Introduction

• Gin has become very fashionable in recent years, and millennials have been key in driving this revival. In a similar way that craft beer has massively taken off in the last 3-5 years so has craft gin, in fact the number of gin distilleries in Britain has doubled in just 6 years, from 2010 – 2016.
• This means two important things: firstly, there are now a lot of so called ‘experts’ who actually know very little and it’s always fun to correct these people and secondly – also more importantly – there is a lot of very excellent gin out in the world which you should try and formulate your own view on.
• The aim of this piece is to educate and provide you with a cheat sheet on how best to enjoy your gin and, if you are that way inclined, impress your friends. Specifically, I will cover four main areas: (1) provide a very brief history of gin (2) explain why we have seen such a significant surge in craft gin recently (3) share my favourite 5 gins right now (4) the best ways to improve the quality of your gin & tonics.

 

A Very Brief History 

• Gin has been in existence for hundreds of years, in fact the first known gin recipe dates back to 1495, and it all started in the lowlands of Europe (modern day Germany, Netherlands).
• What was made – and still is today – was something called genever (also known as genièvre or jenever). The name comes from the most important ingredient – other than the alcohol – the juniper berry. Juniper berry in Dutch is jeneverbes and hence where the name genever comes from.
• Fast forward a couple of hundred years and this genever was given to British soldiers fighting in Europe who took their thirst back to the UK with them. As so often happens when you look back at the history, the British bastardised the poetic European, and we ended up with the gin to describe the juniper berry based alcoholic beverage.
• When William of Orange (William III) became British King in 1650 the British love for gin was fully enforced, he was after all a Dutchman (hence the name) and appeared to love his gin. There are some really interesting stories and history around this period, some but not all related to gin, if you are interested I suggest starting here: https://secretginclub.wordpress.com/gin-history/history-of-gin/ .
• As I’ve already highlighted gin is, at its most fundamental level, a juniper based alcohol, however what really makes a gin stand out and the loved drink it is today are the additional botanical that are added to improve & differentiate the flavour. The most common botanicals after juniper are: coriander, angelica root, orris root, orange peel, lemon peel & liquorice powder (root), however this is definitely not an exhaustive list.
• As an aside, if you are more of a whiskey drinker I would strongly recommend trying some original genever (for example: Filliers Oude Genever). It smells like sherry but tastes like a mild whiskey, excellent neat.
• All these different botanicals really change the taste of the gin, which means gin can be found across the flavour spectrum. The flavour spectrum I follow is as followed: spiced, sweet, dry, floral, citrus, savoury & smooth. Everyone’s taste buds are different and everyone will have different response, my personal leaning is towards spiced & dry, something you’ll see in my top 5 gin selection later on.

 

Why the modern resurgence?

• Now that I’ve covered what gin is and where it came from, I want to move on to its recent resurgence. Despite being around for more than 500 years the popularly of gin has ebbed and flowed, like many other drinks. As I highlight above, while some of the stories around its older history are fascinating, especially around the Gin Act of 1751, I’m going to focus on the 20th and 21st Century.
• Gin had a significant high point in the 1920’s, post-World War I, during the first Cocktail Age, predominately because it was so scarce during WWI and worked well in cocktails.
• After this gin slowly declined, but remained popular, until another spike in consumption post World War II. Again this can mostly be attributed to the fact it was scarce during the war and general alcohol consumption increased post war.
• The biggest hit to gin in the 20^th century came with the rise of vodka. Vodka was loved because it was easily mixed and was preferred by young trend setters because the taste wasn’t as strong. This point about young people often preferring vodka to gin is an important one, as we become older our taste buds become weaker and less sensitive, therefore all the botanical flavours can sometimes be too much for the younger palate. This also explains why gin was seen as an older person’s drink for a long time.
• All this meant that the same big gin houses kept market share for much of the 20^th The big names back then and which are still famous today include: Gordon’s, Tanqueray, Greenall’s & Martins and Miller. The exception that proves the rule was Bombay Sapphire which came out in 1988. It falls back in line with the rule when you realise that Bombay Sapphire came from the same people behind the hugely successful Absolut Vodka. Apart from this, most of the big gin names of today were not born until the 21st Century.
• The real revival of variety in British gin came in 2009 when Sipsmith, based in west London, won a two-year legal battle with HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs) for the right to produce gin in small quantities rather than on an industrial scale. Ever since then the gin market as exploded and grown exponentially. As I highlighted at the start, the number of gin distilleries in Britain has doubled in six years, with 49 opening in 2015 alone after a huge boost in demand.

