Brief History of Gin

The name gin is a shortened form of the older English word genever, related to the French word genièvre and the Dutch word jenever.

Gin dates back to about 1050 to an Italian monastery. The existence of genever is confirmed in Philip Massinger’s play The Duke of Milan (1623).

It is also claimed that English soldiers who provided support in Antwerp against the Spanish in 1585, during the Eighty Years’ War, were already drinking genever for its calming effects before battle, From which the term ´Dutch Courage´ is believed to have originated.

The first confirmed date for the production of gin is the early 17th century in Holland.

Juniper berries was boiled in wine to use as a medicine. Juniper was thought to have good healing qualities.

Later grain spirit was distill with the berries creating the spirit known as Genever.

By the mid 17th century, numerous small Dutch and Flemish distillers (some 400 in Amsterdam alone by 1663) had popularised the re-distillation of malt spirit or malt wine with juniper, anise, caraway, coriander, etc.

You will of course, have heard of Gin’s nickname; Dutch Courage. Some say During the Eighty Years War the British soldiers used to sip Gin or Genever before battle due to its soothing and calming effects thereby making them more courageous. Others say English propagandists spread the rumour that Dutch soldiers and sailors developed the necessary nerve to fight only after drinking gin.

William III took over the British Throne from King James II and brought Gin with him to England. In the early 18th century the English Government allowed unlicensed Gin production which resulted in a huge increase in sales and consumption of Gin as even the poor could now afford it. This period of time was also known as the Gin Craze. The Gin Craze carried on for a good 20-30 years before the 5th Gin Act in 1751 managed to get legislations put in place to monitor and moderate the sale and consumption of Gin in England.

250 years and better distillation equipment later we now have hundreds of different brands of Gin and Genever and it’s in pretty much every single bar there is on this planet alongside its expected best mate Tonic.