Added: 10/06/2005 |
Gin recipes make classical cocktailsGin is a juniper berry-flavored grain spirit. The word is an English shortening of Genever, the Dutch word for juniper. The origins of Gin are rather murky. In the late 1580s a juniper-flavored spirit of some sort was found in Holland by British troops who were fighting against the Spanish in the Dutch War of Independence. They gratefully drank it to give them what they soon came to call "Dutch courage" in battle. The Dutch themselves were encouraged by their government to favor such grain spirits over imported wine and brandy by lack of excise taxes on such local drinks.
Juniper flavouring met grain spirit in the Low Countries in the 15th century in a new invention called jenever. In the early 17th century English troops fighting in the lowlands during the Thirty Years War encountered this Dutch Courage, given as a morale boosting drams before battle, and brought it home. But it was not until Dutch prince William of Orange took the throne here in 1688 that England's obsession with gin, as it had then become known, began.
The unskilled production of gin became a free for all in the first decade of the 18th century. Taxes were so low that at one point a pint of gin was cheaper than a pint of beer - alcoholism became a serious problem. Since then developing of gin recipes began.
Finally in 1751 a law was passed that allowed only licensed public houses to sell gin. Along with a few tax hikes, the new regime turned gin from a vehicle of working-class escapism into a middle-class tipple.
With the invention of the continuous still meant that pure spirit could be produced efficiently, and the spirit could be gently enhanced with delicate flavourings. This style came to be known as London Dry because most distillers were based in London. At the same time the ports of Liverpool, Bristol and Plymouth created their own versions of a more aromatic and fruity 'dry' gin. Of all, Plymouth Gin alone survives, its unique character preserve in the long tradition of craftsmanship at the Black Friars Distillery, its unique status enshrined in English law.
The chief flavoring agent in both Gin - the main ingredient of Gin recipes - is the highly aromatic blue-green berry of the juniper, a low-slung evergreen bush (genus Juniperus) that is commercially grown in northern Italy, Croatia, the United States and Canada. Additional botanicals can include anise, angelica root, cinnamon, orange peel, coriander, and cassia bark. All Gin makers have their own secret combination of botanicals, the number of which can range from as few as four to as many as 15.
Most Gin is initially distilled in efficient column stills. The resulting spirit is high-proof, light-bodied, and clean with a minimal amount of congeners (flavor compounds) and flavoring agents. Genever is distilled in less-efficient pot stills, which results in a lower-proof, more flavorful spirit.
There are many gin recipes. They use several main gin sorts. London Dry Gin is the dominant English style of Gin. As a style it lends itself particularly well to mixing. London Dry Gin is the dominant Gin style in the United Kingdom, former British colonies, the United States, and Spain.
Plymouth Gin is relatively full-bodied (when compared to London Dry Gin). It is clear, slightly fruity, and very aromatic. Originally the local Gin style of the English Channel port of Plymouth, modern Plymouth Gin is nowadays made only by one distillery in Plymouth, Coates & Co., which also controls the right to the term Plymouth Gin.
Old Tom Gin is the last remaining example of the original lightly sweetened gins that were so popular in 18th-century England. The name comes from what may be the first example of a beverage vending machine. In the 1700s some pubs in England would have a wooden plaque shaped like a black cat (an "Old Tom") mounted on the outside wall. Thirsty passersby would deposit a penny in the cat's mouth and place their lips around a small tube between the cat's paws. The bartender inside would then pour a shot of Gin through the tube and into the customer's waiting mouth. Until fairly recently limited quantities of Old Tom-style Gin were still being made by a few British distillers, but they were, at best, curiosity items.
Genever or Hollands is the Dutch style of Gin. Genever is distilled from a malted grain mash similar to that used for whisky
Variations in the additional herbs result in the distinct flavour of different brands of gin. Most popular are such drinks as Royal Gin Fizz. Witch needs 50ml of Gin, 25ml Fresh Lemon Juice, 12.5ml Sugar syrup, 1 Egg, White (optional) Champagne. All the ingredients must be shacked (apart from the Champagne) with ice. Then strained into a Collins glass filled with ice and top with Champagne. Garnished with a slice of Lemon.
Also almost in every bar around the world you'll be able to find much more cocktails based on gin recipes including also gin and juice cocktails.
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