Used today in more drinks than any other distilled
spirit, gin was first created as a medicine by a Dutch chemist some
300 years ago. Its supposed curative powers became irrelevant, people
felt better, so in the 17th century the English took the Dutch potion
back to their country and drank it liberally. They became so enamored
of the spirit that they were soon making it themselves. Once called
"Mother's Ruin" and scorned by the upper classes because
it was the drink of the poor, gin perhaps owes its modern sophisticated
cachet to the Martini.
Gins are neutral spirits distilled from grain then
reprocessed and redistilled with assorted herbs and spices, primarily
Juniper berries. Gin is clean, bracing in flavor and has fruity and
herbal overtones.
The most common style of gin is London Dry. In 18th
century London, most gins were sweetened to disguise their rawness.
Pioneering distillers experimented with making unsweetened gin, which
was smooth in character, with elegant aromatic flavors, giving rise
to the style of gin known as London Dry, now produced around the world.
One of those pioneers, Alexander Gordon, founded
his distillery in London in 1769, and set the standards of quality
for superior gin. The legendary boar's head that his ancestors had
carried on their shields is still prominent today on the brand's label.
Gordon's Gin dominates the international gin market as the world's
sixth-largest spirits brand.
Another famous gin pioneer was Charles Tanqueray,
who was only twenty years old when he established his London distillery
in 1830. Tanqueray perfected the art of producing the purest unsweetened
gin with a dryness that complements the flavor of the juniper and
other botanicals used in its manufacture. Tanqueray Gin, exported
to more than 100 international markets, is the world's leading super-premium
gin, as well as the United States' best-selling imported gin. The
distinctive green bottle, based on the design of a 19th century London
fire hydrant, is the only gin bottle protected by a worldwide patent.
