• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Early Retirement Rocks

Seeing life from a new perspective. The best job I ever had!

  • Home
  • Contact
  • About Me/Work With Me

June 13, 2020

Gin – Notes from an experienced Gin drinker

Gin a short history and my faves

earlyretirementrocks.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon offers a small commission on products sold through their affiliate links. The price of any purchases is not affected by this.

Gin is the current drinks craze in the UK. I’m glad for this as I’ve been drinking copious amounts of the stuff for over 30 years. In the 1980’s Gin was an acquired taste then and was mainly drunk by the middle and upper classes. Hence it had an air of sophistication about it. I was introduced to it by a friend who moved in classier circles than me. I started to drink Gin as my main drink on a night out for 3 reasons 1) I liked the taste 2) I thought it did make me appear sophisticated and 3) I learned I could tolerate large amounts of the stuff without the adverse effects that wine brought on.

History of Gin

Gin was claimed by many to have been invented in the 16th century in Leiden, Holland by Dr. Sylvius de Bouve, a Doctor who specialised in the Circulation of the body and was originally prescribed as medical treatment, thought to aid circulation. It was then known as Genever. This origin is heavily disputed. It was developed through a gradual coming together of both spirit and Juniper. There appears to be no doubt that the countries of origin were Holland and Belgium. The prospering distilleries of Holland distributed it to The Dutch East India Trading Company taking it across the world.  When British and Dutch soldiers fought together small bottles of it were carried by them and drank before battles, coining the term ‘Dutch Courage’. The name change from Genever to Geneva and the really shortened to what it is today, Gin. It gradually made its way to the UK and an early mention of it was in the Jacobean era in Massingers play The Duke of Milan.    Due in part to its low cost, it became the drink of choice. By 1750 over 11 million gallons were being consumed by Londoners annually. Eventually, a series of laws made it less commonly found, and by the mid-19th century gin came to be considered a gentleman’s drink.

In 1857 the British Crown took over the governance of India, and more Brits began to make their way to the Indian subcontinent and other warm-weather climes. However, early immigrants struggled with the ravages of malaria in the tropical climate. It was thought that the cure to ward off this illness was the gin and tonic.

Back in the day, tonic water was infused heavily with quinine, an extract from the South American cinchona tree. Known among the indigenous population as the “fever tree” because its bark was able to stop chills, cinchona bark was first brought to Europe in the 1640s when it was shown to cure and prevent malaria. Tonic water thus became an essential part of Britain’s colonialism, although its taste in those days was bitter and harsh. Brits soon found that the addition of gin, sugar, ice, and citrus was the perfect way to temper the bitterness and make the cure palatable. The use of Tonic as a cure for Malaria has been studied scientifically in recent years and found to be untrue. To imbibe the amount of Quinine required to ward off Malaria you would need to drink 67 litres per day!

Mother’s Ruin

It had a terrible reputation at one time as it was cheap and widely available. It caused a crisis and was seen as serious at the time as the drugs problem of today. It was even given as wages to some. Much of the gin was drunk by women, consequently the children were neglected, daughters were sold into prostitution, and wet nurses gave gin to babies to quieten them. This worked provided they were given a large enough dose! This led to the drink being known as Mother’s Ruin.

Present Day

The current boom in Gin drinking, sales and distilleries was started by Sipsmiths in 2009. It has continued to grow in popularity and show’s no sign of abating. It is thought now to be the Nations number one spirit of choice overtaking Vodka. One factor in it’s rise in popularity is the cocktail revival and Gin is a key player here because of the fact that it’s usually consumed as part of a mixed drink and because it has a long and storied history in the cocktail world. Finally, gin’s inherent variety of flavors and relatively short production time make it a natural go-to for the small distilleries that have sprung up around the globe, practically overnight. When you come right down to it, gin is basically flavored or infused vodka — an un-aged grain spirit bolstered with herbs and spices. As there’s no aging period, distillers can produce gin and get it to market very quickly.

5 favourite gins World Gin Day

Current Personal Favourites

I will end with my current personal favourites – I say current because this rapidly changes due to the vast amount of products available!

1 – Bombay Sapphire, this used to be an expensive, luxury brand but is now often a bar’s house gin. I love this and it is probably my go to gin

Gin Bombay Sapphire

2 – Whitney Neil Quince – I have only found this whilst on holiday in Northumberland and it is delicious. It has a very strong but pleasant citrussy taste. So different to all the others I have tried.

