There is a kind of wine, he is an indispensable species of bar bartenders, he is the national wine of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, he is the world's first major category of spirits, he is known as the "heart of the cocktail", even the Queen of England has a special love for him, a few years ago also came up with his own secret recipe to sell, this is one of the world's eight spirits of gin, Lanyu Culture Distillery Planning and Design Institute today to bring you is the past and present life of gin.
First, the origin of gin
Gin is generally called gin, it was born in the Netherlands, grew up in the United Kingdom, famous in the United States; has a strong gin flavor, strange and fragrant smell, mellow and refreshing taste, is the world's first major category of spirits, is widely used in cocktails, has the reputation of cocktail heart.
1
The invention of gin
GIN was successfully made in 1660 by a professor named Doctor Sylvius of the Unversity of Leyden in the Netherlands. Originally made to help Dutch traders, seafarers and immigrants active in the East Indies prevent tropical malaria, and was used as a diuretic and heat-clearing agent, it was soon discovered that this diuretic had a harmonious aroma, harmonious taste, mellow and gentle, clean body, and a clean, refreshing natural style, and was soon consumed as a formal alcoholic beverage.
Later, the sailors of the crew drank more and more, and found that this thing was not only comfortable to drink, but also tasted good, and over time it became a widely used drink in the Netherlands.
2
Very popular in the UK
As for how gin entered the English market, it is necessary to start with a Dutch nobleman who became the king of England.
In 1688, when the British Glorious Revolution broke out and the royal struggle intensified, a Dutch nobleman named William Arm iii intermarried with the British royal family and became an English prince.
William Armour III was eventually crowned king on 13 February 1689 and became King of England under the name William III.
At this point, the gin was officially brought into British territory by the Dutch nobleman.
After ascending the throne, England III from the Netherlands began to re-examine the British system, although the European wine is rich, but most of them are made from grapes, but britain has not been famous vineyards.
Therefore, until the 17th century, Britain itself did not have its own country's high-grade wine, and it was generally a low-grade wine such as beer that could be produced by itself. If you want to drink some wine or spirits, you can only introduce them.
3
Gin cheaper than milk
In order to produce their own country's wine and let more people drink alcoholic beverages, the British government allowed merchants to produce gin without a license, so people began to produce and sell gin.
There is no harm without comparison, and for all reasons, the price of gin in the 17th century was very low, and the price of a glass of gin was even less than the price of a glass of milk.
There are even pubs that post advertisements like this - 'Drunk for a penny, Dead drunk for tuppence, Straw for nothing', which roughly means, 'One penny drunk, two pennies dream of death, if there is no money, come in I please."" ’
Although the famous 'gin fever' in Britain later broke out, which caused many people to suffer from alcohol addiction, from another point of view, gin did allow more suffering Britons to find the joy of life in gin at that time.
4
Gin and China
In China, gin was first produced in Beijing in the 1930s (1938), and its producers were French missionaries.
In 1910, French missionaries founded the Church Distillery ——— Beijing Shangyi Winery, which was located one kilometer outside the Fucheng Gate in Beijing (now the Party School of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee). The production management and technical technology of Shangyi Winery are controlled by the Frenchman Jishan, the winery and church cover an area of nearly 100 acres, the factory has dozens of acres of vineyards, built workshops, underground wine storage rooms, 16 fermentation and storage cement ponds on the ground and underground, and more than 500 oak barrels. At that time, the equipment was a crusher, a press, a distillation tower, a champagne machine, and so on. The church also covers an area of 700 acres in qianshan and houshan (now 309 hospitals) in the black mountain village north of the Summer Palace, and introduced more than ten varieties of French grape varieties such as Fletto, Sepil, and French orchid. The wine produced by The Shangyi Winery is supplied to the national missionary for Mass, and is also exported to cathedrals, concessions, restaurants, embassies, Western restaurants, and canned food companies across the country. The pine nuts used by The Shangyi Winery are harvested from an ancient cemetery in the Bada area of Xishan, Beijing, and the juniper nuts grow everywhere, and their leaves are two hairs, five hairs, and seven hairs, which bear many fruits over time and grow in the Central Plains.
