Many people think that gin was invented by the British. In fact, gin actually originated from the Netherlands. Like the ancestors of many modern spirits, its earliest use was medicine, not a casual drink. Drinks. As early as the 16th century, this kind of wine had been manufactured in small quantities and used as medicine (its main component, juniper berries, has been traditionally used as a diuretic, antipyretic and treatment for gout), so it is often considered The 16th-century Dutch pathologist Dr. Franciscus Sylvius (also known as Franz de la Boë), the inventor of gin, may actually have been the first person to write down the gin-making recipe in black and white. . Dr. Silvius, who taught at Leiden University in the Netherlands and was an authority on the human circulatory system and histology at the time, invented the formula of gin for the purpose of making it as a medicine, but he actually commercialized gin. What became a drink was someone else. The time when gin was actually officially manufactured for commercial sales is clearly recorded (most alcoholic beverages have unknown origins in this regard, and gin can be said to be an outlier in comparison). The Dutchman Lucas Bols, a contemporary of Dr. Silvius, foresighted the possible commercial value of this formula and added some sugar to the original gin formula to make The result is a sweeter, more acceptable gin. The Bols distillery he founded in Schiedam in the Netherlands in 1575 is still the main producer of Dutch-style gin today and is also a pioneer in the commercial production of this type of gin. . At the beginning, gin was called "Genever". The name actually comes from the Dutch spelling of gin's main flavoring ingredient, juniper berry (from the Latin Juniperus, meaning "to give youth"). It is called Geneva outside the Netherlands. Since this name coincides with the Swiss city of Geneva, many British sailors and soldiers who discovered gin while traveling through the Netherlands mistakenly thought that gin came from Switzerland. They brought the concept of gin back to the UK and shortened its name to "Gin" which was easier to pronounce and remember. From then on, a small amount of gin began to be manufactured in the UK. However, the real key to making gin popular in Britain was Queen Mary's husband, King William III. William of Orange, who was originally the king of the Netherlands, was not only a fan of gin himself, but because of the war between the United Kingdom of England and the Netherlands and France at that time, he ordered a boycott of wine and brandy imported from France, and opened up the use of wine and brandy from England. If you use grains to make spirits, you can get exemption rights - this legislation can almost be said to create a very favorable environment for gin. As a result, Britain has since become the most important gin producer, and even the birthplace of gin. The Netherlands is even better.

¤Origin

The pleasant aroma of gin mainly comes from the diuretic effect of juniper berries. There are many ways to add juniper berries, usually by wrapping them in gauze and hanging them at the outlet of the still. When the wine is steamed, its flavor will be stranded in the wine, or the juniper berries may be soaked in absolutely neutral alcohol and then refluxed and steamed again after a week to steam the juniper berries into the wine. Sometimes juniper berries can be crushed into small flakes and added to the brewing raw materials for saccharification, fermentation, and distillation to obtain their flavor. Some countries and wineries use other spices to brew gin, such as coriander seeds, cardamom, licorice, orange peel, etc. The exact formula is always kept secret by the manufacturer. Later, it was introduced to the United States and was widely used in cocktail preparation. Today's gin is mainly made from grains. After saccharification, fermentation, and distillation into high alcohol, juniper berries, lemon peel, cinnamon and other raw materials are added, and then a second distillation is performed to form gin.

¤Effects

In cocktail recipes, gin is used in large amounts. Most of the ingredients in some famous cocktails are inseparable from gin, such as: the world-famous Martini is it. Because gin contains a high content of juniper berries, it has become very popular in Taiwan in recent years to soak white raisins in gin to prevent arthritis. It is said to be very effective.

¤How to make gin + white raisins

1. Put one and a half pounds of white raisins into a dry container. 2. Pour Greenough London Gin or Kimpson’s London Gin until all the white raisins are covered. 3. Leave it for about seven days to allow the white raisins to completely absorb the gin. (The container does not need to be covered, and it can be stirred during the process to speed up the absorption of gin) 4. Place the soaked [gin white raisins] in a covered container for storage. Instructions for consumption: Eat nine [gin white raisins] every day, or mix it with salad

¤Ingredients

The recipe for making gin in the UK is based on 100% gin. Seventy-five percent of corn, 15% of barley malt, and 10% of other grains are then crushed, heated, and fermented, similar to making whiskey. The fully fermented grain juice is then distilled in a continuous still. The distilled wine contains 180 to 188 alcohol purity (Proof). When distilled water is added, it is reduced to 120. It is then steamed in a gin still with spices added.

