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The history of gin began in the XNUMXth century in Holland – it was in the Dutch monasteries that juniper tinctures appeared, used mainly for medicinal purposes. The first surviving printed recipe for genever (as gin was called in Belgium and Holland) dates back to the XNUMXth century, and in the middle of the XNUMXth century it was popularized by Dr.Francis Silvius.
Contrary to popular belief, Aesculapius did not invent the famous alcoholic drink – gin appeared much earlier, and is even mentioned in Philip Massinger’s play The Duke of Milan, written in 1623, when Silvius was not even ten years old.
What is “genever”
Genever (from Hol. jeneverbes, “juniper”) is a Dutch gin, the ancestor of the modern “London Dry”, which is still popular in its homeland. Genever is produced in ordinary pot stills by distillation of grain wort with the addition of juniper berries and spices directly into the mash before distillation. In turn, modern London dry gin is made by re-distilling juniper gin in pure alcohol. This is the main difference between the two drinks.
Genever has the status of a name fixed geographically – that is, only Belgian and Dutch juniper vodka can be called that way. A similar drink, made exactly according to the recipe outside the specified area, will have a different name.
The Belgian “juniper” after the third or fourth distillation is either immediately bottled or aged in oak barrels, so that the alcohol gets a rich and deep taste. Genever is sweeter and softer than British gin, and also contains more aromatics and spices.
The history of the genie in England
Speaking of gin, today we mean the famous London Dry Gin, dry juniper vodka with a strength of 37.5%. However, gin was not always like this, moreover – despite strong associations with Foggy Albion, juniper tincture appeared not on the British shores, but in Flanders.
For the first time, English soldiers became acquainted with “Dutch valor” during the Eighty Years War in 1585. Then came the Glorious Revolution of 1688, when the Dutchman William of Orange took over the British throne, and the genie was finally entrenched in Britain.
In those days, gin was made from low-quality wheat, unsuitable for the production of “noble” beer. This made it possible to use raw materials that were previously simply thrown away, in addition, a license was not required to brew gin, it was enough only to publicly declare its intention and wait ten days. All this, plus high duties on imported alcohol, led to the fact that in 1740 England produced six times more gin than ale, and out of 15 drinking establishments, at least half were specialized in “juniper”.
Low quality was compensated by an affordable price, and very soon gin became the “official” drink of the poor – it came to the point that unskilled workers and servants were paid with a “juniper”.
The story of the genie was not without excitement. From 1729, production required a license for £ 20, and distillers had to pay 2 shillings in tax on each gallon of production. On September 29, 1736, the British government introduced the highly unpopular “gin act” which imposed high taxes on gin sellers. Now the retail license cost £ 50, and the duty rose to a pound per gallon, and the price of the drink itself rose in proportion to this. Popular revolts followed, and duties were first reduced, and in 1742 and canceled.
Nine years later, in 1751, the authorities acted smarter: the second “gin act” ordered the producers of juniper vodka to distribute their products only to licensed sellers, which helped to improve the quality of alcohol and streamline the variety of recipes and varieties. Local magistrates were empowered to monitor the implementation of the act and control this area. The scheme turned out to be so successful that it still functions.
In 1832, vertical distillation using the distillation column was invented, and almost immediately London dry gin as we know and love it today was born. This drink was especially popular during Prohibition in America, because it was much more profitable to smuggle strong alcohol than weak drinks.
Unlike vodka or other analogs, “juniper” is easy to drink and serves as the basis for many cocktails or standalone drinks, like ladies’ martini, besides, this alcohol has healing properties, and the participants of the East Indian company drank the classic gin and tonic to protect themselves from malaria and other tropical diseases.
In the XNUMXth century, Old Tom gin became popular for a short time – a kind of bridge link between Genever and London Dry: it is still quite soft and sweet, but not as aromatic as its Dutch counterpart. Now this variety can be found only in a few establishments, it is almost out of use and enjoys the favor of only a small number of old-fashioned connoisseurs.
In addition to the classic juniper gin, you can find sloe and thorn varieties on sale, and since 2009, on the second Sunday of June, International Gin Day is celebrated.
Curious facts from the history of the creation of gin
Juniper essence was originally used as a medicine, but the population liked it so much that pseudo-sick people began to seek medical help even without objective reasons, only for the doctor to give them the desired portion of jenever.
Dutch gin was known in England under the name “Dutch valor”: during the Thirty Years’ War of 1618-1648, British soldiers noticed how brave their Dutch comrades were and attributed this to genever, which was part of the diet of the Flemish warriors.
In the XNUMXth century, gin became a real curse of the poor – writers and scientists of that time noted that the London lower strata of the population literally “do not dry out” from morning to evening. However, the fact is that for poor people, gin was the only affordable way to protect themselves from numerous stomach infections.
Old Tom was an attempt to circumvent the law governing the sale of gin. Drinking establishments that served this drink had a secret sign – a black cat.
It turned out that gin helps well against seasickness, so this alcohol eventually entered the sailor’s diet.
