Who Invented Gin and What Are the Most Popular Gin Cocktails

Gin is, depending on who you ask, revered or incomprehensible. Too often, when you ask for a martini, you are served a vodka-based drink. Gin is basically a liqueur of about 40% alcohol and is derived from the distillation of cereals and is flavored mainly with juniper fruit of juniper extract.

The name gin comes from the word "genever" which means juniper in Dutch. It has its origins, most certainly, in the Middle Ages, with writings attesting to the existence of a juniper-flavored spirit drink since the 13th century.

Already in the 1600s, the Dutch produced very large quantities of gin, with hundreds of distilleries in Amsterdam alone.

Like Coca-Cola, gin was first used as a medicine. It was distributed by "chemists" as a treatment for gout and dyspepsia. Consumed in large quantities, it probably relieves the symptoms caused by these health problems, but only for a few hours.

Gin became very popular during the Thirty Years' War, when British soldiers fighting on Dutch soil were struck by "Dutch courage", consuming gin, of course.

It was not long before this liqueur was spread all over the world, gaining great popularity in England. Experts even estimate that a quarter of Londoners produced their gin around 1720.

At the moment, gin is starting to gain popularity again, especially in combination with various cocktails. Certain types of gin can be drunk dry, with ice, such as Bombay Sapphire.

Other types of gin are much better in cocktails, such as Tanqueray. Below are some gin-based cocktail recipes that you should try, but also that you should know how to prepare, being an attraction at parties.

Martini

For a quality martini, you need fresh vermouth, quality gin, and 3 green olives. All you have to do is a mix (not shake) 90 ml of gin with 40 ml of dry vermouth.

Then pour the liquid into a martini glass and add the 3 olives placed on a toothpick. This cocktail is a classic, being very elegant, simple, but still complex.

Gin Tonic

Probably the most popular way to consume gin is with tonic water. The tonic gin is very fresh, being ideal on hot summer days. The quality of a tonic gin is given by the quality of gin and tonic water.

All you need is 50 ml of gin, tonic water, and 2 pieces of lime. In a tall glass for long drinks, you will put ice, gin and you will squeeze and put the lime pieces. Later, you will fill it with tonic water.

Negron

Another classic gin cocktail is Negroni. Italians say you have to drink 3 such cocktails to start enjoying (not all in one night, though). You will need 25 ml of gin, 25 ml of sweet vermouth, 24 ml of Campari, and some orange peel.

Pour the gin, vermouth, and Campari into an ice glass and mix. Then squeeze the orange peel lightly on top of the drink and place it in the glass. It is so easy to prepare that it will only take you 2–5 minutes to prepare.

Gimlet

Gimlet is a sour and very delicious cocktail. The lemon in it perfectly complements the notes in the gin. People who prefer lemon will surely love a Gimlet. It can also be made with vodka, but it has a special taste with gin.

The name of the cocktail is given precisely by its pungent taste. You will need 50 ml of gin, 25 ml of lemon juice, and a teaspoon of sugar or syrup. The recipe varies between 2 or 3 parts gin and one part lemon juice. You can garnish the cocktail to taste.

Tom Collins

This sweet, sour cocktail tastes like lemonade to which some gin has been added. It is cool, being the kind of cocktail that people enjoy on hot summer days. This cocktail has its origins in New York.

It is one of the most popular Collins cocktails and is made with gin, lemon juice, mineral water, and some sugar syrup. You will need 50 ml of gin, 25 ml of lemon juice, 25 ml of sugar syrup, and 125 ml of mineral water.

All you have to do is put ice in a glass, pour the gin, lemon juice, and add mineral water. You can decorate everything with lemon slices.