 

My favourite Gin’s right now 

• Whilst I enjoy drinking genever neat, I definitely do not do the same with my gin. For each of the below I suggest having as a gin & tonic (G&T) and I’ll also highlight my garnish selection. In the final section I’ll also explain what else is required to create the perfect G&T.
• As highlighted earlier my palate leans towards drier & spicier tastes and this obviously sways my gin preference, but I hope these great gins will surpass everyone’s expectations. This obviously isn’t an exhaustive list, there are so many fabulous gins around today.
  • Tanqueray 10 – A very refreshing gin with notes of fresh oranges, limes, and grapefruits making it a truly citrus based gin. In addition to the citrus it contains juniper, coriander, angelica, liquorice and camomile flowers. Tanqueray 10 also goes perfectly in a martini. I personally like to garnish with lime but have often see it paired with grapefruit which works well.
  • Ampleforth Bathtub – Cold-compounded gins are not hugely common but Bathtub is a stunning example, a lovely spicy gin. The main botanicals are juniper, orange peel, coriander, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. I garnish a bathtub G&T with a slice of orange to really compliment the orange peel notes in the gin.
  • No.3 – A very traditional gin for making a proper G&T. No. 3 only contains three fruits and three spices and yet they combine brilliantly. Juniper, orange peel, grapefruit peel and angelica root are the driving flavours whilst coriander seeds provide a spicy & peppery end. My preferred garnish with No. 3 is lemon peel.
  • Monkey 47 – There is a serious amount of flavour in this one, which is no surprise when you know that 47 botanicals are contained within it! Another spicy gin, similar to Bathtub in spiciness. If you are having Money 47 neat then I’d suggest simply adding a little mint, but if having a gin & tonic I’d suggest lime, so much favour there that the lime isn’t too strong.
  • Williams Gin– Everything this family touches turns into a wonderful product and I expect a lot of money! William Chase first rose to fame & fortune with Tyrrells, which he then sold Langhold Capital, a private equity outfit, for almost £40m in 2008. William’s Gin has a strong juniper and crisp citrus smell. Both are also present but it also contains coriander, angelica and liquorice which combine to create an excellent taste. I like to bring out the apple base in the gin by garnishing with a slice of apple.

 

How to improve your G&T 

• Whilst choosing the best quality gin is a central part to formulating the perfect G&T, it can be ruined it you don’t get the other components nailed as well. I see four other components which must be spot on:
  1. The Garnish – Gone are the days of simply dropping a slice of lemon or lime into your G&T without a second thought. Whilst lime arguably remains the most common – and the best with a majority of gins – you must ensure you pick a garnish that complements or contrasts with your gin. As an aside, the lemon or lime debate is an interesting one, here is my view: only use lemon when the flavours within the gin are too delicate to handle lime, I prefer lime but with a Beefeater adding lime – with its stronger taste – masks the gin too much. However as you’ll see above my favourite 5 gins right now use 3 or 4 different garnishes, therefore my suggestion is if you’re not sure what the optimal garnish is for a given gin, try a few or Google it.
  2. The Tonic – Nothing ruins a quality G&T as much as flat tonic. I’m not really fussy about the type of tonic: Schweppes & Fever Tree are both great chooses, but I do really fuss over what state the tonic is in. For best results buy your tonic in individual glass bottles or cans and keep them in the fridge. This way the fizz is fully contained and it doesn’t go flat after your first drink. I personally prefer glass bottles over cans, but both work well.
  3. The Ice – I add ice to keep the drink cool but hate it when it melts and (a) dilutes the taste (b) makes it warm before I’m finished. To get around this you simply need to use some simple science: the bigger your ice cubes the larger the surface area, the slower they will melt. Also make sure they come straight from the freezer, no-one wants ice that’s been sat out for an age.
  4. The Glass – Traditionally, and especially in the UK, gin & tonic is served in a tall thin glass, however there is a growing consensus that this isn’t optimal. If you travel to Spain you’ll often find G&T served in a Copa Glass (basically a re-enforced red wine glass), and I personally think it provides the best quality drink. This comes from the fact that, similar to wine, having a wide glass allows you to aerate the drink and take in the full smell & taste of the botanicals.
• Getting all these things are spot on will help ensure that the quality gin you’ve spent your hard earned money on is maximised, and mean you’re drinking the highest quality G&T possible.

 

Conclusion

• Gin is an awesome spirit and G&Ts are one of the most popular drinks available right now. This, along with the loosening of regulation on gin creation has led to an explosion in the industry and that is amazing for every gin lover.
• The aim of this piece has been to help you optimise the taste and satisfaction you get from gin and perhaps even make you look cultured while drinking it.
• If you are not yet a gin convert then I suggest going to try each of my 5 favourite gins. If you do that and still don’t like it I’ll be very surprised. Happy drinking!

 

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