In fact, it is the Longhui Wine Museum that Lanyu Culture participated in the transformation
The peak of gin sales was in 1946, especially among Americans who came to China, and some of them were brought back to the United States, which no one expected. At the same time, the gin and spices produced by Shangyi Winery are also welcomed by wineries around the world, such as Beijing Miaoji Distillery, Beijing Zhangwei Distillery, Tianjin Lida Distillery, etc., which have come to the factory to buy. Since then, the application of gin has become more and more extensive.
2. The category of gin
According to the taste style, gin can be divided into four types: spicy gin (dry gin), old Tom gin (sweetened gin), Dutch gin and fruity gin (aromatic gin). Spicy gin texture is lighter, cooler, slightly spicy, wine degree between about 80-94 proof, old Tom gin is to add 2% sugar to the spicy gin, so that it has a pleasant sweet and spicy taste; Dutch gin in addition to having a strong juniper smell, but also has the aroma of malt, wine degree is usually between 100-110 proof; fruity gin is to add ripe fruits and spices to dry gin, such as citrus gin, lemon gin, ginger gin and so on.
Dutch gin
If you are obsessed with this taste, then I would recommend you to try Dutch gin, and so far, although the United Kingdom and the United States are also the industrial powerhouses of gin - the most respectful of tradition, the most suitable for pure drinking, it is definitely Dutch gold.
Dutch gold is made of barley and wheat as the main material, with gin enzyme spices, after fermentation and distillation three times to obtain the original wine, and finally added juniper nuts to distill again to obtain. It is precisely because of this complex process that the taste balance of Dutch gold will be better, the wine aroma and spice taste are relatively heavy, that is, we often say that a drink can drink a very strong juniper flavor, so Dutch gold direct net drink is the best choice, very friendly to people who like the taste of juniper nuts.
But Dutch gold is actually not suitable for novice drinking, because of the relationship between the brewing process, Dutch gold alcohol content is relatively high, before tasting it is recommended to add a little ice, otherwise there will be a feeling of spicy throat.
Among them, Dutch gold also has a more traditional way to drink from the East Indies - first use bitter essence (a concentrated herbal wine) to brush the cup, then pour the gin full, drink it all, and finally come to a glass of ice water, which is conducive to appetizing, suitable for summer drinking, and those who pursue excitement can try it.
Because juniper nuts have the characteristics of oxidation and bitterness, gin is not conducive to shelving for too long before sealing the bottle, and many Dutch gold is stored in ceramic bottles, and then diluted and bottled when packed.
So another difference with the two gins in britain and the United States is that some Dutch gold will roughly divide the birth year, mainly divided into three kinds of new wines called Jonge, old wine called Oulde, and old old wine called Zeet - it is still recommended that novices buy new wines, because Jonge tastes relatively lighter and will not be very spicy.
English gin
Also known as dry gin, it is obtained by crushing, heating, fermenting and distilling corn, barley malt and other grains twice. English gin is transparent, has a fragrant smell and a mellow taste. It can be used as a pure drink or as a base wine for cocktails.
Common brands include Gordon Gin, Befota Gin and so on.
American gin
American gin is pale golden yellow because it ages in oak barrels for a period of time compared to other gins. American gin mainly has two categories: distilled gin (Distiled gin) and mixed gin (Mixed gin). Typically, American distilled gin has a "D" on the bottom of the bottle, which is a special symbol of American distilled gin. Mixed gin is a simple mixture of edible alcohol and juniper nuts, and is rarely used for single drinking, but is mostly used to make cocktails.
Fruity gin
Fruity gin is a dry gin with ripe fruits and spices, such as: citrus gin, lemon gin, ginger gin and so on.
Gin does not need to be aged, but some manufacturers put the original wine in oak barrels to age, so that the wine is slightly golden. The alcohol content of gin is generally between 35 and 55, and the higher the alcohol content, the better its quality. The more famous ones are Dutch gin, English gin and American gin.
