GIN: FROM MEDICINE TO SPIRIT DRINK, THE EVOLUTION YOU DON'T EXPECT
From the Salerno school to London via Holland, gin hasn't always been a liqueur to drink for pleasure.
Today it is one of the most successful spirits, among the most appreciated in the world. Large groups of enthusiasts thank the juniper and the variety of berries that contribute to the search for perfection.
Its origins are the subject of a dispute between Holland and our local (and oldest) Medical School of Salerno.
We are around the year 1000, in the middle of the Middle Ages, and the alcoholic macerate was already used for its medicinal properties; however, it seems that in the sixteenth century it was the Dutch doctor Franciscus de La Bouve who took care of the tastier side of juniper and made it become a drink.
The British then became passionate about the drink by creating the London Dry Gin, still very much appreciated by Queen Elizabeth today.
The passion of the Anglo-Saxons became so overbearing that two centuries later, between 1729 and 1751, the English government deemed it necessary to issue the Gin Acts, laws aimed at limiting the excessive use of liquor.
Over time, thanks to the creation of gin and tonic, the tonic market has also evolved, allowing complex, aromatic beverages to emerge.
ALL THE STYLES OF GIN
- London Dry Gin: produced with double distillation and suitable for those who love the component of juniper, the main element.
- Old Tom: it is distinguished by the sweetness component due to the addition of sugar.
- Contemporary Style: aromas deriving from other botanicals in addition to the classic ones are perceived.
- Cask Gin: exploits the precious characteristics of short aging in barrels that give it gentler and rounder sensations on the palate.
- Traditional Style: refers to the first digestives based on juniper. It has a hot still distillation.
- Compound Gin: has less interesting aromatic nuances because they are added to the alcoholic component and not infused.