Happy New Year everyone!  For this first Friday of 2018, let’s indulge in a gin cocktail. No, not your typical martini per se, but a sibling to that vaunted and oh-so difficult to peg down bar staple. This simple twist on that martini features bold botanicals that sooth while warming the soul. Made with London dry gin and Italian vermouth, this ‘Gin & It’ has as clouded a back story as any cocktail. My research came up with many various ways it came into being, but the one that resonates with me is the story about this drink originally being called a ‘Gin & Cin’ – gin mixed with Cinzano sweet vermouth. If made with any other Italian vermouth, I can…