Top Things to Know about Gin

Every spirit has a history, but gin's is genuinely one of the wildest rides in cocktail history — starting as Dutch medicine, becoming an English national crisis, then somehow ending up as the base of the Martini.

Below: real gin history from genever to today, the difference between London Dry vs Old Tom, why genever vs gin confuses even seasoned drinkers, gin styles explained clearly, and the full history of the Gin Craze — the closest thing London ever had to a citywide public health emergency caused entirely by juniper.

Gin’s family tree begins with genever.
The Dutch were making genever (jenever) long before English gin became famous. The English encountered the juniper-flavored spirit and eventually developed their own versions.
Gin is basically a botanical spirit with one non-negotiable ingredient: juniper.
Gin can contain coriander, citrus peel, angelica root, orris root, cardamom, cucumber, flowers, herbs, and countless other botanicals—but juniper must provide its defining character. Without juniper, gin is just having an identity crisis.
You can think of gin as vodka’s botanical cousin—but technically, gin isn't simply “flavored vodka.”
Both can begin with a neutral spirit, but gin has its own production requirements and must have that characteristic juniper flavor.
“Dutch Courage” has long been associated with genever.
According to the traditional story, English soldiers observed Dutch troops drinking genever before battle and nicknamed the resulting bravery Dutch Courage. The story is famous, although the exact historical origin of the phrase is debated.
William of Orange helped gin become very English.
When the Dutch-born William III took the English throne in 1689, government policies encouraged domestic spirit production while discouraging imported French brandy. Gin took off.
Then England went completely gin-crazy.
During the early 1700s, gin production was loosely regulated and extremely cheap. London's resulting Gin Craze became such a social disaster that Parliament eventually passed a series of Gin Acts trying to control it.

Apparently “Everybody make your own gin!” was not Britain's finest public-policy experiment.
Old Tom is an old style of gin—not England's first commercial gin.
Popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, Old Tom Gin is generally sweeter and softer than London Dry and is an important link between older genever-style spirits and modern dry gin.
Gin can be made almost anywhere.
Unlike Cognac, Tequila, or Scotch whisky, gin isn't tied to one country or region. Excellent gins are now produced throughout Europe, the United States, Japan, Australia, Africa, and beyond.
Gin was the original spirit of the Martini.
Before vodka crashed the party, the classic Martini was made with gin and vermouth. Gin also stars in the Tom Collins, Negroni, Gimlet, Singapore Sling, Ramos Gin Fizz, French 75, Aviation, and the wonderfully named Monkey Gland.
Few spirits have contributed more to cocktail history.
Gin was a star of the Golden Age of cocktails and remains one of the bartender's most versatile spirits.

Vodka plays well with others. Gin walks into the glass with a personality.

Gin Timeline

From a 13th-century Dutch medicine cabinet to a London public health crisis to

Snoop Dogg's giant cocktail, here's gin history laid out in order — proof that no spirit has had a more dramatic career change than a little juniper berry.

13th century — One of the earliest known written references to juniper-based medicinal tonics appears in Jacob van Maerlant's Dutch work Der Naturen Bloeme.

Late 1500s — The Dutch begin producing jenever (genever), the malty,

juniper-flavored spirit that will eventually inspire English gin.

1575 — The Bols family establishes a distilling business in Amsterdam, one of the earliest and most enduring genever houses.

Mid-1600s — Hundreds of small distilleries are operating throughout the Netherlands. Jenever is firmly part of Dutch drinking culture.

1689 — Dutch-born William of Orange becomes King William III of England. His government discourages imported French brandy and encourages domestic gin production.

Early 1700s — Gin becomes cheap, plentiful, and barely regulated. London's Gin Craze begins, associated with poverty, crime, and public disorder.

1736 & 1751 — Parliament passes the Gin Act of 1736 and the Gin Act of 1751, attempting to control London's gin crisis.

1751 — William Hogarth publishes his engraving Gin Lane, capturing the era's grim reputation.

