New York Art Distillery's Dorothy Parker gin takes its name from the acerbic writer and critic who made the city's literary scene crackle in the 1920s. It's a fitting choice — this is a gin with personality, opinions, and just enough bite to keep you engaged. Produced in Brooklyn using a blend of traditional and distinctly American botanicals, it represents the New Western style at its most characterful.
The botanical bill is ambitious but not reckless: juniper, elderberry, cinnamon, hibiscus, citrus, and a proprietary blend that the distillery keeps deliberately vague. What I can tell you is that the result tastes distinctly American — bold, somewhat unorthodox, and thoroughly confident in its own identity.
On the Nose
The nose is immediately distinctive. Rather than leading with juniper, Dorothy Parker opens with a wave of elderberry and hibiscus — floral and slightly fruity, with a berry-like sweetness that's more hedgerow than confectionery. Juniper sits behind this, providing structure rather than dominance. There's cinnamon too, warm and dry, along with a brightness that reads as pink grapefruit. It's an inviting nose that signals something different from the outset.
The Palate
On the palate, the gin delivers on the nose's promises with some welcome additions. The elderberry sweetness translates into a rounded, almost berry-compote quality that is balanced by a firm citrus acidity. Juniper emerges more clearly here, providing the structural backbone that prevents the gin from becoming merely a flavoured spirit. The cinnamon adds depth without heat, and there's a pleasing dryness on the mid-palate that keeps everything in check.
The mouthfeel is medium-bodied, with a slight oiliness that speaks to careful distillation. At 44% ABV, it has enough presence to carry its botanicals without any alcoholic harshness.
The Finish
The finish is medium and gently warming. The florals recede, leaving juniper and a pleasant cinnamon-tinged spice that fades slowly. There's a final note of citrus brightness right at the end that lifts the whole experience.
Mixing Notes
In a gin and tonic, Dorothy Parker is interesting. The elderberry and hibiscus give the drink a very slight pink tint, and those floral notes play well against a light tonic like Fever-Tree Mediterranean. For cocktails, I'd recommend a Clover Club — the gin's berry notes amplify the raspberry syrup beautifully, and the result is one of the best versions of that cocktail I've made at home.
Where it's less successful is in a dry Martini. The floral and fruit notes, while appealing in other contexts, feel out of place in a drink that demands austerity. This is not a criticism of the gin, merely an acknowledgement that it knows where it belongs — and a bone-dry Martini isn't the place.
Dorothy Parker American Gin is a confident, well-executed example of the New Western style. It has genuine personality without descending into gimmickry, and its botanical choices feel deliberate rather than random. If Parker herself were to try it, I suspect she'd approve — and then say something devastatingly witty about the price.
