The topic of conversation this time is gin, and all the exciting little details you didn’t know about this spirit. We’re going to disclose some “secrets” and how it came to be one of the most popular drinks in the world. Almost every fresh cocktail seems to made with gin. However, if you’re looking to buy gin online, make sure you get a high-quality brand.
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1) “Madam Geneva”
Do you know that gin has a very famous nickname amongst liquor lovers? It originated in the 17th century, and it’s “Madam Geneva”! Quite elegant, don’t you think? Hence, the name comes from the Latin word for junier (Juniperus), which most of the time is the main botanical in gin. However, when you translate that in French, it becomes genièvre.
2) Holland is the Mother Land of Gin
If you like gin, or if you’re British then you probably know that gin is the national spirit of England. However, that doesn’t mean that gin comes from England, even though it is the most popular spirit in the land. Furthermore, so many gin labels come from England that it’s quite understandable if you mix that up.
In fact, according to the history books, the English encountered gin in the Thirty Years’ War. Back in the 17th century in Holland, while they were fighting with the Dutch, they saw their soldiers drinking Jenever to boost morale before battles. They fell in love with the spirit, and the rest is history.
3) “Mothers Ruin”
“Mothers Ruin” is another famous nickname the spirit has collected over the years. In fact, one of the not so splendid things in gin’s history is Bernard Mandeville’s comment.
“Intoxicating Gin that charms the inactive, the desperate, and crazy of either Sex […] It is a fiery Lake that sets the Brain in flame burns up the Entrails, and scorches every Part within; and at the same time a Lethe of Oblivion, in which the Wretch immersed drown his most pinching Cares.’”
However, we shouldn’t judge Mandeville harshly, because, at the time, London was rather gin crazed.
Furthermore, gin didn’t stop there, on the contrary, it went to South Africa in the 1600s, through the Dutch East India Company. However, his role there was more beneficial, as gin-tonic. Since the quinine in tonic water wards off malaria, when the soldiers mixed it with gin, it became a favorite drink. We still drink it today!
4) The Gin Act
If you’re a history lover, you must know about this ridiculous act that caused gin riots on the streets of London. In 1736, the Gin Act imposed high taxes on retailers, which in return caused the prices to go up. As you can assume people didn’t like this change. Politicians and religious leaders influenced the reasoning behind this decision. They argued that gin drinking encouraged laziness and criminal behavior.
This riots resulted in massive damages. Therefore, by 1974 the prohibitive duty was fully abolished by the government.
5) The Philippines holds the World’s Largest Gin Market
With 50 million cases each year, the Philippines drink domestic spirits, and the favorite one is gin. The country drinks approximately 22 million cases of Ginebra San Miguel gin. However, out of the Philippines, almost no one knows about this gin brand.
6) The Silent Pool Gin
Are you wondering about the most expensive gin in the world? Then you’re in luck because we’re about to present it to you – the Silent Pool Gin. The bottle is 9 liters, and it costs almost $7000. In fact, the bottle is hand painted and signed by artist Laura Barrett.
7) Gin is Not for Neat Drinking
Gin is a popular spirit, which is why you’re reading this article. It was so popular in history that it was used as money in the British Empire. However, according to everything we know so far, the conclusion is – don’t drink it neat. Gin is strong.
That doesn’t mean you’re not going to enjoy this lovely drink in a cocktail. In fact, gin is the main ingredient in so many cocktails that it’s hard to keep track. The iconic gin martini even found its way to all James Bond books/movies.
8) The “Bathtub Gin”
One of the less popular facts about gin is that during the prohibition in the USA, people started making it in bathtubs. That might sound cool, but it wasn’t. Mostly because a lot of people fell ill, went blind or died because of the methanol. It’s fascinating how much people loved and still love gin.
That’s our shortlist of interesting facts about one of the most popular spirits in the world, gin. Even though some of these historical facts sound precarious, they are a reflection of the love people had for gin.
