What is gin and how is it made?
The gin trend continues unabated, with new gins appearing on the market every week. But how is gin actually made?
The first thing needed to make gin is alcohol that is as pure as possible. This can be produced and distilled from any carbohydrate-containing raw material. However, it is usually made from grain, potatoes or sugar molasses.
Gin gets its characteristic taste from the addition of certain botanicals (herbs and spices)
Different botanicals are used depending on the gin.
Depending on the origin and regionality, around 120 different ingredients can be used as aromas and active ingredients in the production of gin.
For example, coriander, aniseed, caraway, fennel seeds, cumin, cinnamon, liquorice, violet root, ginger, cardamom, pepper, calamus, almonds, savory, rosemary and nutmeg. Most types of gin are enriched with 6-10 flavorings, but in recent years there has been a trend towards using more and more botanicals.
Flavoring can take place both during distillation and afterwards. Either the alcohol vapors are passed directly through the botanicals, absorbing the aromas, or the botanicals are placed in the original alcohol and distilled again (maceration).
In a London Dry Gin, the juniper berries must be predominant. Hence the typical taste. The forerunner of gin was Dutch jenever. It is not entirely clear who invented gin, but according to the oldest sources, it is said to have originated in England in the 17th century when the French and Dutch brought a spirit with the name jenever from their homeland.
Today there are 5 widely used varieties of gin:
- London Dry Gin (dry)
- Dry Gin (dry, less juniper-accented)
- Plymouth Dry Gin (sweeter and spicier)
- Old Tom Gin (sweeter)
- Genever (sweeter and more aromatic)
Well-known cocktails and long drinks made with gin are
Gin Tonic and Gin Fizz, the Dry Martini - the favorite drink of James Bond
Negroni, Tom Collins and the rest.
Unlike whisky and rum, gin is a simple spirit, which means it does not need to be stored and is therefore ready for immediate sale. This is why there are so many gin brands on the market.
