Leopold Meeks

I understand the preference for some brands, but Leopold Brothers Gin is not distributed everywhere. Could another mainstream gin be used? And could not Bittermen's grapefruit bitters be used?

Hey Dan,
The drink is built around that specific gin, so I'm afraid it may not with anything else. I'm going to say experiment, though! The key would be to find a gin that has a similar flavor profile that will work with the Green Chartreuse and bitters well. Perhaps another american small batch is out there that will work. American gins tend to have citrus notes that english ones don't. The citrus components of the gin are what make it work here (orange and pummelo zest). As far as bitters go, the Fee bros are what I had in mind & used, but experimentation will tell if Bittermans works well too.
It just doesn't work with well london dry gin though. Do let me know what you find. I'll see if I can come up with an alternate too.
-John

Maybe Bluecoat (out of Philly) would work - it's citrus + earthy/juniper

I agree. Give it a go.

<br />I stumbled upon this recipe and your notes. The one English gin, which is readily accessible and may work, is Tanqueray 10, which is notable for its citrus and floral notes. I haven't tried this recipe yet, but when I do, I'll let you know how things work out using Tanqueray 10.

Also, your notes go back to 2011 (my! how time flies!). In the intervening years, gin's popularity has increased. So, perhaps a microbrewery has developed a gin with the notes you are looking for. The newer American gins I have tasted or reviewed are not the light, fruity tasting gin you are looking for. Perhaps something has developed in England, however. Good luck in your search.

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No Leopold Bros gin? Use Tanqueray 10 for a great gin heavy drink. After reading the notes on "Leopold Meeks," and the necessity to use Leopold Bros gin because of its citrusey flavor, I decided to make "Leopold Meeks" using Tanqueray 10 because it is a citrus and botonical heavy gin. I also made one other change. Instead of using Fee grapefruit bitters (which I have), I opted for Bittermens hopped grapefruit bitters.

The outcome? A great gin drink without the traditional juniper berry taste. Not having used Fee's grapefruit bitters, I can't say if my choice to use the hopped grapefruit bitters was better or worse. All I can say is that it made for a great gin drink with a definite citrus bent. I rated my variation on "Leonard Meeks" as a 4.0.

One suggestion: use only 1 tsp of simple syrup and add a small amount until the desired level of sweetness is achieved. For my taste, one and one-half tsp of simple syrup was much too sweet. Finally, I used a large Old Fashion glass, and after rinsing it with the Green Chartreuse, I poured in the liquid ingredients, floated a large ice cube, and then added the lemon twist garnish. The over-sized ice cube kept the drink nice and cold with minimal dilution. This is a drink that many will enjoy, even without the Leopold Bros gin.

Mojo: The recipe calls for 1 1/2 tsp of simple :-)

<br />Thanks for bringing to my attention the typo I made. I meant tsp, not ounces. I carefully measured out one and one-half teaspoons. So I still stand by my recommendation to start with less simple syrup than what the recipe calls for. Perhaps many people will prefer one and one-half tsp of simple sugar in this drink. However, I believe most will find it too sweet; hence my suggestion to start of with one tsp of simple syrup, and slowly add more until the desired level of sweetness is achieved. Regardless, I thank you for pointing out the typo I made. I went back and made corrections in the original comment I made yesterday.