gin
Gin (from French genévrier : juniper) is a mostly colorless spirit with juniper ( juniper schnapps ) and the main component of many cocktails such as martini , Negroni and the long drink gin and tonic .
Manufacturing
The agricultural alcohol for the production of gin is distilled from any raw material containing carbohydrates , mostly grain or molasses . Gin gets its characteristic taste from the flavoring with spices , especially juniper berries and coriander . The name is indirectly derived from the botanical name of the juniper Juniperus , although sometimes the so-called juniper berries in English are named as the namesake, but mostly the Dutch predecessor drink Genever .
Other ingredients change from manufacturer to manufacturer, for example ginger , nutmeg , orange peel (flavedo) or paradise apple kernels ( Calville apples ). In total, around 120 different ingredients can be used as flavors and active ingredients in gin production.
The aromatization can take place both during the distillation and afterwards. Depending on the flavor carrier, there are two common distillation processes that are used side by side or at the same time: Either the alcohol vapors are passed directly over the spices and take the aromas with them, or the spices are placed in the raw alcohol and distilled with it ( maceration ).
In the European Union and Switzerland , gin must have an alcohol content of at least 37.5 percent by volume . The better bottlings, however, are sometimes significantly stronger, as otherwise the taste appears out of round against the background of the spicy aromas.
history
The oldest sources in the middle of the 17th century tell of the juniper schnapps called Genever by the doctor Franciscus Sylvius . When Wilhelm III. von Orange-Nassau ascended the English throne in 1689, he brought genever with him from his homeland. He exempted the production of juniper schnapps and at the same time imposed high taxes on the import of French alcoholic beverages. English soldiers who supported the Dutch in the Dutch-Spanish War also brought this schnapps to the British Isles, where it was named gin . In 1690 a decree stipulated that gin could only be produced from English grain .
From 1769, the Gordon Co. in north London produced a triple distilled gin widely used in the British Navy . At this time in England many rough, hard brandies with varying alcohol content were distilled under the name gin. When the cultivation area for grain increased due to the large cultivation areas in North America and with it the price also fell, it also became cheaper to produce alcohol. The cheap and high-proof gin became very popular, especially in the lower classes of society, as a state of intoxication occurred after just a few drinks. Gin consumption increased so much that the government was forced to intervene in the wake of the gin crisis . High taxes and stricter quality controls were supposed to make gin more expensive for the lower classes.
In 1791, the so-called Gin Act not only regulated quality and production, but also brought it into the upper class . During this gin era, many people continued to work on the distillation method and recipe within these limits in the numerous distilleries in London's Bloomsbury district and in the suburb of Finsbury . In Finsbury in particular, with its clear spring water, the London Dry Gin did not develop as a designation of origin (e.g. for gin from London) but as a certain four-fold distillation in copper kettles, with which, compared to continental genever, a particularly round and dry taste of the Spirit is achieved.
The predecessor is the so-called Old Tom Gin , a slightly sweetened gin that was very popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is especially (but not only) suitable for mixing long drinks like Tom Collins and can be understood as a connection between genever and London Dry Gin.
sorts
According to regulation (EU) 2019/787 there are the food law categories gin , distilled gin and London (dry) gin . In addition, there are other categories such as Old Tom Gin and barrel-aged gin , but these are not defined under food law. No gin, but juniper spirits are genever and Steinhäger . The sloe liqueur, known in English as sloe gin, is not a gin, but a liqueur .
London gin
London Gin is defined in the EU regulation of 2008 on the definition, description, presentation and labeling of spirits and the protection of geographical indications for spirits as follows: London Gin is a distilled gin,
- obtained exclusively from ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, and
- whose aroma is obtained exclusively by re-distilling ethyl alcohol in conventional stills with the addition of all the vegetable substances used, and
- the content of added sweetening products must not exceed 0.1 g sugar per liter of the finished product, and
- which must not contain any added dyes.
London Gin must not contain any other added ingredients besides the herbal substances except water. The minimum alcohol content of London Gin is 37.5% vol. The name London Gin can be supplemented with the term dry if no sweetening products are added.
- Tanqueray , a very dry and rounded gin from a traditionally run distillery founded in 1830, whichbearsthe name of the founder Charles Tanqueray . The classic recipe is bottled in a blunt green bottle, the design of which is based on an English hydrant. In addition to this, the No. Ten bottling is offered in a slim, nostalgic Art Deco bottle. No. Ten is the only gin that is distilled from fresh herbs and fruits in small cauldrons to achieve a particularly intense aroma. Both have 47.3% vol. In the meantime, the distillery also offered a Malacca 1839 bottling, a nostalgic and rougher recipe with only 40% vol., Which was bottled in the classic hydrant bottle, but made of clear glass and with a golden cap. However, the production of Malacca ceased in 2004 and resumed in 2018. Since 2006 there is a new bottling Tanqueray Rangpur , to which stronger spices and Rangpur fruits are added, it is slightly sweetened.