The method of obtaining the taste of wine through distillation is an art of making gin. The various tastes of gin are also due to the relationship between the types of materials and ingredients.

¤Types

Gin is the most commonly used base liquor when making cocktails in the past century. There are more than a thousand recipes, so it is said that "gin is the heart of cocktails" explain. Gin mainly has the following varieties: ●Light-body gin Light-body gin was first used by manufacturers near London. They printed London Dry Gin on the bottle label, but now winemakers in the United States or other countries, Also use the last two English words. All the gins on the market use the word "Dry". The words "Dry Gin", "Extra Dry GinN", "Very Dry Gin", "London Dry Gin", etc. on the bottle label are actually the same nature, indicating that this kind of wine is not sweet and does not contain alcohol. Original body odor. ●London Gin is made from malt and grains. Its main products are unsweetened gin and Old Tom Gin, the latter of which has a sweet taste. Old Tom is a sweet gin made in London, and there are several legends about this drink. Among them, what Lord Kinross recorded in his book is more logical. He believed that Old Tom was a spy for the British government. He rented a house in London and put up a cat-shaped sign to sell liquor. There were two pipes connecting his house. When passers-by want to buy wine, they can throw money into the thick tube in the upper cat's mouth and mutter something, and then he will pour the wine out from the thin tube below, and the buyer will drink into the tube. This may also be automatic. The ancestor of the vending machine. ●Plymouth Gin In addition to London Gin, Plymouth, England also produces gin, which is similar to London Gin, but its aroma is different. It is thicker and has a heavier aroma than London Gin. ●American Gin American Gin is slightly different from London Gin, but both wines can be made into good mixed drinks. Its products are divided into two levels. Those with a protruding D on the bottom of the bottle indicate that they are distilled, and those with R on the bottom of the bottle indicate that they are made by rectification. ●The difference between British gin and American gin lies in two important factors. First, British gin has a lower alcohol content after distillation, so it retains more grain characteristics. Although the distillation alcohol content is lower, the bottling alcohol content is higher. High; the second is water quality. Of course, the water quality in the UK and the United States is different, which naturally affects the characteristics of the wine and distilled spirits. ●Dutch Gin The main production areas are concentrated in the Schiedam area. It is the national drink of the Dutch. Dutch gin is made from barley malt and rye as the main raw materials, with juniper berry enzyme as the flavoring material. It is fermented and distilled three times. It is then distilled with juniper berry spices and finally rectified. Wine is stored in glass tanks until it matures, and then diluted and bottled during packaging. Dutch gin is transparent and clear in color, with outstanding wine aroma, strong spice flavor, spicy and sweet, and unique style. It is very refreshing whether drunk neat or with ice, and the alcohol content is about 52 degrees. Due to its heavy aroma, Dutch gin is only suitable for pure drinking and should not be used as a base for mixed wines, otherwise it will destroy the balanced aroma of the ingredients. Dutch-style gin should not be stored for too long before bottling to avoid oxidation of the juniper berries and making the taste bitter. After bottling, it can be stored for a long time without losing quality. Dutch gin is often sold in long ceramic bottles. New wine is called Jonge, old wine is called Oulde, and old wine is called Zeet oulde. The more famous liquor brands are: Henkes, Bols, Bokma, Bomsma and Hasekamp. There are also many ways to drink Dutch gin. It is popular in the East Indies to wash the cup with bitters before drinking, and then pour Dutch gin into it. Drink it quickly and happily. It has the effect of appetizing. Drinking a glass of ice water is even more beautiful. Dutch gin with ice and a slice of lemon is the best substitute for the world-famous Dry Martini. Holland or Dutch Gin has a sweet taste and is very refreshing whether drunk neat or on the rocks. It's basically made from barley malt and gets its flavor from juniper berries. The Netherlands is the only country with a specialty liquor store. It has been chilled or added with ice cubes and a slice of lemon. It is the best substitute for Dry Martini. Gin does not need to be aged. Its delicious taste is distilled from a variety of spices. However, in the United States, some gin will be aged for a period of time. After aging, it will turn into a light golden yellow, called Golden Gin. Although it has been aged, It is not stated on the trademark. If it is a light yellow gin made in the Netherlands, it is dyed with caramel. The most popular gin cocktail is the martini cocktail, but it is just one of hundreds of gin cocktail recipes.