Gin 12988 224161011 2008-07-07T16:28:19Z Useight 2910303 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/213.123.195.134|213.123.195.134]] to last version by 205.250.144.186 (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]]) {{otheruses4|the beverage}} [[Image:24288421 2fe86ee489.jpg|thumb|right|280px|[[Gin and tonic]]. Pictured with gin brand, [[Bombay Gin]] and tonic brand [[Cadbury Schweppes]]]] '''Gin''' is a [[distilled beverage|spirit]] flavoured with [[juniper berries]]. '''Distilled gin''' is made by redistilling [[neutral grain spirit|white grain spirit]] 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 [[botanical]]s are added. In addition to juniper, it is usually made with a small amount 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. Distilled gin evolved from the Dutch spirits jonge- and oude- [[Jenever]] or [[Genever]] (young and old Dutch gin), [[Plymouth gin]], and [[Old Tom gin]]. Compound gin is gin made by adding the juniper flavouring to the neutral spirit with no redistillation. '''[[Sloe gin]]''' is a common ready-sweetened form of gin that is traditionally made by infusing [[Blackthorn|sloe]]s (the fruit of the blackthorn) in gin. Similar infusions are possible with other fruits, such as [[damson]]s (See [[Damson gin]]). A well-made gin will be relatively [[dryness|dry]] compared to other spirits. Gin is often mixed in [[cocktails]] with sweeter ingredients like [[tonic water]] or [[vermouth]] to balance this dryness. ==History== Gin 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 language|French]] word for juniper - ''genévrier'', which of course is the fruit which makes the drink. Its invention is often credited to the physician [[Franciscus Sylvius]].<!--Was it created for medicinal purposes? If so, what was the juniper and other herbs supposed to cure, or was it just meant as a rejuvenating tonic? Was it originally meant to be drunk "straight," or mixed into other liquids?--> It was sold in [[Pharmacy|pharmacies]] and used to treat such medical problems as [[kidney]] ailments, [[lumbago]], [[stomach]] ailments, [[gallstone]]s, and [[gout]]. It spread to [[England]] after the [[Glorious Revolution]] put [[William III of Orange-Nassau|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 [[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 flavoured than London gin{{Fact|date=February 2007}}. [[Image:William Hogarth - Gin Lane.jpg|thumb|Hogarth's ''[[Gin Lane]]'']] Gin became popular in England after the government allowed unlicensed gin production and at the same time imposed a heavy [[duty (economics)|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 extremely popular with the poor{{Fact|date=February 2007}}. 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 Craze|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]]. [http://books.guardian.co.uk/reviews/history/0,6121,725676,00.html] As late as 1913 [[Webster's Dictionary]] states without further comment that 'Common gin is usually flavored with turpentine.' [http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=246150] 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.<ref>http://www.drugs.com/mtm/quinine.html Quinine as treatment for malaria</ref><ref>http://www.priory.com/malaria.htm The use of quinine and other drugs</ref> Gin is a popular base spirit for many [[mixed drinks]], including the [[martini cocktail|martini]]. Secretly produced "bathtub gin" was commonly available in the [[speakeasy|speakeasies]] and "[[blind pig]]s" of [[Prohibition]]-era America due to the relative simplicity of the production method. Gin remained popular as the basis of many [[cocktail]]s after the repeal of Prohibition. The National Gin