Gin

dearg_doom

The original drunkard's tipple.

The best spirit?

I think so...

dudara

it's damn hard to be a gin & tonic with a slice of lemon on a hot summers evening

Viscosity

Definitely the nicest spirit. My dad got me started on it and my friends gave me stick for a bit about it being an OAPs drink. They weren't long about putting a cork in it when they tried it.

Any favourites ?

Gordons, Bombay and Tanqueray are my favourites. Haven't tried Tanqueray No 10 yet though. Definitely not a CDC fan.

On the tonic side its gotta be Schweppes and I prefer lime to lemons.

cee_jay

Has to be Gordons - can't stomach CDC at all!
But prefer mine with bitter lemon to tonic though!

The Sweeper

Bombay sapphire and tanqueray for me. This week's drink of the week is gin... Which is the excuse I've been waiting for...

athena 2000

dearg_doom wrote:

The original drunkard's tipple.

The best spirit?

I think so...

'Blue ruin'*, tonic water and lime is divine.



*slang term for gin from 1700s...
also was called "strip & go naked"

the_rook

Gin and tonic reminds me too much of coronation street. If there is anything i hate more than Gin it's tonic water, so no, I don't like it. VODKA owns Gin etc. etc. Do drunkards still abuse Gin? I thought Vodka has become the cheapest spirit available.

Talliesin

Funny, that topic came up in coversation last night. From which I concluded:

1. I want to try sloe gin.
2. It's way too long since I've had a nice G&T. Haven't had one all summer.

Nevyn

The History of Gin
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A568677

Detailed Timeline

12th Century

Records reveal that distillation is practiced for medical purposes at Salerno Medical School. The invention of the process is variously attributed to the Chinese, Persians and Arabs.

1650

Franciscus Sylvius, Dutch doctor in the city of Leyden, Holland infuses juniper berries into distilled spirits in a search for a cure to kidney and stomach disorders and creates the "jenever" origin.

Late 1680's

Dutch exports of Gin at over 10 million gallons a year.

1689

William of Orange, Dutch consort to Queen Mary of England, bans imports of French brandy and levies duties on German spirits, guaranteeing a market for Dutch spirits in England. At the same time, the distilling trade is opened to locals who begin procuring "Dutch Courage".

1690

Londoners consume one-half million gallons of Gin.

1695

British beer taxes are raised, making Gin the cheapest beverage in England.

1720's

"Gin Madness" spreads through London as an escape from the brutal life of the nascent working class. Dram shops advertise, "Drunk for a penny, dead drunk for two pence and a straw for nothing".

1729

First of a series of unsuccessful Parliamentary acts to curtail Gin consumption in London.

1750

Londoners consume 11 million gallons of Gin per year.

1751

The Tippling Act is passed by Parliament - the beginning of the end of "Gin Madness". The act eliminates small Gin shops and leaves the distribution of Gin to larger distillers and retailers. Within a few years consumption is down to 2 million gallons per year and the quality of Gin has improved. Gin is on its way to becoming a gentleman's drink.

Mid-18th Century

Gin comes to the New World with the settlers.

1825 - 1835

Robert Stein of Scotland and Aeneas Coffey of Ireland invent the column still. The distiller has less control over the product, but can produce far more of it in the same amount of time.

Mid-19th Century

Gin becomes a respectable drink in British high society, served in gentleman's clubs. In the meantime, it becomes drier and more refined.

1860's

A great notion is born - three times in different places! Martini birth #1: Jerry Thomas, bartender at San Francisco's Occidental Hotel, mixes up a "Martinez" for a traveler bound for that town. It consists of bitters, maraschino, vermouth, ice and Old Tom (Sweet Gin). Sugar syrup added on request.

1870

Gin's position in Britain moves up as it grows drier and more refined. "Indian tonic water" is invented to disguise the unpleasant taste of the quinine necessary to fight malaria in the tropics. It combines will with Gin and the Gin and tonic is born. Martini birth #2: A gold miner pays for a bottle of whiskey in the town of Martinez with a nugget so big he demands an extra drink. The bartender dubs it a "Martinez".

1879

Founding of Dirkzwager distillery in Schiedam, Holland.

1912

Martini birth #3: Martini di Arma DI Taggia, bartender at New York's Hotel Knickerbocker, mixes up a drink using equal parts of Gin and dry vermouth.

1915

Raffles Hotel in Singapore makes the first Singapore Sling.

August 16, 1920

The Volstead Act (Prohibition) goes into effect. Saloons and bars give way to speakeasies. Gin, the easiest spirit to produce illegally, is king and contributes to the rising popularity of the cocktail because of its smooth, dry quality and because it mixes well with other flavors. Spirit consumption goes up and moves from the saloon to the home. Women civilize the saloons.

1934

The Volstead Act is repealed, ending Prohibition.

Early 1950's

The cocktail hour becomes an established feature of the US lifestyle and executives enshrine the three-martini lunch.

Mid-1970's

Executives sober up and Perrier replaces the three martinis at the executive table.

1976

Vodka surpasses Gin and whiskey to become the most widely-consumed spirit in the U. S.

1985

Time Magazine calls the martini an "amusing antique".

1993

U. S. tax laws are changed to allow only 50 percent of "lavish and extravagant" entertaining to be deducted as business expenses. Thus ends the three-martini lunch.

Mid-1990's

The martini stages a comeback, particularly among the 20's and 30's age group and becomes associated with retro culture, deco style, night clubs, cigars and Hollywood's depiction of the thirties' lifestyle.

1995

The Wall Street Journal reports that while overall spirits sales in 1994 were down 2.5%, Gin sales increased by 2%.

1997

Holland does it again! Light, 80-proof Leyden Dry Gin, produced in Schiedam's historic Dirkzwager distillery and aimed to satisfy Gin and vodka drinkers alike, is the first new Gin to appear on the American market in 10 years.

Only type of Gin I can abide personally is Sloe gin which is damned hard to
get a hold of, so much so I am have to make my own.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A705764

Talliesin

The Sweeper

Ah, sloe gin... I finished my night last night with a double sloe gin chilled and up. Gordon's do a sloe gin which isn't bad.

DrIndy

Sloe gin is good, you can make it yourself by picking the berrys off any blackthorn bush in ireland. Blackthorn/sloe is a relation of the plum and produces intensely sour fruit that are normally very difficult on the palate, however the addition of a few to a bottle and left to infuse adds a wonderful flavour.

As genuine gin goes - my favourite is bombay sapphire. It is a league above the rest.

TerrorFirmer

God I hate gin....I remember one night we couldn't find anything to drink and so had to drink a few bottles of gin.

Can't touch it since...