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Gin is a spirit flavoured with juniper berries. Distilled gin is made by redistilling white grain spirit and raw cane sugar which has been flavoured with juniper berries. Compound gin is made by flavouring neutral grain spirit with juniper berries without redistilling and can be considered a flavoured vodka.

The most common style of gin, typically used for mixed drinks, is London dry gin. London dry gin is made by taking a neutral grain spirit (usually produced in a column still) and redistilling after the botanicals are added. In addition to juniper, it is usually made with amounts of citrus botanicals like lemon and bitter orange peel. Other botanicals that may be used include anise, angelica root and seed, orris root, licorice root, cinnamon, coriander, and cassia bark.

Plymouth Gin has a different recipe, and is made without the bitter botanicals of London dry gin. It has lemon and orange, angelica, anise, cardamom, coriander and Juniper. Bitter lemon and orange are not used.

Distilled gin evolved from the Dutch spirits jonge- and oude- Jenever or Genever (young and old Dutch gin), Plymouth gin, and Old Tom gin. Sloe gin is a common ready-sweetened form of gin that is traditionally made by infusing sloes (the fruit of the blackthorn) in gin. Similar infusions are possible with other fruits, such as damsons (See Damson gin).

A well-made gin will be relatively dry compared to other spirits. Gin is often mixed in cocktails with sweeter ingredients like tonic water or vermouth to balance this dryness.

Contents 1 History 2 Cocktails with gin 3 Brands of gin 3.1 Notable brands 3.2 Historical brands 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

[edit] History

Gins originated in the Netherlands in the 17th century. It is a common misconception that the word gin derives from the Swiss city, Geneva. In fact, the word gin derives from the French word for juniper— genévrier— which is the fruit that flavours the drink. Its invention is often credited to the physician Franciscus Sylvius.^[1][2] It was sold in pharmacies and used to treat such medical problems as kidney ailments, lumbago, stomach ailments, gallstones, and gout. It spread to England after the Glorious Revolution put William of Orange on the British throne. Dutch gin, also known as jenever or genever, is a distinctly different drink from English-style gin; it is distilled with barley and sometimes aged in wood, giving it a slight resemblance to whisky. Schiedam, in South Holland, is famous for its jenever. Jenever is produced in a pot still and is typically lower in alcohol and more strongly flavoured than London gin^{[citation needed]}.

Gin became popular in England after the government allowed unlicensed gin production and at the same time imposed a heavy duty on all imported spirits. This created a market for poor-quality grain that was unfit for brewing beer, and thousands of gin-shops sprang up throughout England. By 1740 the production of gin had increased to six times that of beer, and because of its cheapness it became popular with the poor. Of the 15,000 drinking establishments in London, over half were gin-shops. Beer maintained a healthy reputation as it was often safer to drink the brewed ale than unclean plain water. Gin, though, was blamed for various social and medical problems, and it may have been a factor in the higher death rates which stabilized London's previously growing population. The reputation of the two drinks was illustrated by William Hogarth in his engravings Beer Street and Gin Lane (1751). This negative reputation survives today in the English language, in terms like "gin-mills" to describe disreputable bars or "gin-soaked" to refer to drunks, and in the phrase "Mother's Ruin," a common British name for gin.

The Gin Act 1736 imposed high taxes on retailers and led to riots in the streets. The prohibitive duty was gradually reduced and finally abolished in 1742. The Gin Act 1751 was more successful, however. It forced distillers to sell only to licensed retailers and brought gin-shops under the jurisdiction of local magistrates. Gin in the 18th century was produced in pot stills, and was somewhat sweeter than the London gin known today.

In London in the early eighteenth century, gin sold on the black market was prepared in illicit stills (of which there were 1500 in 1726) and was often adulterated with turpentine and sulfuric acid. [1] As late as 1913 Webster's Dictionary states without further comment that 'Common gin is usually flavored with turpentine.' [2]

The column still was invented in 1832, and the "London dry" style was developed later in the 19th century. In tropical British colonies, gin was used to mask the bitter flavour of quinine, a protection against malaria, which was dissolved in carbonated water to form tonic water. This was the origin of today's popular gin and tonic combination, even though it is not necessary for the majority of today's consumers of the drink. Quinine is still prescribed for malaria in many developing countries where more recent treatments are prohibitively expensive.^[3][4]

Gin is a popular base spirit for many mixed drinks, including the martini. Secretly produced "bathtub gin" was commonly available in the speakeasies and "blind pigs" of Prohibition-era America due to the relative simplicity of the production method. Gin remained popular as the basis of many cocktails after the repeal of Prohibition.

The National Gin Museum is in Hasselt, Belgium.