Museum is in [[Hasselt]], [[Belgium]]. == Cocktails with gin == {| |valign="top"| *[[20th Century (cocktail)|20th Century]] *Easy Street - Gin and Sprite {{Facts|date=June 2008}} *Apoica {{Fact|date=June 2008}} *[[Cráter]] - gin and coke {{Fact|date=June 2008}} *[[Gimlet (cocktail)|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]] <ref>http://www.maddrinks.com/ordinary-drink/drinks/recipes/Gin-Milk-Punch/413/index.html</ref> *[[Long Island Iced Tea]] |valign="top"| *Maiden's Prayer<ref>http://www.chefs-help.co.uk/drinkrecipe.php?nrecipe=5&item=Gin+Cocktail Maiden's Prayer</ref> *[[Martini cocktail|Martini]] - gin and [[vermouth]] *[[Negroni]] *Orange Blossom - Plymouth gin and [[orange juice]] <ref>http://www.cocktailsonline.tv/orangeblossom.html</ref> *[[Pimm's]] N°1. *[[Pink Gin]] *Punkdutch {{Fact|date=June 2008}} |valign="top"| *[[Fizz(cocktail)|Ramos gin fizz]] *[[Highball (cocktail)#Salty Dog|Salty Dog]] *[[Other classic cocktails#Satan's Whiskers|Satan's Whiskers]] *[[Singapore Sling]] *[[Tin Roof]] *[[Tom Collins]] *[[London Mule]], the Gin version of a [[Moscow Mule]] *[[Uncle Makee]], gin and any cola with lime *[[White Lady]] |} Gin is often combined with a number of other mixers. ==Brands of gin== ===Notable brands=== {| |valign="top"| *[[Beefeater gin|Beefeater]] - first produced in 1820 *[[Lucas Bols#Damrak Gin|BOLS Damrak]] Amsterdam - Dutch [[jenever]] *[[Bombay Sapphire]] - distilled with ten botanicals *[[Boodles British Gin]] *[[Booth's Gin|Booth's]] - first produced in 1790 by Sir [[Felix Booth]] *[[Bulldog Gin]] - infused with [[Poppy]] and Dragon Eye *[[Ginebra San Miguel]] - produced in the [[Philippines]]<!-- check the validity of this: and is the largest-selling gin in the world although it is mainly sold in the --> *[[Gordon's gin|Gordon's]] - "by appointment to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain" *[[Hendrick's Gin]] - infused with cucumber, coriander, citrus peel and rose petals. |valign="top"| *[[Martin Miller's Gin]] - London dry gin *[[Plymouth gin|Plymouth]] - first distilled in 1793 *[[Seagram]]'s Gin *[[South Gin]] - from [[New Zealand]] using New Zealand-native [[manuka]] berries and [[kawakawa (tree)|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]] |} ===Historical brands=== *Fleischmann's Gin - Marketed as the original American gin, first distilled in 1870<ref>[http://www.bartonbrands.com/fleischmanngin.html Fleischmann's Gin]</ref> == See also == *[[List of cocktails]] ==References== *{{cite journal|last=Deegan|first=Grant|year=1999|month=Fall|title=From the bathtub to the boardroom: gin and its history|journal=MY2K: Martini 2000|volume=1|issue=1|url=http://www.mixology.com/issues/my2k/science/gin.htm}} *{{cite book|last=Dillon|first=Patrick|title=The Much-lamented Death of Madam Geneva: The Eighteenth-century Gin Craze|year=2002|publisher=Review|location=London|id=ISBN 0-7472-3545-7}} {{reflist}} ==External links== * [http://www.tastings.com/spirits/gin.html A thorough article about the history and types of gin] * [http://extratasty.com/recipes/tagged/gin Recipes with Gin] * [http://historyofalcoholanddrugs.typepad.com/alcohol_and_drugs_history/gin/index.html Gin news page] - [[Alcohol and Drugs History Society]] * [http://www.victorianlondon.org/entertainment/ginpalaces.htm Gin in Victorian London] {{Alcoholic beverages}} [[Category:Gins| ]] [[Category:Dutch loanwords]] [[ar:جن (مشروب كحولي)]] [[ca:Ginebra (licor)]] [[da:Gin]] [[de:Gin]] [[es:Gin]] [[fr:Gin (boisson)]] [[it:Gin]] [[he:ג'ין]] [[lt:Džinas]] [[nl:Gin]] [[ja:ジン (蒸留酒)]] [[no:Gin]] [[nn:Gin]] [[pl:Gin]] [[pt:Gim]] [[ksh:Gin]] [[ro:Gin]] [[ru:Джин (напиток)]] [[simple:Gin]] [[fi:Gini]] [[sv:Gin]] [[uk:Джин (напій)]] [[zh:琴酒]]