What is Gin Anyway?

I don’t like gin.  At least that is what I have been telling people for more than 10 years now.  As the spirits buyer for a liquor store it is time to address that conflict of interest.

Gin is a spirit most commonly associated with juniper berries, indeed the name itself, ‘Gin’, is derived from the Dutch ‘jenever’, meaning juniper.  The drink has been around for centuries if not millennia and likely began as a form of medicine.  Today gin is growing out of its image as a dry, one dimensional, 80 proof alcohol made for either martinis or tonic.  I must admit that I have always found that mold a bit boring. Continue reading What is Gin Anyway?