Much less malty than genever and extra full-bodied than London dry, Outdated Tom gin bridges the hole between its Sixteenth-century Dutch predecessor and the modern standard-bearer, each stylistically and chronologically. And although it’d all however disappeared by the mid-Twentieth century, its early-aughts revival was met with enthusiasm from bartenders for good motive: Not solely does this barely candy type higher our understanding of traditional gin cocktails, it’s additionally helped heal the picture difficulty of one of many backbar’s most divisive spirits.
Although it could ultimately change into its personal distinct type, Outdated Tom started its story as an unsavory offshoot of the broadly common genever. By the early 18th century, tighter authorities regulation—put in place to curb alcohol consumption throughout London’s Gin Craze—had pushed distillers underground. With real genever briefly provide, gin distributors resorted to slicing their product with turpentine, usually masking its taste with naturally candy botanicals like licorice root, which resulted in a distinctly sweeter bootlegged product.
The period noticed quite a few steep licensing charges imposed on gin sellers, too, spurring a secretive workaround from which many counsel Outdated Tom takes its title. The apply, which supposedly started in 1736, was the brainchild of an Irish immigrant, Captain Dudley Bradstreet, who put in a painted signal above the window of his store depicting a black cat—colloquially, a “Tom.” His concept, which was broadly copied at comparable institutions round London, was that in-the-know gin seekers would insert cost by way of the window and name “Puss,” at which level, if spirit was obtainable, the vendor may reply “Mew,” and dole out a serving of gin.
By the top of the century, the title had caught, as had the sweeter type. (A turpentine-free model was first correctly bottled and offered underneath the title Outdated Tom in 1800.) It wasn’t till a lot later within the century that the London dry type would change into mainstream, aided initially by the 1830 introduction of the Coffey nonetheless, which allowed distillers to supply spirits at the next purity and with a lighter physique.
Many years later, in 1897, The New York Herald famous drinkers’ altering tastes in an article describing the drinks record on the Waldorf-Astoria resort: Although the Manhattan and the Martini (made with Italian vermouth and Outdated Tom gin) had been the most well-liked of the lot, the article emphasised a brand new, drier drink, consisting of equal components French vermouth and Plymouth gin. “The current demand is for the dry,” wrote the creator. Prohibition dealt Outdated Tom its ultimate blow: Not solely was there little incentive to bootleg the type, there was even much less to resurrect it by the point Repeal rolled round.
Outdated Tom wouldn’t formally be revived till 2007, when Hayman Distillers introduced again a household recipe relationship from 1870. However since then, it’s made a rapid bounce to the backbar, with bartenders wanting to recreate the flavors of historic, pre-Prohibition-era cocktails that featured the spirit—notably, the Martinez, Tom Collins and Alaska. Nevertheless, although it’s mostly present in spirit-forward, stirred drinks, it might work nicely on the base of lighter drinks like a julep, as in David Boelte’s summery Honeysuckle Julep.
“Outdated Tom is an exquisite factor,” says Danny Shapiro, head bartender at Chicago’s Scofflaw, the place company are inspired to benefit from the housemade Outdated Tom straight, out of a spent oyster shell. “I take pleasure in its versatility—it performs so nicely with so many issues.” In Shapiro’s Brockton Navy, Outdated Tom acts as a counter to bittersweet Amargo-Vallet liqueur, which will get a citrusy kick from lemon and a contact of sweetness from orgeat.
Utilized in mixture with different gins, Outdated Tom can add depth to drink bases. In Brian Miller’s Double Barrel Winchester, Outdated Tom is a part of a four-gin mix, for instance, whereas Al Sotack calls for 2 totally different Outdated Tom gins—one and a half ounces of Hayman’s, plus a half-ounce of Ransom—in his tackle the Bronx. “The Ransom is such a bizarre, particular factor,” says Sotack, and it really works greatest as an accent spirit.
At The Gin Joint in Charleston, South Carolina, beverage director James Bolt deploys the Outdated Tom in his Baboso to steadiness the bitter notes of two gentian-based aperitifs—Suze and Bonal—whereas rye, Cynar and Carpano Antica add a fall-friendly veneer to this full-bodied, stirred drink, garnished with a charred habanero. The trendy drink is a far cry from the classics Outdated Tom is understood for, and that’s by design. Bolt argues that the type is a uniquely approachable spirit: “Outdated Tom is a good gin to get non-gin drinkers to start out having fun with gin,” he says.
