Gin

What is gin?

Gin is a spirit whose aroma is carried by juniper, as the European definition requires. On top come the botanicals: coriander, angelica root, citrus peels and orris root are among the classics. They give each gin its character, but juniper stays the core.

From genever to gin

Gin has its roots in the Dutch genever, a juniper spirit once sold as a medicine. Through England it became a world drink: in early 18th century London, gin was drunk en masse, and contemporaries called the era the Gin Craze. The gin and tonic comes from the British colonial era: tonic water contained quinine against malaria, and gin made the bitter drink enjoyable. What began as medicine became a classic.

Styles at a glance

• London Dry: dry and juniper forward, no sugar added after distillation
• Dry Gin: juniper forward, with more freedom for the botanicals
• Old Tom: lightly sweetened, the bridge between genever and London Dry
• New Western: botanicals up front, juniper in the background
• Genever: the ancestor from the Netherlands, softer and maltier

Classics with gin

Gin & tonic, martini, Tom Collins and Negroni. The martini is stirred: "The shaker makes texture, the mixing glass makes silk." The Tom Collins shows the family's length: "The sour is the formula, the fizz the sparkle, the Collins the length."

Remember this one

"Gin brings the juniper, rum the sugarcane, whisky the cask, vodka the purity, tequila the agave."

At our lounge

Gin is at home with us: neat, as a martini or as a gin and tonic. Ask our team about your favourite, we will find your gin together.