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Gin! Mother’s milk, mother’s destroyer, Madame Geneva, Dutch courage. A thousand-year history has awarded the genie with many nicknames. The drink, which has been associated with medicine, the decline of British society, famous writers and the rise of mixology, has experienced an unprecedented rise in popularity since the early XNUMXs. In other words, it’s a shame not to know what gin is in all its diversity and its intricate, intriguing and sometimes controversial history.
In its simplest form, gin is a colorless, “neutral” spirit that is made by distilling or rectifying fermented grain must with juniper berries. Of course, gin producers are not limited to juniper, as well as raw materials for alcohol (traditionally, molasses is used to produce the “base”). The composition of flavoring components, in addition to juniper, usually includes from 6 to 10 different herbs, spices, fruits, berries and even vegetables, known under the general term “botany”. Some gins contain over 40 aromatic botanical ingredients, including the most popular ones: coriander, angelica root, citrus peel, cardamom, nutmeg, almond, cinnamon, grains of paradise, orris root, cubeb pepper, anise, licorice, galangal, saffron, rosemary, lavender and many, many other representatives of the plant world.
Various combinations and concentrations of botanically derived substances, as well as the use of traditional or unique production methods, give rise to many variations in the taste of a wide variety of gins. And the variety of gin is really impressive, especially among the products of the so-called “new wave”, when enthusiastic distillers around the world decided to revive the tradition of the No. 1 cocktail ingredient. In order not to get confused in all this abundance, you should at least know a little about the methods of production and classification of gin. Let’s start with this…
Gin production methods
Several distinctive ways of producing gin have evolved over the centuries. Their evolution was the constant modernization of the methods of distillation and flavoring of the drink. The result of this evolution are three main ways of making gin:
- Gin distilled in a copper still (Pot distilled gin) – a production method that involves preparing a drink in pot still machines. Traditionally, the production of this gin is done by distilling a grain mash from barley and other grains, and then re-distilling the resulting distillate with juniper and other aromatic ingredients. Sweat-distilled gins tend to be richer, thicker, “oilier” and closest to the original Dutch style, genever.
- Rectified gin (Column distilled gin) – a production method that involves the distillation of a drink in column-type apparatuses, which became possible thanks to the invention of the Coffee still column. Technology: first, neutral alcohol is obtained, using any sugar- or starch-containing raw materials for the preparation of the wort, and then it is flavored by re-rectification with juniper and other botany. Usually, the entire botanical is suspended in the apparatus at the neck in the so-called “gin basket”, through which alcohol vapors pass, “capturing” the fragrant components of this botanical. But there are other ways to flavor, like macerating the botanicals in alcohol before distilling it. Rectification allows you to get light, clear, refined gins with delicate organoleptics, which are called either “distilled gin” (distilled gin) or dry London gin (London Dry Gin), depending on the feedstock and further manipulations with the resulting product.
- compound gin (Compound gin) – a production method that involves flavoring neutral alcohol with essences or other “natural flavors”, without further distillation. Less popular, but still used by some cheap gin producers. By and large, Compound gin is an imitation of gin, a compound (here I mean a mixture of pure alcohol and flavored alcohol extracts) juniper tincture and is the easiest to reproduce at home.
Jin is easy enough to reproduce at home. You will find recipes and descriptions of various technologies for preparing this drink in the extensive material of our deeply respected Don Anointed.
Legal classification of gin in the EU
Based on production methods and other legal subtleties, all gin produced in the EU has been classified as follows since 2008:
- Juniper Flavored Alcoholic Beverages (Juniper-flavoured spirit drinks) – produced by the Pot distilled gin method, the minimum strength is 30%. This category of drinks includes many prototypes of gin and its regional varieties, for example, Wacholder (in Germany, all juniper-flavored drinks, including distilled gin, can be called under this term, but a drink with this name is most similar to genever) or Ginebra.
- Gin (Gin) – juniper-flavored alcohol, virtually any alcohol produced by the Compound gin method. The predominant aroma must be juniper.
