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| − | '''Gin''' is a [[distilled beverage|spirit]], or strong [[alcoholic beverage]]. It is made from the distillation of white grain spirit and [[juniper]] berries, which provide its distinctive flavour. The taste of ordinary gin is very [[dry (property of alcohol)|dry]], and as such it is rarely drunk on its own. It should not be confused with [[sloe gin]], a sweet liqueur traditionally made from [[sloe]] berries (blackthorn fruit) infused in gin.
| + | A list of cocktails using [[gin]] as their primary ingredient. |
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| − | The most common style of gin, typically used for mixed drinks, is "London dry gin", which refers not to brand, marque, or origin, but to a distillation process. London dry gin is a high proof spirit, usually produced in a [[column still]] and redistilled after the [[botanicals]] are added to the base spirit. In addition to juniper, it is usually made with a small amount citrus botanicals like lemon and [[bitter orange]] peel. Other botanicals that may be used include [[anise]], [[angelica]] root, [[orris]] root, [[cinnamon]], [[coriander]], and [[cassia]] bark.
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| − | A well-made gin will be very dry with a smooth texture lacking in harshness. The flavor will be harmonious yet have a crisp character with a pronounced Juniper flavor. | + | |
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| − | Other types of gin include [[Jenever]] (Dutch gin), Plymouth gin, and Old Tom gin (said to approximate the pot-distilled 18th century spirit).
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| − | == History ==
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| − | Gin originated in the [[Netherlands]] in the [[17th century]] - its invention is often credited to the physician [[Franciscus Sylvius]]. From there it spread to [[England]] after the [[Glorious Revolution]] put a Dutchman on the English throne. Dutch gin, known as ''jenever'', is a distinctly different drink from English-style gin; it is [[Distillation|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 flavored than London gin.
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| − | [[Image:GinLane.jpg|thumb|Hogarth's Gin Lane]]
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| − | Gin became very popular in England after the government created a market for poor quality grain that was unfit to be used in brewing beer by allowing unlicensed gin production and at the same time imposing a heavy [[duty]] on all imported spirits. Thousands of gin-shops sprang up all over England. By [[1740]] the production of gin had increased to six times that of [[beer]] and because of its cheapness it became extremely 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, but gin was blamed for various social and medical problems, and may have been a factor in the high death rate that caused London's previously increasing population to remain stable. 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; terms such as "gin-mills" to describe disreputable bars or calling drunks "gin-soaked". The [[Gin Act 1736]] imposed high taxes on retailers but led to riots in the streets. The prohibitive duty was gradually reduced and finally abolished in [[1742]]. The [[Gin Act 1751]] however was more successful. 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.
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| − | In [[1832]] the [[column still]] was invented, and later in the 19th century the London dry style was developed. Gin thus became a more respectable drink. In tropical English colonies, gin was used to mask the flavor of [[quinine]], a protection against [[malaria]], which was diluted in [[tonic water]]. This was the origin of today's popular [[Gin and tonic]], even though quinine is no longer effective against malaria. Many other gin-based mixed drinks were invented, including the [[martini cocktail|martini]]. Gin, in the form of secretly-produced "bathtub gin", was a common drink in the [[speakeasy|speakeasies]] of [[Prohibition]]-era America due to the relative simplicity of the basic production methods. It remained popular as the basis of many [[cocktail]]s after the repeal of Prohibition.
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| − | At the present time there are numerous types and manufactures of gin, the most notable of which are listed below. During the most recent gin-tasting competitions it was held that the relatively new [[Tanqueray|Tanqueray Ten]] was the world champion of gins followed closely by the previous world winner [[Bombay Sapphire]]. In 2005 [[South Gin]] made by Pacific Dawn Distillers of New Zealand received the ‘Grand Gold with Palm Leaves’ at the Monde Selection in Brussels rating it as the best gin in the world.
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| − | In [[Hasselt]], [[Belgium]] is the National Gin Museum.
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| − | ==Premium / Famous gin brands==
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| − | [[Image:Bombay-sapphire.jpg|thumb|A bottle of [[Bombay Sapphire]] brand gin.]]
