Ransom Old Tom Gin

Made in Oregon as a historically accurate revival of Old Tom Gin from the mid-1800s, Ransom Old Tom Gin ($36) is here to fill the gap between London Dry and the sweeter Jenever. With a malted barley base, Ransom adds an infusion of botanicals like juniper berries, orange peel, lemon peel, coriander seed, cardamon pods, and angelica root to create a flavorful spirit with herbal and citrus notes. As for the whole "Old Tom Gin" bit, the name supposedly comes from wooden cat-shaped planks — "old toms" — outside some pubs in 1700s England, into which passerby would deposit a penny, then slurp up a shot of gin poured by the bartenders inside through a tube between the cat's paws. Seriously, we couldn't make that up.