Product Code Database
Gin () is a Liquor flavoured with Juniper berry and other botanical ingredients.
Gin originated as a medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe. The modern gin was modified in Flanders and the Netherlands to provide aqua vita from distillates of grapes and grains, becoming an object of commerce in the Alcohol industry. Gin became popular in England after the introduction of jenever, a Dutch and Belgian liquor. Although this development had been taking place since the early 17th century, gin became widespread after the 1688 Glorious Revolution led by William of Orange and subsequent import restrictions on French brandy. Gin emerged as the national alcoholic drink of England during the Gin Craze of 1695–1735.
Gin is produced from a wide range of herbal ingredients in a number of distinct styles and brands. After juniper, gin tends to be flavoured with herbs, spices, floral or fruit flavours, or often a combination. It is commonly mixed with tonic water in a gin and tonic. Gin is also used as a base spirit to produce flavoured, gin-based , for example sloe gin, traditionally produced by the addition of fruit, flavourings and sugar.
The monks used it to distill sharp, fiery, alcoholic tonics, one of which was distilled from wine infused with juniper berries. They were making medicines, hence the juniper. As a medicinal herb, juniper had been an essential part of doctors' kits for centuries; plague doctors stuffed the beaks of their plague masks with juniper to supposedly protect them from the Black Death. Across Europe, apothecaries handed out juniper tonic wines for coughs, colds, pains, strains, ruptures and cramps. These were a popular cure-all, though some thought these tonic wines to be a little too popular, and consumed for enjoyment rather than medicinal purposes.
By the mid-17th century, numerous small Dutch and Flemish distillers had popularized the re-distillation of barley spirit or malt wine with juniper, also anise, caraway, coriander, etc., which were sold in Pharmacy and used to treat such medical problems as kidney ailments, lumbago, stomach ailments, , and gout. Gin emerged in England in varying forms by the early 17th century, and at the time of the Stuart Restoration, enjoyed a brief resurgence. Gin became vastly more popular as an alternative to brandy, when William III and Mary II became co-sovereigns of England, Scotland and Ireland after leading the Glorious Revolution. Particularly in crude, inferior forms, it was more likely to be flavoured with turpentine. Historian Angela McShane has described it as a "Protestant drink" as its rise was brought about by a Protestant king, fuelling his armies fighting the Catholic Irish and French. (2025). 9781471174490, Simon & Schuster Ltd. ISBN 9781471174490
The Gin Craze 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, but 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 , and thus had a maltier profile than modern London gin.
In London in the early 18th century, much gin was distilled legally in residential houses (there were estimated to be 1,500 residential stills in 1726) and was often flavoured with turpentine to generate resinous woody notes in addition to the juniper. As late as 1913, Webster's Dictionary states without further comment, "'common gin' is usually flavoured with turpentine".
Another common variation was to distill in the presence of sulfuric acid. Although the acid itself does not distil, it imparts the additional aroma of diethyl ether to the resulting gin. Sulfuric acid subtracts one water molecule from two ethanol molecules to create diethyl ether, which also forms an azeotrope with ethanol, and therefore distils with it. The result is a sweeter spirit, and one that may have possessed additional analgesic or even intoxicating effects.
Dutch or Belgian gin, also known as jenever or genever, evolved from malt wine spirits, and is a distinctly different drink from later styles of gin. Schiedam, a city in the province of South Holland, is famous for its jenever-producing history. The same for Hasselt in the Belgian province of Limburg. The oude (old) style of jenever remained very popular throughout the 19th century, where it was referred to as Holland or Geneva gin in popular, American, pre-Prohibition bartender guides.Johnson, Harry; "Harry Johnson's New and Improved Bartender's Manual; 1900.";
The 18th century gave rise to a style of gin referred to as Old Tom gin, which is a softer, sweeter style of gin, often containing sugar. Old Tom gin faded in popularity by the early 20th century.