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| − | *[[Beefeater gin|Beefeater]] - first produced in [[1820]]
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| − | *[[Blackwood's Superior Nordic Vintage Dry Gin]]
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| − | *[[Bombay gin|Bombay]] - [[Distillation|distilled]] with eight botanicals
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| − | *[[Booth's Gin|Booth's]] - first produced in [[1790]] by Sir [[Felix Booth]]
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| − | *[[Bombay Sapphire]] - distilled with ten botanicals
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| − | *[[Ginebra San Miguel]] - has juniper berries as its main flavor, produced by the company of the same name and is the largest-selling gin in the world although it is mainly sold in the [[Philippines]]
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| − | *[[Gordon's gin|Gordon's]]
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| − | *[[Greenall]]'s
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| − | *[[Hendrick's Gin]] - infused with cucumber, coriander, citrus peel and rose petals
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| − | *[[DH Krahn Gin]]
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| − | *[[Plymouth gin|Plymouth]] - first distilled in [[1793]]
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| − | *[[Seagram]]'s
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| − | *[[South Gin]] - triple distilled in [[New Zealand]] using nine botanicals, two of which are native: [[manuka]] berries and [[kawakawa (tree)|kawa kawa]] leaves, believed by the indigenous [[Māori]] people to offer medicinal properties
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| − | *[[Tanqueray]]
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| − | *[[Tanqueray Ten]]
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| − | ==Other gin brands and variations==
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| − | *Anchor Junipero Gin - produced in [[California]] by [[Anchor Steam Brewery]]
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| − | *Bafferts Gin - [[Distillation|Triple-distilled]] with four botanicals in England
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| − | *Barton Gin
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| − | *Bellringer Gin - 94.4 proof English gin.
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| − | *Bols Gin
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| − | *Bombadier Military Gin
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| − | *Boodles British Gin - 90.4 proof gin
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| − | *Boomsma Jonge Genevere Gin
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| − | *Broker's Premium Dry London Gin
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| − | *Burnett's Crown Select Gin
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| − | *Caballito: Panama's finest export gin
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| − | *Cadenhead's Old Raj Gin - 110 proof gin containing a small amount of [[saffron]], which imparts a slight yellowish/greenish tint.
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| − | *Citadelle - distilled with nineteen botanicals in [[France]]
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| − | *Cork Dry
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| − | *Cascade Mountain Gin - uses hand-picked wild juniper berries, distilled in [[Oregon]]
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| − | *Demrak Amsterdam - distilled five times with seventeen botanicals
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| − | *Dirty Olive - olive-flavored
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| − | *Fleischmann's Gin - Marketed as the original American gin, first distilled in 1870
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| − | *Gilbey's London Dry Gin
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| − | *Gin Bulag - the Philippines' most famous choice of gin. Directly translated as "Blind Gin," this concoction has been aptly named after gin drunkards have been reported to lose their eyesight after three straight days of gin insobriety.
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| − | *Gin Llave - Argentina's prime and extra-smooth concoction.
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| − | *Gin [[Xoriguer]] - [[Minorca]]n local gin
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| − | *Gordon's London Gin (By Appointment To Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain)
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| − | *Hamptons Gin
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| − | *Juniper Green Organic Gin - first gin made from all organic ingredients in England with four botanicals
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| − | *Leyden Dry Gin - Distilled three times in small batches, twice in [[column still]]s then in a [[pot still]]
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| − | *Quintessential
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| − | *Sarticious Gin - Dutch style gin distilled in Santa Cruz, California, orange and cilantro
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| − | *[[Steinhäger]]
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| − | *Swordsman
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| − | *[[Van Gogh]] Gin - Dutch gin produced with ten botanicals in small batches. Triple distilled, twice in column stills then in a traditional pot still
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| − | ==External links==
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| − | * [http://www.tastings.com/spirits/gin.html] A thorough article about the history and types of gin.
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| − | * [http://www.gintime.com Gintime.com]
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| − | * [http://www.victorianlondon.org/entertainment/ginpalaces.htm Gin in Victorian London]
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| − | * [http://extratasty.com/recipes/tagged/gin Recipes with Gin]
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