Gin is a popular and prevalent distilled spirit in the 21st century, commonly served in bulbous stemmed glasses, paired with complimentary tonics and appropriate garnishes. With a deep-rooted history, a thoroughly exciting present, and a promising future, gin is quite possibly the most unfathomably diversed spirit in the current world of distillation.
The Origin of Gin
Gin is thought to be a shortened term derived from the word jenever; the Dutch word for juniper, juniper berries being the essential base botanical when distilling gin. The juniper berry isn't actually a berry, it's a female cone seed!
The first known written citation that introduces the earliest concept of gin was in 1077 in the Compendium Salernitanum of the Schola Medica Salernitana, which refers to a tonic wine infused with juniper berries.
The History of Gin
The knowledge of wine, the properties of alcohol, and the methods of distillation is accredited to Islamic chemists from the 8th century. Jabir ibn Hayyan (c. 721-815 CE) an renowned alchemist, is regarded as a pivotal figure in the development of the distillation process. The Benedictine monks in Salerno, Italy used this distillation knowledge to create alcohol and infuse it with various botanicals, for their medical experimentation.
The first recorded mention of a juniper-infused distillate was in 1552 in Een Constelijck Distileer Boec by Philippus Hermanni; an Antwerp-based physician. Jacob van Maerlant te Damme, a Flemish poet, mentions a juniper-based tonic in 1269 in Der Naturen Bloeme; a natural encyclopedia.
The Dutch chemist, alchemist, scholar and one of the founding professors of the oldest university in the Netherlands, Leiden University, Professor Sylvius de Bouve is widely credited with the invention of jenever. Bouve prescribed his patients who suffered from lumbago with a juniper oil-infused, distilled moutwijn (malt wine) as a stimulant, diuretic, and treatment. The first written reference to genièvre appeared over 20 years before Leiden University was founded in 1551, so Bouve's claim to the creation of jenever is disputable.
English soldiers first came into contact with jenever in Antwerp in 1585 against the Spanish in the Thirty Years War. British troops fighting Louis XIV alongside their allies in the Low Countries appreciated the calming effects of jenever before heading into battle and returned home with a fondness for 'Dutch courage'.
Gin boomed in popularity after William of Orange's/King William III's (Stadtholder of Holland) Glorious Revolution in 1688, overthrew the reign of James II. Taxes on locally distilled spirits were dropped and a heavy duty was imposed on all imported goods, such as French brandy and cognac; driven by a political conflict between England and France. This created a market for poor quality barley that was unfit for brewing beer, therefore increasing the want for a particular Dutch grain spirit.
In the first half of the 18th century, thousands of gin-shops sprang up throughout London in a period known as the Gin Craze; a period of gaudy, excessive consumption of gin. Production and consumption of gin skyrocketed: from roughly 500,000 gallons of gin in 1685 to 11 million gallons in 1733. In less than half a century, the production of gin in London had increased exponentially by an absurd 2,100%.
The gin crisis in England in the 18th century are dramatically portrayed in two prints issued in 1751 by English artist William Hogarth, known as Beer Street and Gin Lane, in political support of what would lead to the passing of the Gin Act of 1751. Gin joints actually allowed women to drink alongside with men for the first time, and it is thought that this led many women to neglect their children and turn to prostitution; coining the term 'mother's ruin'.
Gin in the 18th century was distilled in pot stills, and was somewhat sweeter than the London Dry style of gin nowadays. Old Tom Gin, a style that pre-dated the London Dry style, is often described as a sweeter varietal of gin, often containing sugar. The word 'dry' emerged to describe an unsweetened gin. The invention of the column still around the 1830s and its subsequent development made it easier for distillers to create clean, high proof spirits, thus paving the way for the London Dry style that evolved in the late 19th century.
The Botanicals of Gin
Juniper berries contain a class of organic compounds known as monoterpenes. Monoterpenes represent a large group of volatile compounds found in the essential oils of plants, especially conifers and citrus trees. They are based on a cyclic molecule having the formula C¹⁰H¹⁶. Monoterpenes present in juniper berries include: alpha-pinene (piney), beta-myrcene (balsamic, musty, spicy), para-cymene (oxidised citrus), sabinene (woody, spicy), limonene (citrus), and terpinene (woody).
Commonly used botanicals when infusing a grain spirit before it is distilled into gin include: lemon peel, lime peel, grapefruit peel, almonds, peppercorns, cassia bark, orris root, angelica root, licorice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, coriander seeds, cardamom pods. Roku boasts a balanced Japanese gin composed of six botancials native to Japan: Yuzu peel, Sakura leaf, Sakura flower, Sancho pepper, Gyokuro tea, and Sencha tea.
The Styles of Gin
There are many different styles of gin as well, each with their distinct distillation methods and botanical profiles:
London Dry Gin is very juniper-forward, with bright citrus flavours, and a dry finish.
Plymouth Gin exhibits an even drier and citrus-forward impression, with a spicier finish.
Old Tom Gin is rich in flavour, displaying saccharine notes from the licorice and sugar.
Genever is robust in flavour due to the malted grain, showing malty characters, and even richer than Old Tom Gin.
Sloe Gin tends to be quite sweet and plummy, giving off earthy, raisin-like notes.
By Lucas Barker, a passionate mixologist with seven years of hospitality experience. 5/5/22
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