My ‘Spirited’ Journey with Gin

By vJoeG · December 10, 2021

Did you know that originally Gin was medicinal? Dating back as early as the 11th century Monks in Salerno Italy were using the juniper berry to distill in wine and more potent alcoholic tonics… Wait a minute Joe!? I bet you’re asking yourself why am I reading a post about gin from a #BourbonGuy like you? Well, I do have a Bourbon post as well as video in the wings but Gin takes front and center for this article as I have recently discovered that I really like Gin, and want to share some of my discoveries and experiences.

The best way to get this started is with a quick history lesson and timeline of Gin through the years. I have been told that Gin was originally created by the Dutch. English soldiers were in Antwerp Belgium around 1585 while providing support against the Spanish during the Eighty Years’ War (1568-1648). At that time they were drinking jenever before going into battle. This drink was used to give the troops ‘Dutch Courage‘ and would later have its name shortened to ‘Gin‘. In fact, this is where the phrase, “a spoon-full of sugar helps the medicine go down.” came from. Sugar would be added to the Gin drink to make it more appetizing. According to the National Jenever Museum of Belgium gin can be traced back to the 13th century where it was produced in Flanders combining grain spirits with juniper berries and other botanicals.

Before the introduction of grain spirits which gave the drink its jenever name, the ancient Greeks and Romans made more medicinal distillations of the juniper berry. In medieval times the plague doctors even put juniper berries in the masks to fend off the smells of decay and death, especially around the time of the bubonic plague. Jumping forward to the 15th-century distillers started turning cereal grains into alcohol which, by the 16th century, would see jenever becoming the ‘national drink’ of Holland.

By the 17th century, the British had shortened jenever’s name to ‘Gin’ and brought the spirit and its recipes back home. In the early 18th-century English distilling became a free-for-all and saw the start of ‘Gin Mania’. As they say, the rest is history and many many years later we have this exceptional spirit in a wide variety of methods and flavors.

So what makes gin ‘Gin’? Let me attempt to sum this up in a few lists

Botanicals and Base Spirit

• A neutral spirit is needed and can be distilled from various sources like grains or potatoes
• Botanicals, like the juniper berry, who’s essential oils combine to give the gin its trademark character
• Note: by law the largest flavoring ingredient must be the juniper berry otherwise the spirit cannot be called ‘Gin’

Gin Styles

• Dutch Gin
  • The base spirit comes from grain or molasses then blended with maltwine
  • Recipes are heavy with juniper follwed by a wide range of botanicals
  • Can be aged
  • Rich and sweet, like the original gin styles that came before
• London Dry Gin
  • The base spirit is usually a grain produces in a column still
  • Heavy juniper berry and citrus along with some bitter botanicals
  • There is a large variation on alcohol strength however the legal minimum to be ‘Gin’ is 37.5% ABV
  • This Gin can be produced anywhere in the world
• Plymouth Gin
  • The base spirit is English wheat
  • This gin has a more earthy character than London gins with less juniper and no bitter botanicals
  • Very smooth and balanced
  • Bottled at 82.4 proof which best holds flavors and maintains balance

But Joe how do I make Gin?

This question leads me to a recent trip to Mallorca Spain with my beloved. We were planning our get-away, looking up fun and interesting places to visit and adventures to take. We found a little shop that hosts a ‘Gin making’ event where you go and sample a number of gin-based cocktails made by the expert bartender, learn the history of gin and end the evening making your own custom spirit that is bottled for you and can be taken home.

The process starts with a base spirit (ethanol) which at our event was already prepared for us and I am told was made from potatoes. From there we had so many botanicals at our disposal. Our host gave us a clipboard and 3 main botanicals were mandatory so they were already on the list. From there we added lemon zest, coriander, cardamom, lavender, and cracked pepper to the blend. Some seeds were crushed to release their essential oils and everything went into the pot along with the base spirit. Using an Alembic copper still, we heated the mixture which passed through ice-cooled copper coils that condensed the liquid into the final product, ‘Gin’. Distilled water was then added, as the resulting liquid could not be drunk straight from the still. Using an Alcohol Refractometer we measured our spirit to discover we had a 42.5% ABV creation. 2 bottles were made, a little ribbon and name tags, and our very own gin was ready to come home.

Let’s Talk Cocktails

There are many, many cocktails to choose from with Gin as the primary spirit. I’d like to talk about my favorites.

• Gin and Tonic
  • This is probably the most ordered gin drink and the one that started it all for me. Dad used to order a gin and tonic at dinner or at the club. Fever tree tonic is by far my top choice, add your favorite gin and a fresh peeled lemon rind making sure to squeeze the oils out into the drink before mixing.
  • Ingredients: 1-3oz Gin, 1-3oz Tonic (to taste) peeled lemon rind, squeezed to release oil. Serve over ice
• French 75
  • This cocktail is made from gin, champagne, lemon juice and sugar. Simply called a Soixante Quinze by the french, the drink dates back to World War I with the earliest form created in 1915 at the New York Bar in Paris
  • Ingredients: 1oz Gin, 1/2oz Lemon Juice, 2 dashes of simple syrup, 2oz Champagne
• Tom Collins
  • This gin drink gets its name from Jerry Thomas, ‘The father of American Mixology’ when he wrote about gin in 1876.
  • Ingredients: 1.5oz Old Tom Gin, 1/2oz simple syrup, 1oz lemon juice, 2oz club soda
• Gimlet
  • A simple but sophisticated drink that was described in the 1953 novel, “The Long Goodbye”. “A real gimlet is half gin and half Rose’s lime juice cordial and nothing else.”
  • Ingredients: 2.5oz Gin, 1/2oz lime juice (fresh squeezed), 1/2oz simple syrup
• Cranberry and Gin
  • This cocktail is a favorite at holiday seasion. Sipping with friends near a warm fire. It’s bold red and green colors punctuate any festive event
  • Ingredients: 2oz Gin, 5oz cranberry juice, 1/2oz lemon juice. Garnish with fresh cranberries and mint leaves, serve over ice

If you liked this post and if you have some favorite Gin recipes please add your comment and share. I hope you enjoyed this brief but fun look into the world of Gin.

Until next time, Cheers!