Drink gin: recipe, composition. How to drink gin. Cocktails with gin

Perhaps, each country has its own traditional alcoholic beverage. For example, Russia for many associates with vodka, the United States of America - with whiskey, and England - with gin. In this article we will consider the English national drink.

What is a gin?

Under this name is an alcoholic drink with a strength of 37 degrees and above. Very often it is also called juniper vodka. A real good gin is the result of double distillation of alcohol from cereals and berries. It is the fruit of juniper that gives this alcohol an unusual tart taste. Jin insists after adding some spices:

• Anise;
• Coriander;
• Almonds;
• Lemon peel;
• Violet root , etc.

Juniper and spices make the drink gin attractive to taste. Because of its dryness, it is practically not used in its pure form. So, basically it is diluted with something less sturdy. This is the perfect base for making various cocktails.

History of occurrence

For all of its existence, gin has passed the thorny path from a drink with a questionable taste and aroma to elite alcohol. His homeland is not at all England, as it may seem, but Holland. It was first obtained in 1650. But historically, it was in England that gin got the most widespread. He was used to warm the British soldiers during the Thirty Years' War and eventually brought him back to his homeland. In 1689 gin with the addition of alcohol began to be produced in England. It was a bad drink of poor quality. But this did not prevent him from becoming very popular among the lower strata of society. Most likely, this demand for alcoholic beverages called gin, the price, influenced this demand, because it was very low, and even low-income people could afford it. At this time, the king signed a decree banning the import of alcoholic beverages, which led to the fact that almost every house could do gin on their own. This technology is almost no different from the usual brewing. Soon the government established order in this industry, introducing new taxes and licensing. Over time, the quality of the drink has increased, and the taste has improved a lot. There were companies producing gin, which in the struggle for the world market began to produce elite drinks.

Gene and medicine

Juniper brought popularity to the future alcoholic beverage, because this plant is the main flavor in gin. In ancient times, it was used by people as a curative in the fight against a mass of ailments, among which, even the bubonic plague was present . Jin has some preventive properties, but they will show up only if the drink is consumed in small doses. It was used both as a diuretic and as a cure for malaria. With catarrhal diseases, radiculitis and arthritis, gin also helps. Reviews of people who use it in folk medicine are only positive. However, with the systematic use of this drink, alcohol dependence appears , which leads to a malfunction in the work of the cardiovascular system. Individual intolerance to juniper can lead to allergic reactions. Also, gin is not recommended for people suffering from hypertension and kidney disease.

The main types of gin

The modern composition of this drink has up to 120 components. The classical recipe for gin provides for the presence in its composition of at least two ingredients: alcohol (wheat or barley) and juniper (its berries). The drink is divided into two main types:

• British;
• Not British.

The first variant of gin can be obtained by distilling alcohol from wheat, whereas in the Netherlands barley alcohol is used. The most common is the London dry gin.

British gin is obtained by adding flavorings to the finished wheat alcohol. After mixing, all are re-driven. The resulting products are bred to a strength of 43-50 degrees and cleaned of impurities and salt with water.

The Dutch way of obtaining gin is as follows: all components are added to barley must, then the composition is fermented and distilled. After that, flavors are added, and the procedures are repeated. The resulting composition is diluted with water to the desired strength. The Dutch alcoholic drink - gin - after its distillation from barley alcohol is still aged in oak barrels. This gives it a special flavor and color, similar to cognac. Depending on the storage time in barrels, gin is different in price categories.

Interesting things about gin

In the Belgian city of Hasselt there is a national museum where interesting facts about strong alcohol, which is a drink of gin, are presented. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that after swallowing in the mouth there is a feeling of coolness, and not burning, as in the case of vodka or whiskey. A contributing to this feeling is the aroma of juniper berries, pine needles or citrus fruits, which are added as additional ingredients.

In 2009, a special bar was opened in England, where gin and tonic are not drunk, they are sniffed. Special equipment evaporates this drink, and guests of the institution in protective suits breathe its fumes. "Steam" gin, whose average price is 5 feet, is not considered the cheapest, and only people with a decent income can afford it.

How to drink gin?

There is no one-sided opinion on how to drink gin properly. It is strong alcohol, so it can be consumed both in pure form and in diluted. In its pure form it is not drunk so often, the guilt is that the dry taste of gin. Drink swallow small puffs like vodka, while eating a lot of hot dishes, for example, fried meat. In order to weaken the characteristic burning taste, you can eat gin with game, cheese, smoked products, fish, olives, lemons, pickled onions, etc. Everything that suits the drink is literally everything, including fruit. Everything depends on personal preferences and taste. Before drinking alcohol is recommended to cool, many drink it with ice cubes. Usually the undiluted drink is served at the beginning of the feast as an aperitif, because both the store and the home gin in every way stirs up the appetite.

Wine glasses for the undiluted beverage should be small, with a characteristic thick bottom. Basically, gin is drunk with cola, soda, soda, fruit drinks. This method allows you to reduce the strength and soften its taste. Certain proportions do not exist, usually all ingredients are taken in equal parts. The unusual aroma of gin makes it an excellent basis for creating a variety of cocktails. In this case, high glasses with a thick bottom are used as dishes. The most popular cocktail is gin and tonic.

How to prepare a cocktail of gin and tonic?

Consider the main components for this drink:

1. Ice. Distilled or mineral water is used for its preparation. If the ice is frozen with large cubes, it must be crushed into smaller parts.
2. One lemon. It must be cut immediately before preparing the cocktail.
3. Gin.
4. Tonic. It is advisable to use "Schwepps" in bottles with a capacity of 200 ml or cans.

When everything is at hand, you can start preparing a cocktail. The recipe for gin and tonic is as follows: the glass is filled with crushed ice by about a third. Then put a slice of lemon. Then the gin slowly poured into the glass. It is necessary to wait a little and mix all the ingredients. Then the tonic is poured into the glass, the recommended proportion to the genie is 2: 1, but you can experiment to your taste. They drink the ready cocktail slowly, enjoying the juniper-lemon aroma and taste.

Alcoholic beverage gin. Main grades

There are a lot of varieties of this drink. The most popular high-quality gin drink is produced under the brand name "Bifiter". It is made of juniper, grain alcohol, citrus, coriander, almonds. "Gordons" is a strong drink with the addition of cinnamon, angelica, lemon peel. It is made according to the recipe of the founder Alexander Gordon. Jin "Bombay Sapphire" has a wonderful soft taste and a rich bouquet of aromas. It contains such components as cassia bark, dandelion root, licorice. This kind of gin is indispensable for the cocktail "Martini".

Cocktail "Martini"

This drink is named after its creator. The method of preparation is as follows: dry white vermouth is mixed in equal parts with a very chilled gin and several olives are added on a long skewer. There is a "female" and "male" version of the cocktail. The second option we discussed above, but how to prepare a "female" version, we learn right now. So, you need to take 1/3 of the gin, 1/3 of the vermouth and 1/3 of the citrus juice. All ingredients are mixed. Delicious cocktail is ready!