- distilled gin (Distilled gin) – produced exclusively by distillation of pure alcohol in traditional gin distillers, in the presence of juniper berries and other botany, provided that the taste of juniper is predominant. Nearly all non-London gin gins are classified as distilled. Look for the words “distilled gin” on the bottles with such gin and you will definitely not fall into the hands of a low-quality product made using the Compound gin method.
- London gin (London gin) – a drink prepared by the Column distilled gin method from ethyl alcohol that meets certain standards (regulation mainly concerns the level of methanol in the composition of such alcohol, much attention is paid to this in the EU). In most cases, London gin is described as a separate style of London Dry Gin, the main differences from Distilled gin of which you will find in the next chapter.
From a legal point of view, the classification of gin is confusing and in each region it has its own characteristics (for example, in Canada, dry London gin can be called a drink prepared both with and without distillation, the main thing is that it does not contain sweeteners). In fact, each manufacturer has worked out its own technology for producing a drink, which is simply called gin, which can use both columns and copper stills. In other words, in order to understand the varieties of gin, it is better not to pay attention to the legal aspects and methods of production, but to delve into the classification by style, which is more informative and understandable.
Classification of gin by style
There are a lot of styles and sub-styles of gin, but the most important, of course, are the following:
London dry gin / London Dry Gin – this category, also known as “English style”, is the quintessence of gin itself. This is a traditional, familiar to us dry (contains minimal or no sugar) gin, with a bright juniper and citrus aroma, one of the most significant cocktail ingredients. For a gin to be considered London Dry, it must not contain any artificial flavors or colors; it must be distilled (on columns with all the prescribed botany) to at least 70% alcohol by volume; after distillation, only water, neutral grain alcohol and a small amount of sugar (not more than 0,1 g / l) can be added to the distillate. London dry gin has a minimum alcohol content of 37,5% by EU law and 40% in the US. The term “London” in the description of this type of gin does not mean the origin, but rather a style that can be produced anywhere in the world.
Style representatives: Bombay Sapphire, Tanqueray, Broker’s, Gordon’s
Plymouth Gin / Plymouth Gin – A gin with PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) status, can only be made in Plymouth, England. At the time of this writing, Plymouth Gin is made by only one distillery: Plymouth Gin Distillery. As a style, Plymouth Gin is less dry than London Dry and contains more root ingredients in the botanical composition, resulting in a rougher taste than its London counterpart, but otherwise not much different from it.
Style representatives: Plymouth
Gene Old Tom / Old Tom is a popular style of the 18th century, experiencing a revival in the wake of the popularity of gin in the United States. Old Tom is much sweeter than London Dry Gin, but drier than traditional Dutch Genever. Its production is not regulated by legal acts, but it is traditionally distilled in “pot still” machines with a rich botanical content and based on grain alcohol with added sugar. It should be clear, but is often aged in barrels, giving it a warm, coppery hue. Old Tom was the style originally used for Tom Collins and many other gin cocktails from the collections of Jerry Thomas and Harry Johnson, and therefore deserves attention, above all, from enthusiastic mixologists.
Style representatives: Hayman’s, Anchor, Ranthat
New Western Gin / New American / New Western – a relatively new style that has neither legal nor geographical definitions. The only common feature of gins of this style lies in the principles of crafting, that is, the drink is prepared by small distilleries, where people who are obsessed with their work are not afraid of experiments. It all started in the USA, hence the name “new American”, but the style was quickly picked up in England, leading to the broader term “new western”. Some gins of this style have a very strong juniper-pine aroma, but most new wave distillers toned down the juniper intensity in favor of fruity and floral undertones. Many of them are created specifically for cocktails, in particular, for Dry Martini and others like it.
Style representatives: Aviation, Greenhook Ginsmiths, Bluecoat
Navy Strong Gin / Navy Strength – by analogy with naval rum, Navy Strength gin has a strength much higher than its relatives, about 57% and more. It was chosen for the British Royal Navy at the beginning of the XNUMXth century, as they say, for strategic purposes – if a sailor spilled such gin on gunpowder, it would still burn. Good cocktail ingredient.