Gin Whitley Neil

3 – Zymurgorium Sweet Violet Liqueur – This is stocked and served in Wetherspoons, I love this pub chain, and that is another post for another day! This is sweet and the taste is reminiscent of Palma Violet sweets, one of my childhood favourites. The big plus for this in my eyes is that it is a Manchester gin. Manchester is becoming a big manufacturer and distributor of gins from small, but growing, distilleries.  I have to confess that as well as drinking with tonic I have been known to commit the cardinal sin of having it mixed with Lemonade! A really sweet experience. It is however only a liqueur and has a lower alcohol volume of only 18.5%, much lower than a traditional gin spirit.

 

Gin Parma Violet

4 – Gordons Premium Pink Distilled – No list would be complete without a mention for Gordon’s or a pink gin. Gordon’s used to be the most popular Gin around and was mine until Bombay Sapphire came along. There are many pink gin’s on the market but this is my favourite. Gin mixed with the flavours of strawberries, raspberries and redcurrants. I think it tastes mainly of Strawberries and is very enjoyable at any time of the day. Again, if you find tonic too bitter this is nice with lemonade!

Gin Gordons pink

5 – Ophir Oriental Spiced  – This has a hint of citrus with a kick of oriental and peppery spices. Influenced by the fact that Gin spread around the world via the Spice Route. It is unusual and I once enjoyed it served with a garnish of a green chilli.

Gin Ophir spiced

So there are my 5 current favourites but I must add I always enjoy anything from Aldi’s alcohol range and they have recently held a promotion called Gin Festival.

Tonic

No discussion about gin can be complete without a discussion about it’s partner in Crime – Tonic water. In this case I’m a traditionalist and like long standing brands such as Schweppes and Britvic. Keep it simple – let the gin do the talking.

Do you have a favourite gin or is there one you’re bursting to tell the world about, including me. I’d love to hear your recommendations. Comment or email me

Also if you what to know more about me read my post about 10 Random Facts about me

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
I'd love for you to share my post if you liked it!
  • Tweet

Filed Under: Food and Eating Out, Lifestyle

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Naomi Oikonomou says

    August 25, 2018 at 9:43 am

    Love me some mother’s ruin but the history of how it got its name!!!-oh boy!!!

    Reply
    • earlyretirementrocks says

      August 25, 2018 at 8:45 am

      I know it’s unbelievable isn’t it!

      Reply
  2. Lauren says

    August 25, 2018 at 10:51 am

    I absolutely adore Bombay Saphire it is my go to gin for sure!! I must try these others though. I recommend the Fever Tree Elderflower tonic ☺️

    Reply
    • earlyretirementrocks says

      August 25, 2018 at 9:54 am

      Yes as I said Bombay is my absolute favourite. I’ve tried the fever tree flavoured tonics but as I said at the end I like traditional tonic. For a change I occasionally add a dash of Bottlegreen elderflower cordial to my Bombay- Cheers

      Reply
  3. Jo says

    August 25, 2018 at 1:26 pm

    I like you have always enjoyed gin, so love the variety out there at the moment. My favourite has to be Slingsby Rhubarb gin, but at £40 a bottle it can only be on special occasions!

    Reply
    • earlyretirementrocks says

      August 25, 2018 at 1:05 pm

      Ooh I haven’t tried that one. I’ve tried a couple of rhubarb and ginger but not over keen on them. I would prefer rhubarb on its own. But as you say it’s expensive. May try it as a special treat

      Reply
  4. Bec Jones says

    August 26, 2018 at 2:39 pm

    my favourite gins at the moment are Manchester Gin and light fevertree tonic or Manchester raspberry with fevertree elderflower 🙂 I’m a long standing pimms drinker too loce Bec x

    Reply
    • earlyretirementrocks says

      August 27, 2018 at 5:45 am

      I haven’t tried those two – will put them on my wishlist! I enjoy a nice Pimms in the right setting. Elaine

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

 

 

I’m Elaine a Neonatal Nurse who retired from the NHS at age 55. I’m loving the 3rd age of my life – Retirement is the best job I ever had. Being married for 35 years I am lucky to have someone to share life with.

I’m a foodie who enjoys travel, football and my home.

I love to share over 50’s lifestyle tips including age appropriate beauty reviews, coping with the trials and tribulations of the Menopause, weight gain around the middle, fashion, travel and food including recipes and restaurant reviews.

I want to challenge the myth that life ends at retirement.

Feel free to get in touch earlyretirementrocks@gmail.com

Seeing life from a new perspective and loving it

  • Email
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Recent Posts

  • Moving House – My 14 Tips for survival and sanity
  • UK Staycation inspiration
  • Product Review – Serious Readers Alex Light is it worth it?
  • Growing Tomatos – tips to ripen green tomato’s
  • Hotel Gotham Manchester a stylish venue

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

Footer

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

My Favorites

Tips for moving house
UK Staycation wishlist blog post
Title caption product review
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Copyright© 2021 · Brunch Pro Theme by Feast Design Co.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.