In tropical British colonies gin was used to mask the bitter flavour of quinine, which was the only effective anti-malarial compound. Quinine was dissolved in carbonated water to form tonic water; the resulting cocktail is gin and tonic, although modern tonic water contains only a trace of quinine as a flavouring. Gin is a common base spirit for many mixed drinks, including the martini cocktail. Secretly produced "bathtub gin" was available in the speakeasy and "blind pigs" of Prohibition-era America as a result of the relatively simple production.
Sloe gin is traditionally described as a liqueur made by infusing Blackthorn (the fruit of the blackthorn) in gin, although modern versions are almost always compounded from neutral spirits and flavourings. Similar infusions are possible with other fruits, such as . Another popular gin-based liqueur with a longstanding history is Pimm's No.1 Cup (25% alcohol by volume (ABV)), which is a fruit cup flavoured with citrus and spices.
The National Jenever Museums are located in Hasselt in Belgium, and Schiedam in the Netherlands.
Although London gin is the strictest of distilled gin categories, it is not a geographical designation.
Pot distilled gin represents the earliest style of gin, and is traditionally produced by pot distilling a fermented grain Mash ingredients (malt wine) from barley or other grains, then redistilling it with flavouring botanicals to extract the aromatic compounds. A double gin can be produced by redistilling the first gin again with more botanicals. Due to the use of Pot still, the alcohol content of the distillate is relatively low; around 68% ABV for a single distilled gin or 76% ABV for a double gin. This type of gin is often aged in tanks or wooden casks, and retains a heavier, malty flavour that gives it a marked resemblance to whisky. Korenwijn (grain wine) and the oude (old) style of Geneva gin or Holland gin represent the most prominent gins of this class.
Column distilled gin evolved following the invention of the Coffey still, and is produced by first distilling high proof (e.g. 96% ABV) Rectified spirit from a fermented mash or wash using a refluxing still such as a column still. The fermentable base for this spirit may be derived from grain, , , , sugar cane, plain sugar, or any other material of agricultural origin. The highly concentrated spirit is then redistilled with juniper berries and other botanicals in a pot still. Most often, the botanicals are suspended in a "gin basket" positioned within the head of the still, which allows the hot alcoholic vapours to extract flavouring components from the botanical charge. This method yields a gin lighter in flavour than the older pot still method, and results in either a distilled gin or London dry gin, depending largely upon how the spirit is finished. The evolution of hybrid (or computer-controlled) stills to control the amount of flavour or reflux has resulted in smoother spirits produced by smaller distilleries around the world.
Compound gin is made by compounding (blending) neutral spirits with essences, other natural flavourings, or ingredients left to infuse in neutral spirit without redistillation.
Chemical research has begun to identify the various chemicals that are extracted in the distillation process and contribute to gin's flavouring. For example, juniper come from juniper berries. Citric and berry flavours come from chemicals such as limonene and gamma-terpinene linalool found in limes, blueberries and hops amongst others. Floral notes come from compounds such as geraniol and eugenol. Spice-like flavours come from chemicals such as sabinene, delta-3-carene, and para-cymene.
In 2018, more than half the growth in the UK gin category was contributed by flavoured gin.
Flavouring
Botanical ingredients used to flavour gin include various spices, roots and fruits. The most common ingredient, besides the required juniper, is coriander, which adds a warm, spicy citrus-like flavour. Common spice botanicals include cinnamon, cassia, cardamom, pepper (Black pepper or Sichuan pepper), and nutmeg. Root botanicals, which add their own flavour but also aid in combining and fixing more volatile flavours together, include angelica root, orris root, and liquorice root. Citrus peels are the most common fruit botanicals and are used for their flavoursome oils which impart fresh citrus flavours, but also a gentle heat; the most commonly used are lemon, orange, and grapefruit. Many distillers will add other exotic and mundane botanicals to impart a unique flavour and unique selling proposition; these include saffron, baobab, frankincense, clove, ginger, pine needles and cone, grains of paradise, dragon eye (longan), and many more.
Similar spirits
A similar drink, also made with juniper berries and called Borovička, is produced in the Slovakia.
Consumption
Classic gin cocktails
A well known gin cocktail is the martini, traditionally made with gin and vermouth. Several other notable gin-based drinks include:
Notable brands
See also
Further reading
External links
|
|
