Spaniards love gin. In Barcelona, there are more than a dozen bars devoted entirely to it. And though gin has been made in Spain for centuries, only a handful of Spanish gins are sold in the United States for that classic “gintonic,” as it’s said in Spain. The latest arrival is Ginraw, made in Barcelona using two distilling methods: the classic copper pot still to create the spirit and, for introducing ingredients like citrus, laurel and cardamom, a low-temperature distilling technique, which is designed to preserve the essences of the botanicals. The gin is notably silky, with a whiff of spice up front and subtle citric richness on the palate. And for a proper gintonic, until bars and restaurants open their doors in New York City, there’s a cocktail stand outside Socarrat Paella Bar on Manhattan’s East Side, where Spanish-style drinks are mixed and sold along with tapas.
Ginraw Gastronomic Gin, $37, Brooklyn Wine Exchange, 138 Court Street (Atlantic Avenue), Cobble Hill, 718-855-9463, brooklynwineexchange.com; Gintonics, $10 and $12, Socarrat Paella Bar, 953 Second Avenue (50th Street), socarratnyc.com.
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