Gin

Question 1

Simply put, what is gin?

Answer 1

Gin is essentially flavoured vodka. To produce gin, a neutral grain spirit is flavoured with a range of botanicals—juniper berries are the most important component—and redistilled.

Question 1

What does London Dry refers to?

Answer 1

The designation London Dry, which indicates a method rather than geographical origin. In addition to juniper berries, London Dry gin generally contains a noticeable citrus and spice element, derived from orange and lemon peel, anise, cardamom, coriander, nutmeg, angelica root, and other aromatic substances.

Question 2

List 4 popular London Dry gins.

Answer 2

Beefeater
Tanqueray
Bombay Sapphire
Gordon’s

Question 3

List some of Beefeater’s gins and their particularities

Answer 3

Beefeater London Dry Gin

Beefeater 24 (sophisticated blend of fine botanicals and exotic teas such as Japanese sencha and Chinese green tea)

Beefeater Burrough’s Reserve ((premium barrel rested gin (white&red Bordeaux oak casks) limited edition small batch))

Flavoured range (pink strawberry, zesty lemon, blackberry gin, peach and raspberry, rhubarb and cranberry)

Question 4

List some of Tanqueray’s gins and their particularities

Answer 4

Tanqueray London Dry Gin

Tanqueray No.Ten Gin (ultra-premium gin, distilled in small batches with the four original botanicals of London Dry and the addition of fresh whole grapefruits, oranges, limes and chamomile flowers)

Tanqueray Rangpur Lime Distilled Gin (blends the exotic Rangpur lime with ginger and bay leaves for a spectacularly fresh flavour)

Tanqueray Flor de Sevilla Distilled Gin (Seville oranges are distilled with orange blossom and the four botanicals of our classic London Dry gin - piney juniper, peppery coriander, aromatic angelica, and sweet liquorice)

Tanqueray Blackcurrant Royale Distilled Gin (distilled with only the finest French blackcurrants, vanilla, and the four classic London Dry botanicals - piney juniper, peppery coriander, aromatic angelica, and sweet liquorice)

Question 5

List some of Bombay Sapphire’s gins and their particularities

Answer 5

Bombay Sapphire (adds two more botanicals to the OG mix – Cubeb berries and grains of paradise)

Bombay Dry Gin (the original)

Star of Bombay (bolder expression at 47.5% abv with 2 additional botanicals)

Bombay Citron Pressé (infusion of Mediterranean lemons)

Bombay Bramble (infusion of berries)

Bombay Sapphire Premier Cru Murcian Lemon (infusion of Spanish Fino lemons, mandarins and sweet Navel oranges from Murcia)

Bombay Sapphire Premier Cru Tuscan Juniper (juniper berries sourced form the hills of Tuscany)

Question 6

List some of Gordon’s gins and their particularities

Answer 6

Gordon’s London Dry Gin Export

Gordon’s Premium Pink Distilled Gin

Gordon’s Sicilian Lemon Distilled Gin

Gordon’s Tropical Passion Fruit

Gordon’s Morello Cherry

Question 7

Where was gin developed?

Answer 7

Holland

Question 8

Which Dutch doctor developed the first crude gin as a medicinal oil in the 16th century and what was the gin’s name?

Answer 8

Sylvius de Bouve developed the first crude gin known as genever (jenever).

Question 9

Genever is still produced today. In what type of still is it produced?

Answer 9

Pot still

Question 10

How does genever differs from the classic London Dry Gin?

Answer 10

Genever is sweeter but less alcoholic than London Dry gin. Malt is a dominant aromatic alongside juniper in genever, and genever may be aged in oak casks, taking on color and roundness from the wood.

Question 11

Traditionally, the genever recipe incorporates a minimum 15% of what?

Answer 11

Malt wine, a distillate of corn, rye, and wheat (hence the malt aromas)

Question 12

What is the name of the traditional genever recipe that incorporates a minimum 15% of malt wine?

Answer 12

It is labeled “oude” (old).

Question 13

What kind of genever is labeled “jonge” (young)?

Answer 13

A cleaner, more neutral genever with less malt wine will be labeled “jonge” (young).

Question 14

What is “corenwyn”?

Answer 14

“Corenwyn” (corn wine) is a cask-aged version of genever in which malt wine composes at least 51% of the distillate.

Question 15

Which style of gin was revived in 1996 and is produced only by a single distillery in England? Which distillery?

Answer 15

Plymouth gin is produced only by Plymouth, Coates and Co. (also known as Black Friars Distillery), in England.

Question 16

How does Plymouth Gin differs from a regular London Dry Gin?

Answer 16

It is fuller in body than London Dry gin and very aromatic.

Question 17

In what cocktail is Plymouth Gin the proper gin to use?

Answer 17

The Pink Gin cocktail

Question 18

Plymouth Gin Distillery now belongs to which group?

Answer 18

Pernod Ricard

Question 19

List some of Plymouth’s gins and their particularities

Answer 19

PLYMOUTH ORIGINAL GIN

PLYMOUTH GIN NAVY STRENGTH (57% ABV)

MR KING’S 1842 RECIPE (Made with juniper from one origin, and picked on a single day from a single mountain in Frontignano, Italy)

PLYMOUTH FRUIT CUP

PLYMOUTH SLOE GIN

Question 20

Which English style of gin, rarely encountered today, is lightly sweetened?

Answer 20

Old Tom gin

Question 21

Where does the expression “old tom” originates from?

Answer 21

“Old Tom” was 19th-century slang for a black cat. A wooden plaque hanging on the outer wall of a pub and shaped like the head of a black cat could supplicate passers-by with a shot of the gin, poured from indoors through a slot in a cat’s mouth, for a penny or two.

Question 22

Which distillery has revived Old Tom gin?

Answer 22

Hayman’s Distillery has revived Old Tom gin, and now the style is made by a handful of distilleries.

Question 23

Name 2 cocktails in which Old Tom Gin is the base?

Answer 23

Old Tom gin is the “Tom” in the classic Tom Collins cocktail and the base of the 19th-century Martinez cocktail, possibly the precursor to the martini.

Question 24

Which one came before, the gin martini or the vodka martini?

Answer 24

The vodka martini is a later adaptation of the gin martini.

Question 25

What is Sloe Gin made with?

Answer 25

Sloe gin is a British red liqueur made with gin and blackthorn fruits (sloes), which are the drupe fruit of the Prunus spinosa tree, which is a relative of the plum.

Question 26

EU’s regulations for minimal ABV for Sloe Gin?

Answer 26

EU regulations established 25 per cent ABV as the minimal alcoholic content for the blackthorn beverage to be a sloe gin.

Question 27

How is Sloe Gin made traditionally?

Answer 27

The traditional method of preparation of sloe gin is to soak the blackthorns (sloes) in gin with some sugar, and the mixture sweetens when the blackthorn fruit mature in the alcohol.