Introduction
Gin is often regarded as the most specifically `English' of all spirits, and they did drink an awful lot of the stuff, but gin is, in fact, a creation of the Netherlands. It is believed that an apothecary, possibly in the sixteenth century, re-distilled a neutral spirit with juniper berries for medicinal purposes - to use as a `diuretic' and in all probability as a `cure-all' potion as they were wont to in that era.
An English legend tells of how their troops, sent to the Low Countries by Queen Elizabeth in 1585 to fight against Philip of Spain, came back marvelling at the `Dutch courage' shown by their partners-in-war, and carrying it with them in `bottles'! The English soon began distilling it themselves. A century later, in 1688, with the accession of Dutch William to the English throne, gin became truly the patriotic spirit to drink.
How to Drink it / Food to go with/Good Cocktails
Cocktails: The Gin Classics. One cannot talk of gin without referring to that greatest and most noble of all cocktails - the Martini. The drink that inspired many an over-worked executive to...
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Types
Dutch gin, generally known as Holland gin (genever at home) differs quite radically from English gin, both in flavour as well as the way in which it is drunk. Holland gin is heavier and more flavourful as it is distilled along with its aromatic ingredients unlike London gin,...
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