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Gin


Gin

Gin is a liquor that gets its main flavor from juniper berries. There are two types of gin, distilled gin and compound gin. Distilled gin is the traditional style, a neutral liquor re-distilled with juniper berries and other botanicals, like in the case of Hendricks Gin, cucumber. Compound gin is made by just adding the appropriate flavors without re-distillation. Distilled gin is the good stuff. In the U.S., the minimum ABV for gin is 40 percent, or 80 proof.

About Gin

Gin has a long history as both a drink of ill repute, affectionately called Mother's Ruin or Dutch Courage, and a medicine. Juniper berries have medicinal properties, in the 11th century monks began distilling spirits with juniper berries as a flavoring. These drinks were used to treat bubonic plague, and of course, it did not work.

The Dutch are largely credited with the invention of Gin. By the 17th century, Dutch distilleries had popularized the re-distillation of malt spirits or wine with juniper, anise, caraway, and coriander. It was sold in pharmacies and used to treat everything from stomach problems to gout.

The British picked up gin from the Dutch during the Eighty Years War. A crude form of gin became popular among the poor and was flavored with turpentine. By 1740, gin was more popular than beer. Beer was generally considered safer than gin, and it was safer than plain old water. In fact, gin was credited with medical and social problems and many deaths, which probably stabilized London's exponentially growing population.

In tropical British colonies, they used gin to mask the flavor of quinine, which was the only working treatment for malaria. Quinine is the flavoring ingredient in tonic water. Modern tonic water has only a small amount of quinine.

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