Style representatives: Plymouth Navy Strength, Leopold’s, Perry’s Everything
Yellow gin / Yellow Gin / Barrel-Aged – gin, which is aged for several months (usually about six) in oak barrels. It has a characteristic yellowish tint. This style, if you can call it that, appeared at the beginning of the 1850th century, when gin was transported in oak barrels until the removal of export duties in XNUMX and the appearance of the first glass bottles at the end of the XNUMXth century (London Dry began to dominate the world market, which with a barrel , as previously thought, is not compatible). Now many distillers are reviving the tradition of aging gin (ironically, most often it is just London Dry) in barrels to give it an atypical color and oaky tones in taste.
Style representatives: Corsair, Few, Citadelle, Rusty Blade, Colombian
Genever / Genever – archetype, predecessor of genie. Legally, it can only be produced in the Netherlands, Belgium, two northern regions of France and two states of Germany. Genever is traditionally made from alcohol obtained from pot still distillation of grain mash (a mixture of rye, wheat, corn and barley), so it tastes most like whiskey, lightly flavored with juniper and other herbal ingredients (here we are talking about the taste of “old” jenever, “oude jenever”, “new”, “jonge”, jenever is more neutral).
Style representatives: Bols, Boomsma, Diep9, Ketel One
Blackthorn Gin / Sloe Gin – gin flavored with blackthorn berries with added sugar. In fact, it is a fruit liqueur and rarely belongs to a separate style of gin, but it certainly deserves attention and is an important milestone in the development of the drink. Easily reproduced at home, but requires long aging. Some commercial versions are aged in oak barrels. There are also other “flavored” gins, such as lemon, that can be lumped together into a separate gin style.
Style representatives: Plymouth Sloe, Spirit Works, Hayman’s, Williams Chase
A thousand-year history of gin in a couple of minutes
1100+ years – Mastered in the Arab world, distillation reached Europe through the Moors in Sicily. It is believed that the Benedictine monks in Salerno, Italy, were the first to use distilled alcohol to create medicinal extracts from plants, including juniper.
1269 year – in the Dutch encyclopedic work “Der Naturen Bloeme” juniper tonic is often mentioned for the treatment of the stomach, kidneys and liver.
1340-1700 years – During the epidemic of the Bubonic Plague, which, according to estimates, claimed the lives of 1-2 thirds of the population of Europe, people actively consumed infusions and elixirs from juniper, mistakenly believing that they protect them from imminent death.
First half of the 1500s – the spread and development of distillation, the development of double distillation, not without the participation of the Dutch.
Mid 1500-x – in one of the many manuscripts (“Om Gebrande Wyn te Maken”) left by Hans Sloane to the British people, a recipe was found for a drink reminiscent of jenever. Dialectal analysis showed that this recipe was written around 1495 in the Netherlands. The recipe lists the ingredients for making botanically flavored wine spirits: nutmeg, cinnamon, galangal, Meleget pepper, cloves, ginger, sage, cardamom, and juniper. The first written mention of “genièvre” dates back to 1552 (in the book “Constelijck Distilleer Boek”).
1572 year – Sylvius de Bouve, professor at the University of Leiden, starts marketing a grain distillate laced with fragrant juniper oil as a diuretic and cure for lumbago (lumbar pain), calling his medicine “genièvre”. Many believe that it was his recipe that was commercialized by Bols. He was later confused with Franciscus Sylvius, born Franz de le Boe (1614-1672), also known as Dr. Sylvius. The second Sylvius worked at the University of Leiden 90 years later and had nothing to do with the invention of jenever.
1575 year – foundation of the distillery in Amsterdam by the Bols family. It is believed that it was Bols who first began selling an alcoholic drink flavored with juniper called jenever.
1585 year – English soldiers were sent by Queen Elizabeth I to help the Netherlands, who fought with Spain for independence. There, the British discovered jenever, which every Dutch soldier relied on before the battle (an analogue of our “People’s Commissar’s 100 grams”), for which the drink was nicknamed “Dutch courage”. So, according to legend, jenever, as a prototype of gin, came to England.
1689 year William III of Orange ascended the throne of England. As part of the conflict with France, Wilhelm announced a blockade to his neighbors. Popular at that time in the UK, grape brandy was no longer available to ordinary citizens and the only alternative was jenever, as well as gin, which was rapidly progressing at that time (then they only differed in the raw materials of production – gin was prepared on grain alcohol, genever on wine).