5
other
The main producers of gin are Germany, France, Belgium and other countries in addition to the Netherlands, Britain, and the United States. The more common and famous gins are: schinkenhager, Bruggman, Silichte, Schlichte, Filliers, Doornkaat, Fryns, Claessens, Herte, Herte, Anderson, Herte, Anderson, Herte, Anderson, Bruessens, Bruggen, Bruggman, Bruggen, Bruggmann, Bruggen, Brugger, Brugger, Brueth, Bruce, Bruns, Bruce, Bruessens, Herte, Anderson, Brossens, Herte, Anderson, Bross. France (Loos), Campo, Belgium (Kampe), Lafoscade France( Vandalme). Belgium (Vanpamme), Brinevec, Yugoslavia (Vanpamme), Brinevec.
There is a gin called Sloe gin in dry gin, but it cannot be called gin because the ingredient it uses is a wild plum called black thorn plum. Sloe gin is customarily called "gin", but add "blackspoon plum" to be called "blackspoon plum gin".
Third, the brewing process of gin
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="108" >1 distillation</h1>
One-stage completion method
The juniper nuts and the herbs used are soaked in ordinary neutral alcohol for no more than 48 hours; after the soaking is complete, the herbs are removed, and then the liquor is placed in a single still for distillation, and then the distilled finished product is diluted with water to a suitable alcohol level, and the bottle can be bottled.
Two-stage completion method
During the process of soaking and distillation, more spices than the one-stage completion method are added, and then the finished wine is diluted with water to the appropriate alcohol level and bottled. This method is more efficient than "one-stage".
Steam injection method (incense skewer method)
The neutral alcohol is distilled first, and then the alcohol vapor is allowed to pass through the desired plant, so that the alcohol vapor has a taste, and then the steam is condensed, diluted with water, and bottled.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="121" >2 mixed method</h1>
The "mixing method" is often used to make cheap gin. Add the plant flavor commonly found in gin to the neutral alcohol, dilute it with water to the appropriate alcohol level, and bottle it.
4. Gin brand
Netherlands
Start with the Netherlands. If I had to ask Blue Yu Culture to recommend Dutch gold, I would prefer 'Henkes - Henkes', 'Bols - Pols', 'Bomsma - Bangsma', 'Hasekamp - Hasekamp - Hasekamp' and so on.
The degree of Henks is relatively low, generally around 35 °, suitable for novice drinking.
Pouls is one of the oldest distilleries in the Netherlands, founded in 1575, and Lucas Bols, mentioned earlier, who adds sugar to gin, is the founder of the brand.
Polkma-Porcama is one of the more familiar gin brands in the Netherlands, and if you like to pursue age, try this brand.
United Kingdom
There are more famous gin in Britain – such as the most well-known 'Gordon's - Gordon Gold'. It is the world's number one selling gin, with an average of 4 bottles sold per second. The alcohol content is 43% Vol, which is relatively moderate in spirits.
The technology of not putting sugar in gin is also developed by The founder of Gordon, Alexandre Gordon. The taste of Gordon gold is milder, so it is more suitable for the public taste, and the most common way to drink Gordon gold is to mix it with tonic water.
One of the more famous gins in the UK is 'Hayman's Old Tom Gin' - Heyman's Old Tom Gin'.
Unlike all the gin mentioned earlier, Tom Sr. used the extraction method in the production process, first extracting the concentrate of the plant, and then diluting it with water and strong alcohol.
The alcohol content is lower than Thatton Gold, the degree is 40% Vol, and it is also sweeter than the taste, which belongs to the sweet gin type, and girls who like gin can try it.
In the English gin, Sir Henry is also very good, because the addition of musk, this taste will give people a mysterious atmosphere, in addition, the bottle is completely black, when drinking it is as if the whole person is in a dimly lit, confined space, sitting quietly with incense, feeling their own sage time.
In addition to these three popular gins, there is also a british gin called 'The Botanist' that is more special.
Friends who like to drink whiskey should have heard of Islay, which is also produced by botanists from the British isle of Ere.
If you only know peat coal, you may not know that there are more herbs and plants in Islay Island, so this wine will have a strong herbal flavor when drinking, and the taste will be much hotter than ordinary gin.
This wine has a very obvious characteristic when it is introduced, that is, it has the taste of earth, giving people the feeling of adding uprooted grass to the wine, obsessed with the taste of plants and herbs, or having special feelings about spring or just after rainy weather, it is recommended to start.
