Drinking dutch "national wine" gin has a lot of knowledge

Source: Global Times

If you take KLM Royal Dutch Airlines business class, you will get a souvenir with a very Dutch flavor: a traditional Dutch house made of Delft blue pottery, which is filled with gin. This tradition began in the 1950s. Just like liquor to China, vodka to Russia, dutch "national wine", non-gin (Genever) is the only one.

After coming to work in the Netherlands, I accidentally bought a ceramic bottle, quite ancient wine, the bottle said "Amsterdam 1575", alcohol 35 degrees, did not expect to accidentally hit and buy back the Dutch "national wine" - gin.

Gin is a grain wine, the raw materials can be selected from different grains, such as barley, wheat, Spelt wheat, rye, corn, etc., different raw materials to make wine with different tastes. When brewing, the malt liquor is fermented and distilled with malt pulp, at which time the alcohol content is between 50 degrees and 55 degrees, and the gin is obtained by adding juniper nuts and other herbal formulas to distill again. Gin has an alcohol content of at least 35 degrees. Some high-end gins are also aged in oak barrels, which are closer to whiskey.

Gin is usually divided into "young wine" and "old wine". This has nothing to do with their vintage or the time they are aged in oak barrels, but rather depends on the content of the ale. Young gins contain up to 15% malt, at least 35 degrees by alcohol, and are refreshing and closer to vodka; older wines contain at least 15% malt, with an alcohol content of at least 38 degrees, softer taste and stronger malt flavor. Young wine is usually used as an aperitif, and old wine is used as an after-dinner digestion wine. There is also a grain wine (Korenwijn), which has an ale content of up to 50% and an alcohol content of at least 38 degrees.

In addition to the ale base, another major ingredient in gin is juniper. It is the cones of juniper, which was used in ancient Greece, first as a medicine and later as a condiment. It relieves digestive symptoms such as stomach upset, flatulence, and loss of appetite. It is also said to have been used to improve athletes' physical strength at the ancient Greek Olympic Games. Each gin distillery has its own secret recipe, the main difference being the selection of herbal mixtures. In addition to juniper nuts, tangerine peel, coriander seeds, wormwood, angelica, licorice, etc. are often added.

Not anyone can produce gin by mastering the recipe. According to the EU rules for the protection of origin, only gin produced in the netherlands, Belgium, the two northern provinces of France and the two cantons of northwestern Germany can use the name Genever.

There are many theories about the relationship between gin and gin, one of which is that william III, the consul of the Netherlands, brought the wine to England from 1689 to 1702 when he went to England as king. Now gin is far more famous than gin.

There is a word in English called "Dutch courage", which means "courage after drinking", which literally translates to "Dutch courage". The term is said to have come about: during the Dutch War of Independence, the British and Dutch soldiers fought side by side, and the British army found that the Dutch army was extremely brave and not afraid of sacrifice, and the secret was that they drank gin before charging into the battle. In fact, I think it is inappropriate to translate Genever as gin or gin, the former seems luxurious, the latter is too delicate, and what makes the big Dutch bold is not as good as translating it as "jinjiu".

Gin can be drunk at room temperature. Some people drink it refrigerated like vodka, and in the early days, some people drink it with sugar like absinthe. In a traditional Dutch pub, the bartender will serve gin to customers with a "tulip cup" (pictured). This wine glass has the shape of a tulip flower and has a capacity of 35 ml. The drink will be poured very full, holding on to the surface tension so as not to spill out. The standard drinking posture is to stand, with your hands behind your back, bend down to take your first sip, preferably with a loud smack, and then raise a glass to drink it all.

In the Dutch-speaking areas of the south of the Netherlands and northern Belgium, a method of mixing gin with beer is also popular, and the beer is usually made of light beer. The drinker pours the golden glass full and throws it into a glass filled with beer to drink this mixture. It is equivalent to the domestic "depth charge" or "emergency dive" drinking method. Dutch old cannons sizzle slowly as they drink gin, like a fine whisky. According to the gin brewer, gin has both gin and whiskey charm, which is more intriguing.