1690 year – The British Parliament passes a law that allows everyone to make distillates from cereals (“An Act for the Encouraging the Distilling of Brandy and Spirits from Corn, and for laying several Duties on Low Wines”) to quickly meet the demand for alcohol, instead of French brandy.
1694 year – The Bank of England Act, also known as the Tonnage Act, was passed, and beer and other imported drinks began to be taxed. The price of beer was equal to the price of gin.
1695 year – De Kuyper, known for its jenever and liqueurs, was founded. Initially, the brainchild of Petrus de Kuyper was engaged in the production of “kuipen”, wooden barrels for transporting gin and beer.
1695-1735 years – a sharp increase in demand for gin due to its cheapness and the ability to produce by everyone. The country plunged into drunkenness. Of the 15000 drinking establishments in London, more than half sold only gin. Mortality increased sharply, gin began to be called “mother’s ruin” (“mother’s ruin”), and this shameful period for the drink – “gin madness” (“gin сraze”).
1714 year – the first written mention of the word “gin” in the work of Bernard de Mandeville “The Fable of the Bees, or Private Vices, Publick Benefits”.
1726 year – Boord is founded in London, which a century later became famous for its Old Tom gin brand and the distinctive Cat & Barrel trademark.
1729-1751 years – the adoption of eight “Laws on Gin” with varying degrees of success, but, one way or another, influenced the situation in the country for the better. Gin became much more expensive, and only wealthy people could afford to produce it.
1740 year – Joseph Bishop registered the name Finsbury.
1761 year – the distillery, now known as G & J Distillers, released its first gin.
1769 year – Alexander Gordon founded Gordon & Company, which laid the foundation for a regulated and reputable alcohol industry that began to produce really high-quality drinks.
1793 year – Black Friars Distillery is founded, where they first developed the recipe for Plymouth gin.
1830 year – Tanqueray gin is created.
1831 year Enes Coffey patented the Coffey distillation column. A new milestone in the history of gin has begun – a new style has appeared, which today we know as London Dry Gin.
1850 year – duties on the export of gin were removed, which did not fail to take advantage of London distillers, who arranged the supply of new dry gin to new markets, in particular to the British colonies. Around those years, the legendary Gin and Tonic cocktail appeared.
1870 year – The Fleischmann brothers built their plant in Ohio and produced the first American dry gin in the United States.
1876 year – Beefeater gin is released for the first time.
1898 year Merger of Alexander Gordon and Charles Tanqueray to form Tanqueray Gordon & Company.
1890-ies – the first glass bottles appeared, gin was no longer carried in barrels.
What happened next? First Prohibition in the US, which greatly popularized gin among American consumers. Then there was the boom in dry gin in the 50s, the decline of the cocktail industry and the popularization of vodka, which rapidly began to displace gin from mixology. Only in the 80s, when the industry buckled under the yoke of the “little white”, the conglomerate Independent Distillers & Vintners (IDV), created by the owners of Gordon’s, Tanqueray and Bombay Dry, and Garillon released a fundamentally new Bombay Sapphire gin.
It was a turning point in the history of the drink, which led to a new wave of popularization of gin as an impeccable cocktail ingredient. In 2006, Aviation appeared in the USA, the first representative of the “new western” gins. Since 2008, Old Toms began to appear on the market as a help for enthusiastic mixologists. In the same 2008, in the EU, all gin was divided into simply “Gin”, “Distilled Gin” and “London Gin”. Well, craft, of course, but this is already the latest story, which, by and large, refers to gin insofar as, but, undoubtedly, has played and will still play its role in the epic saga called “Gin”.
How to drink gin
In its pure form, mixed with tonic and juices, as part of numerous cocktails. Gin is a versatile, multi-faceted alcoholic drink whose drinking culture is developing as rapidly as it is developing rapidly. The rules for drinking this truly amazing drink, which has a rich thousand-year history behind it, dozens of ups and downs, are devoted to a separate material on our website. For sim, let me take a bow!