It is worth mentioning that the appearance of this wine gives a very clean, transparent cylinder, and the first impression is very elaborate. Worthy of the name botanist.
United States
American Gin I think it's worth saying: 'Glorious Gin - Brilliant Gin'. Because there are more raw materials added to it, the taste is very complicated, which is very suitable for making Martini, and if you drink it slowly, you will feel that it is a very restrained wine.
Other countries
In addition to the gin of these established countries, there are many more gins around the world that are worth trying. For example, Spanish Nordes with the taste of sea and grapefruit, Ink Gin with a very distinctive color, etc., each of which is very good, but the number of words is limited and it is impossible to say them all.
It must be mentioned that gin has no chain of contempt, and if there is no funding, 'Bombay - Mumbai Sapphire' is excellent. Highly recommended for those of you who just want to buy an affordable bottle of gin. Whether it is a cocktail or a net drink, it can be a very casual and civilian wine.
Top 10 Gin in the World
1) The Botanist
Produced in Scotland, botanist Gin is added to the alcohol vapor by directly distilling the essential oils of 9 plants, which then passes through a basket containing 22 plant spices; thus, the resulting alcohol solution contains the scents of 31 plants. Botanist Gin has an unparalleled unique aroma and is one of the few gins in the world that uses natural flavors and does not add artificial flavors.
2) Add Tanqueray
The added gin is produced in the United Kingdom and is a dry London gin. This gin is obtained by secondary distillation, with the addition of plant spices at the second distillation. The added gin was first produced in England in 1830, and the distillery moved to Scotland after World War II. The founder of added gin was Charles Tanqueray, who experimented with different distillation methods and plant spices to finally figure out a method of winemaking using 4 simple plants as the base spice, which has been preserved and passed down to this day.
3) Magellan
"Magellan" is a French gin brand named after the famous navigator Ferdinand de Mageellan, who led the fleet around the world for the first time. Ferdinand Magellan discovered the plant cloves during his voyage around the world in 1519, and cloves are the unique spices used in Magellan gin, which is what sets Magellan gin apart. Magellan gin is triple distilled during the brewing process with the addition of 11 plant spices; in addition, thanks to the addition of iris root, magellan gin has a delicious and distinctive blue color.
4) Sir Henry's Gin (Hendrick's)
Sir Henry Gin is produced in Scotland and is a blend of two very different styles of spirits obtained through different distillation methods. The uniqueness of this gin is the unique flavor it acquires in the process of mixing the two liquors, as well as the aroma of cucumber and rose flavors. When enjoying this gin, it is very popular to decorate it with cucumbers.
5) Sapphire Gin (Bombay Sapphire)
Originally from the UK, sapphire gin is triple distilled during the brewing process, where the alcohol vapor passes through a basket containing 10 plant spices to capture the plant's unique flavor. The brand was originally created in 1987 by Bacardi, which has 40 and 46 degrees of alcohol by alcohol. The most striking thing about sapphire gin is its fragrant aroma, and it is a relatively mild distilled spirit suitable for mixing a wide variety of cocktails.
6) Gordon's
Gordon Gin has a long history, having been first produced in London, England in 1769. Today, this gin is very famous in the United States, The United Kingdom and Greece. Its brewing secret has not changed since its inception, and the plant spices and distillation processes used today are exactly the same as they were when they were first introduced. Gordon Gin is obtained through triple distillation using 3 plant spices, juniper nuts and a mysterious spice, which is known only to 12 people in the world. In the 007 series of movies starring James Bond, his favorite Vesper cocktail is made with Gordon Gin as the base wine.
7) Plymouth gin (Plymouth)
Plymouth Gin is produced in the city of Plymouth, ENGLAND, and there are three types of products with alcohol levels ranging from 40% abv to 57% abv. In an 1896 book on cocktails, Stuart's Fancy Drinks and How to Mix Them, Plymouth Gin was the first gin to be named and praised by the author as "the best base wine for formulating dry martinis.". After prohibition was enacted in the United States in the 1920s, Plymouth gin was very popular in coastal areas of the United States. In the book "SavoyBookofCocktails", it is the recommended brand for 23 gin cocktails.