[edit] Cocktails with gin

20th Century Allen - Gin with lemon juice and Maraschino liqueur Easy Street - Gin and Sprite[citations needed] Apoica[citation needed] Cráter - gin and coke[citation needed] Gimlet - gin and lime juice Gin and Tonic - gin and tonic water Gin Rickey - gin, lime juice and carbonated water Gin Fizz Gin bucket Gin Milk Punch - gin and milk [5] Gin Sour

The Last Word Long Island Iced Tea Maiden's Prayer[6] Martini - gin and vermouth Negroni Old Etonian Orange Blossom - Plymouth gin and orange juice [7] Pimm's N°1. Pink Gin Punkdutch[citation needed] Ramos gin fizz

Salty Dog Satan's Whiskers Singapore Sling Snoop Dogg, gin and juice (orange)[8] [9] Tin Roof Tom Collins Tranny Dogg, gin with cranberry juice and pineapple juice[10] London Mule, the Gin version of a Moscow Mule Wefwesher,gin and grapefruit Freska. Uncle Makee, gin and any cola with lime White Lady

Gin is often combined with a number of other mixers.

[edit] Brands of gin

[edit] Notable brands

Aviation - full and weighty mouth feel, Pacific Northwest inspired flavors of earth and spice, uniquely cool finish. Junípero - Dry British style, award winning gin distilled since 1997 by Anchor Distilling, an offshoot of beer maker Anchor Brewing in San Francisco. Beefeater - First produced in 1820 BOLS Damrak Amsterdam - Dutch jenever Blue Gin - a vintage 2006 gin distilled with juniper and celery Bombay Sapphire - distilled with ten botanicals Boodles British Gin Booth's - first produced in 1790 by Sir Felix Booth Brockmans Gin - intensely smooth premium gin with coriander, Valencia orange peel and blueberries and blackberries Broker's - specially blended to be dry, ideal with tonic. Bulldog Gin - infused with Poppy and Dragon Eye Citadelle - 19 exotic botanicals, made in Cognac Cork Dry Gin - First distilled at the Watercourse Distillery in Cork City in 1793, now Ireland's best selling Gin. Damrak - Sweet candied citrus aromas with a spicy licorice and a juniper edge. Desert Juniper Gin - Micro-distilled from 100% natural grains, fresh Northwest botanicals and hand picked wild juniper berries. Filliers - Belgian jenever Gabriel Boudier - A Saffron Gin distilled in Dijon, France since 1874. Gilbey's - blend of natural ingredients achieves ideal mix of complexity and balance. Ginebra San Miguel - produced in the Philippines Gordon's - "by appointment to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain" Greenall's G'vine - based on an Ugni Blanc base spirit and infused with green grape flowers Hertekamp - Belgian jenever Hendrick's Gin - An unusual gin made in Scotland, infused with cucumber and rose petals. Kensington - made from grain, Scottish mineral water, 15 botanicals and new American oak barrels imported from Kentucky

Jensen's Bermondsey Gin - London distilled dry gin Magellan Martin Miller's Gin - A dry-style gin that is distilled using a copper pot still in the Black Country, that is then blended and bottled in Iceland New Amsterdam - From E. & J. Gallo Winery, a Dutch (Jenever) style gin No.209 - Made in the 209th registered distillery in San Francisco, using a 'one-shot' method to create a 'bright' dry-style gin Old Raj - distinctive, contains measure of saffron, imparting a pale yellow color. Old Tom gin Petermans - Belgian jenever Pink47 - a London Dry Gin with twelve botanicals and retailed in a unique 'diamond' bottle Plymouth - first distilled in 1793 Quintessential - strong gin with juniper and pepper punch, slight bitter finish, good balance Right - made of corn, distilled five times, blend of botanicals, crisp, clean finish Seagram's Gin South Gin - from New Zealand using New Zealand-native manuka berries and kawa kawa leaves Steinhäger Silver Dry Gin - a Finnish Gin Tanqueray Uganda Waragi - triple distilled Ugandan Waragi Gin Whitley Neill Gin - Small batch Super-premium gin distilled with Baobab fruit and Cape Gooseberries Vickers London Dry Gin - Light, clean and crisp whilst smooth and delicate, Australian Gin Konyagi - Produced and sold in Tanzania Zuidam - small batch production, individual ingredient distillation, Holland gin

[edit] Historical brands

• Fleischmann's Gin - Marketed as the original American gin, first distilled in 1870^[11]

[edit] See also

• List of cocktails

[edit] References

• Deegan, Grant (Fall 1999). "From the bathtub to the boardroom: gin and its history". MY2K: Martini 2000 1 (1). http://www.mixology.com/issues/my2k/science/gin.htm. 
• Dillon, Patrick (2002). The Much-lamented Death of Madam Geneva: The Eighteenth-century Gin Craze. London: Headline Review. ISBN 0-7472-3545-7. 

[edit] External links

• A thorough article about the history and types of gin
• Recipes with Gin
• Gin news page - Alcohol and Drugs History Society
• Gin in Victorian London

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