- Bombay Sapphire as a classic bottling (47% vol.) Is a gin with a not too juniper-accentuated aroma and dry-alcoholic taste. Between 2004 and 2007, only bottling with a reduced alcohol content (40% vol.) Was available on the German market. In the meantime, the product is available again in both bottlings, although in the food retail trade only the 40 percent variant is usually offered.
- Beefeater Crown Jewel (dark purple bottle), which surpasses the normal bottling with its soft taste, offers a strong flavor with an alcohol content of 50% vol.
- Gordon’s , a gin widely used in supermarket retailers (37.5% vol.). The manufacturer has recently started to focus on diversity and a new look. In addition to the original (green bottle), a Distiller's Cut (uncolored bottle) with more pronounced notes of lemongrass and ginger was also offeredbetween 2004 and 2009. The bottle design and typography are a return to shared history with Tanqueray .
Distilled gin
In the case of distilled gin, the various botanicals must have been added before the distillation.
Dry gin
The designation as dry gin only means that the finished product does not contain more than 0.1 g of sugar per liter. A London gin is always a dry gin and can also be referred to as a London dry gin.
Other
- Saffron Gin (40% vol.) Is a bottling of the Gabriel Boudier distillery in Dijon , which essentially follows the British process. A special feature can be said that it is citrus-accentuated and that the addition of saffron adds an additional aroma. This is not the only reason for the light golden color, at least in the variant sold in the USA, FD&C Yellow No. 5 included as a colorant.
- G'Vine is currently the only on alcohol, one by distillation of wine obtained brandy based gin. A special aroma component consists of a macerate of the flowers of the noble grapevine . Its wine-like taste clearly distinguishes it from other types of gin.
- Old Tom Gin : It is a variant of the gin that is basically slightly sweetened
- Sloe Gin (German: Schlehen-Gin) is not a gin, but a liqueur that has not necessarily been based on gin and is flavored with sloe berries. It is known in German-speaking countries as sloe liqueur or sloe fire. With the new EU law, sloe gin will have to be gin-based; it is then no longer to be equated with sloe liqueur.
Tanqueray (classic proof)
Tanqueray Malacca
Tanqueray No. Ten, equipment before 2017
Bombay Sapphire old bottling
Hendrick’s gin
Beefeater gin
Gin Xoriguer (Menorca)
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Trivia
The card game Gin Rummy is named after the drink: Elwood T. Baker, the inventor of the game, gave it this name, "in order to keep the liquor in the family", since card games called rum and whiskey were also played back then.
literature
- Gary Haidin Regan, Mardee Haidin Regan: Gin . In: Andrew F. Smith (Ed.): The Oxford companion to American Food and Drink . Oxford University Press 2007, ISBN 978-0-19-530796-2 , pp. 258-259
- Kevin Grace: Gin . In: Rachel Black (Ed.): Alcohol in Popular Culture: An Encyclopedia . ABC-CLIO 2010, ISBN 978-0-313-38048-8 , pp. 101-102
- Rod Phillips: Gin . In: Jack S. Blocker (Ed.), David M. Fahey (Ed.), Ian R. Tyrrell (Ed.): Alcohol and Temperance in Modern History: An International Encyclopedia . ABC-CLIO 2003, ISBN 1-57607-833-7 , Volume 1, pp. 263-265
- James R. McIntosh: Gin Craze . In: Jack S. Blocker (Ed.), David M. Fahey (Ed.), Ian R. Tyrrell (Ed.): Alcohol and Temperance in Modern History: An International Encyclopedia . ABC-CLIO 2003, ISBN 1-57607-833-7 , Volume 1, pp. 265-267
Web links
- Robert Simonson: Beyond Beer: Germany Goes All In for Gin , in: The New York Times of November 28, 2016, accessed on December 16, 2016
- The gin of life on spiegel.de from November 16, 2012, accessed on February 1, 2017
- Gin: history, production, food law categories , PDF, 175 kB
Individual evidence
- ↑ Regulation (EU) 2019/787 of the European Parliament and of the Council of April 17, 2019 , Annex I, 20th Gin ; Regulation (EC) No. 110/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of January 15, 2008 , Annex II, 20. Gin (see also: Spirits at www.was-wir-essen.de).
- ↑ Minimum alcohol content of spirits ( Memento of the original from October 22, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. - The federal authority of the Swiss Confederation.
- ↑ http://www.adlergin.de/
- ↑ cf. Ray Foley: The Bar Handbook , ISBN 978-3-88472-468-2
- ↑ cf. Tobias Pehle: Aperitifs & Digestifs , ISBN 978-3-89555-297-7 .
- ↑ CocktailDB: old tom gin
- ↑ Review of Gordon's Distillers Cut Gin by the GIN is IN. Retrieved January 18, 2018 (American English).
- ↑ Saffron Gin Review on nicks.com.au , accessed June 13, 2016
- ↑ Saffron Gin meeting on drinkhacker.com , accessed June 13, 2016
- ↑ According to the manufacturer, the Ugni Blanc is used here.
- ↑ Comparison of previous and new law