8) Beefeater
Bifuda Gin was first produced in 1820, with wineries in Britain. This gin is medium in price, but of excellent quality, having won medals in many international spirits competitions. It has a soft texture and is often used to make cocktails. During the brewing process, the grain alcohol solution is soaked with 9 plant spices for 24 hours, followed by slow heat distillation for 7 hours.
9) SouthGin
Produced in New Zealand, The Southern Gin was invented in 2003 by Geoff Ross. This gin is delicious and rich in flavors, especially known for its citrus flavour, the less pronounced juniper flavor of the wine, and the special flavors of manuka tree berries and kava leaves. This gin has an alcohol content of 40.2% and is medium in intensity, so it can be used to make base liquors for a variety of cocktails.
10) Broker's Gin
Founded in 1998 in Birmingham, England, the Blake Gin brand is another emerging gin brand that is famous all over the world. The wine has a unique flavor, it adds 10 unique plant spices in the first four distillations, followed by a fifth distillation. Unlike most other mass-produced gins, Blake Gin is distilled in a canned distiller rather than a tower distiller, which allows the liquor to absorb more plant essence and get more flavor.
Fifth, the effect of gin
Eliminate fatigue
Gin contains a lot of alcohol, a small amount of drinking can stimulate the human brain and central nervous system, so as to eliminate fatigue, relax the role of nerves, so mental fatigue, too much pressure of the crowd can drink a little gin to eliminate fatigue and tension, but pay attention not to drink too much, otherwise it will make the nervous system from excitement to high inhibition, serious words will also destroy the normal function of the nervous system.
Activate blood and dissolve stasis
Gin wine taste sweet, spicy, warm, it has the effect of activating blood stasis, can promote blood circulation in the human body, moderate drinking can prevent blood clots in the arteries from clotting, and it can also reduce the content of fat in the arteries, which has certain benefits for the prevention of coronary heart disease.
Warm the body
Gin is a kind of spirit, the alcohol content is very high, the nature is warm, the human body can promote blood circulation after drinking, dredge the meridians of the human body, can play a role in driving away the cold and keeping warm, suitable for cold weather or cold hands and feet when drinking in moderation.
Appetizing and digesting
Drinking a little gin in moderation can enhance appetite and promote the digestion of food, but it should be noted that it is not advisable to drink too much or drink on an empty stomach, otherwise it will stimulate the stomach and intestines and cause gastrointestinal discomfort.
Promotes metabolism
Gin contains more alcohol components, higher calories, can promote the blood circulation of the human body, has a certain stimulating effect on the skin of the whole body, so as to promote the body's metabolic capacity, it can also act on nerve conduction, through the whole body blood.
Sixth, how to drink
Like other spirits, gin is mainly drunk in pure drinks, iced and other ways. The gin pure drink requirement is not cumbersome, and you can even choose any form of glass to drink. Of course, it is still recommended to use a liqueur or a spirited glass. As for the temperature of drinking, drinking at room temperature is not a big taboo, you can also take out the wine bottle after freezing, because after freezing or refrigerating, the taste of gin becomes very cool, the alcohol taste is not so strong, and it will be more comfortable to drink, but at the same time as freezing gin, it is also recommended to put the glass together, which will have a different experience. In addition, you can also add ice to drink, you can slowly with the melting of the ice cubes to let the aroma of the gin slowly emit, of course, the final choice is still in the hands of each drinker.
However, the way to drink gin, in addition to pure drinking and ice, the most well-known is probably the cocktail, which is also the most widely used way of drinking gin in the world. Gin-based cocktails are aromatic, spicy and refreshing, perfect for drinking during the hot summer months, and the world-famous Martini cocktail is made from gin as a base. In addition, there are many different ways to prepare gin cocktails that are not complicated, and you can try them at home.
Well, about gin, Lanyu Cultural Distillery Tourism Planning and Design Institute today first introduced so much, we will bring you a wonderful gin distillery visit in the future, we hope to provide a certain reference for domestic liquor distillery tourism through gin, welcome everyone to continue to pay attention to us.