Gin

a clear, colorless spirit, flavored with juniper oil, created as a medicine, in 1650, by Dr. Franciscus Sylvius, a physician in the Netherlands. Christened genever (a variation of the French for "juniper"), it became known as gin, Dutch courage, mother's ruin and Old Tom after it crossed the Channel. By 1665, it was commercially produced from corn or grain, sweetened and sold cheaply to the urban poor. Gin was so popular that an early version of the vending machine was created to dispense it: many establishments mounted a black wooden cat (hence the "Old Tom") on their storefronts; customers could simply insert a coin into a built-in slot, then wait for the bartender to send a shot of gin down a funnel that emerged between the cat's paws and served as a drinking straw. A century later, Londoners were drinking 11 million gallons of gin a year (not necessarily through Old Tom). A neutral grain spirit, gin has a final distillation that adds the flavor of juniper and botanicals, such as anise, angelica root, cardamom, cassia bark, cinnamon, coriander seed and orange peel. Different styles that are available include Genever (from Belgium and Holland), London Dry (a Martini must), Plymouth Dry (also a brand name) and "bathtub gin" (only a household name). See also fizz, Tom Collins, tonic water.

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