
The Intoxicating History of Gin - vo2maxer
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/12/09/the-intoxicating-history-of-gin
======
mauvehaus
While we're on the subject of gin:

A martini is comprised of gin, vermouth and between 0 and 3 olives.

If there is no vermouth it isn't a "bone dry martini". It's just "a glass of
cold gin".

The modifiers "perfect" and "dirty" are also permissible when applied to to a
martini.

If it's made with vodka, not gin, it's a vodka martini.

Other concoctions served in a cocktail glass are just cocktails. Which are
fine, but please don't co-opt the name "martini" because it sounds
cosmopolitan.

Wait.

Shit.

~~~
jkaptur
Looking at the bottle of vermouth while stirring the gin provided enough
vermouth for Churchill and it provides enough for me.

~~~
deadmetheny
A solemn nod in the general direction of France is sufficient, and don't skimp
on the olives.

------
sandGorgon
> _From the outset, it was laced with memories, or myths, of imperial rule;
> what Schweppes first sold in 1870 was not just tonic water but “Indian Tonic
> Water,” and today, though besieged by an army of Fever-Tree tonics, it still
> holds considerable sway. The water is tonic because it contains quinine,
> which is anti-malarial—a lifesaver, if you happen to be invading or
> infesting a marshy foreign land._

Oh yes - gin and tonic should be rightfully considered India's national drink.
Its what the British had to invent to not die.

~~~
onion2k
_Its what the British had to invent to not die._

Exactly. G&T is essentially an important preventative medicine, and I should
drink it more often so I won't get malaria here in the North East of the UK.

~~~
arethuza
G&T was the most disgusting thing I had ever tasted until I acquired a taste
for it and now it is one of the nicest. Mind you for some reason my
recollection of how I acquired a near-constant craving for G&T is somewhat
blurry.

Edit: Note that I don't drink that often but even thinking about a G&T
literally makes my mouth water.

~~~
SmellyGeekBoy
I also assumed it was one of those "acquired taste" things - like as a
teenager I really couldn't stand the taste of beer but I drank it because all
my peers did. Now I love the stuff.

Unfortunately the same can't be said for G&T, much as I want to like it.

~~~
onion2k
Given the proliferation of different flavored gins[1] I think it's possible no
one actually likes the taste of gin. There are hundreds of flavors on
Amazon.co.uk[2].

[1]
[https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=gin&rh=n%3A340834031%2Cn%3A3598...](https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=gin&rh=n%3A340834031%2Cn%3A359896031&dc&qid=1575468496&rnid=1642204031&ref=sr_nr_n_2)

[2] Amazon.com doesn't sell beer or spirits. Weird.

~~~
noarchy
>Amazon.com doesn't sell beer or spirits. Weird.

It isn't weird if you know how strange the alcohol laws can be across North
America, including Canada. Shipping alcohol from one state (or province, in my
case) to another isn't always possible.

------
tempguy9999
"a drink that spoke more unfathomably to the deeps of the British soul than to
that of other races"

Quite fathomable, we're a bunch of alcoholics (only partly joking).

#6 in this list of 33 countries (2015)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_alcohol_c...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_alcohol_consumption_per_capita#2015_WHO_data_for_OECD_%28Organisation_for_Economic_Co-
operation_and_Development%29_countries)

#25 in this list of 191 (2010 figures)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_alcohol_c...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_alcohol_consumption_per_capita#2010_WHO_data)

Nothing against booze (certainly not allergic to a G&T either) but we can go a
bit OTT with it.

------
TheGallopedHigh
BBC’s In our time podcast has a fascinating show on the Gin Crazy, paneled by
3 experts:
[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b084zk6z](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b084zk6z)

------
bytematic
Gin and bourbon are my desert island spirits. I love how they are surging into
the cocktail space and you can find both gin and whiskey exclusive bars all
over (in wisconsin at least!). Lots are starting to barrel rest their gins
which give it an oaky flavor reminiscent of whiskey. Monkey 47 is a favorite
of mine which I drink straight, maybe with an ice cube. But some local gins
here in Madison, WI do a really great job as well. Look out for "bartenders"
edition gins from england, which generally are kicked up versions.

------
Jedd
Regrettably I only properly discovered gin - via a Negroni - about 8 years
ago.

Curiously TFA didn't dwell on advances & experiments in Australia,
particularly the southern states, such as Tasmania, where there's been a some
tremendous examples of the art.

Shene Poltergeist gin would bring into the fold even the most vehemently
anti-g&t drinker. (Though mixing that with tonic would be a ghastly waste.)

Ophir (UK), St George Terroir (US), or Gin Mare (ES) are great places to start
if you've historically just spurned the idea of gin.

~~~
mauvehaus
Do you have a preferred recipe for a Negroni? My partner and I have been
having a hard time getting over the flavor of Campari.

We usually have Tanqueray in the house for G&Ts and Carpano in the house for
Manhattans, but we've had no luck getting a drinkable Negroni.

To the uninitiated, I would describe Campari as having the flavor of burning
tires. I don't mean that perjoratively, I just don't have a better
description.

Or please feel free to inform me that our palates lack sufficient refinement
:-D

~~~
buckhx
A negroni is equal parts Campari, Vermouth and Gin. Varying the brand of
Vermouth or Gin has the biggest impact. Subbing out Campari makes it another
cocktail. Should be swapped out for another Amaro (Herbally Bitter Liquer)
such as Cynar, Gran Clasico or Brut Americano (never Aperol, too sweet). I'm
partial to using Cynar (pronounced chee-nahr) which I've heard be called a
Sin-Cyn (sin-chin).

You can also try swapping the gin for whiskey to make a boulvadier and see if
that more to your liking as well.

~~~
blaser-waffle
I've had mixed success subbing Montenegro Amaro or Fernet for Campari.

Very different flavors, though, and the type of "aromatized wine" (aka
vermouth) will have an impact.

------
davidw
Where I live in Bend, Oregon there are tons of western junipers to the east of
town in the "high desert". I chatted with a local distiller and apparently
they don't use them for their gin, though. They import them from Italy of all
places.

~~~
blahyawnblah
Are western junipers not suited for making gin?

~~~
davidw
Guess that distillery doesn't prefer it. Other articles on line show people
trying to use it with some success...

------
ukoki
The Dollop podcast did a hilarious episode on the British Gin Craze recently:
[https://dollopengland.libsyn.com/10-the-gin-
craze](https://dollopengland.libsyn.com/10-the-gin-craze)

------
slowhand09
Love the article. Were I reading it last last night, it would be while sipping
a Sapphire and tonic for sure. Learned much I did.

