It is sooooo intense that a steady diet of it would be overwhelming. In a Negroni (I use Cocchi) most London dry gins almost get lost. Not Terroir. I usually make my martinis 3:1 with Dolin. Using Terroir the vermouth becomes almost undetectable.

 

[jesseix]

I’m a big fan of Broker’s. A local liquor store has had great deals on handles for the last year and a half, so it’s been a pretty consistent staple in my bar (and I continue to build my collection of the bowler hat tops).

 

[njpaddy]

How about it, any Broker's fans (or detractors) out there?

We sold our house late last year, and I couldn't believe how many Broker bowler caps I had tossed in back of the liquor cabinet.

Broker's, and even the lower proof Beefeater, are stilll my favorite gins. Broker's is an excellent gin, but expensive and not available everywhere in NJ. On our trips to Maine, or Kentucky, before Covid, I would stock up on Brokers and Beefeaters, cheaper in New Hampshire or Kentucky than NJ, for the return trip. However, being retired and downing half a fifth of gin a day in G&Ts, my best affordable daily gin is usually Gordons. I save Broker's or Beefeater's for special occasions. At the house I used to keep a Broker or Beefeater fifth bottle in the fridge filled with Gordons. With tonic and lemon wedge, no one ever knew the difference.