1820s–1830s — Gin's image transforms with the arrival of London's glamorous gin palaces — bright lighting, mirrors, and elaborate interiors.

Late 1800s — Old Tom Gin appears in early American cocktail books. The Martinez, an important predecessor of the Martini, combines gin and vermouth.

1888 — New Orleans bartender Henry C. Ramos creates the Ramos Gin Fizz.

1920–1933 — American Prohibition drives gin production underground, giving rise to the term "bathtub gin."

1930s–1940s — After Repeal, Hollywood glamorizes gin cocktails, especially the Martini.

2000s–2010s — The modern craft-gin revival takes off. Gin entries at the International Wine & Spirit Competition increase 200% between 2013 and 2016 alone.

2018 — Snoop Dogg helps create a record-breaking giant Gin & Juice at the BottleRock Napa Valley festival.

History of Gin

Gin's story begins long before anyone ordered a Martini. One of the earliest known written references to juniper-based medicinal tonics appears in Jacob van Maerlant's 13th-century Dutch work Der Naturen Bloeme. Juniper was valued for its supposed medicinal properties centuries before anyone thought to add an olive.

As with many spirits, gin essentially began with, “This is good for you.” By the late 1500s, the Dutch were producing jenever (genever), the malty, juniper-flavored spirit that would eventually inspire English gin. The Bols family established a distilling business in Amsterdam in 1575, and Dutch distillers gained access to an expanding assortment of exotic herbs and spices through the country's enormous international trading network.

English soldiers fighting alongside the Dutch in the Netherlands became familiar with jenever. Tradition says they drank it before battle, inspiring the expression “Dutch Courage.” Whether that's exactly how the phrase originated is debated, but it's a good story—and bartenders have been repeating good stories for centuries.

By the mid-1600s, hundreds of small distilleries were operating throughout the Netherlands, and jenever was firmly established in Dutch drinking culture.

Gin Goes to England

The really wild part of gin's story began after the Dutch-born William of Orange became King William III of England in 1689. His government discouraged imported French spirits and encouraged domestic distilling, helping inexpensive English gin flood the market.

And flood is the appropriate word.

During the early 1700s, gin was cheap, plentiful, loosely regulated, and sometimes produced under dreadful conditions. London's consumption skyrocketed, and gin became associated with poverty, public drunkenness, crime, illness, and social disorder.

Welcome to the Gin Craze.

Parliament repeatedly tried to get the situation under control, most famously with the Gin Act of 1736 and Gin Act of 1751. Artist William Hogarth captured the era's reputation perfectly in his infamous 1751 engraving Gin Lane, depicting a society essentially drinking itself into oblivion. London had discovered that “cheap, plentiful, and barely regulated” wasn't an ideal business model for alcohol.

From Gin Lane to Gin Palaces

By the 1820s and 1830s, gin's image began receiving a spectacular makeover with the arrival of London's gin palaces. These drinking establishments featured bright gas lighting, mirrors, elaborate counters, etched glass, polished brass, and increasingly lavish interiors. Charles Dickens described their brilliance in 1836 as “perfectly dazzling” compared with the dark and dirty streets outside.

Gin had gone from the gutter to chandeliers. Same spirit. Much better lighting.

Gin Meets the Cocktail

During the 1800s, gin became one of the great foundations of cocktail culture. Old Tom Gin, a slightly sweeter style than today's London Dry, appeared in numerous early recipes.

The Martinez, an important predecessor of the modern Martini, combined gin and vermouth and appeared in American cocktail books during the late 1800s. Eventually the drink evolved into the drier Martini, creating one of the most famous spirit-and-cocktail marriages in history.

In New Orleans, bartender Henry C. Ramos created his celebrated Ramos Gin Fizz in 1888. The famously labor-intensive drink required vigorous shaking to transform gin, citrus, sugar, cream, egg white, and orange flower water into a silky masterpiece. Basically, a delicious way to punish the bartender who had just finished cleaning the bar.

Bathtub Gin & Hollywood Glamour

During American Prohibition (1920–1933), legitimate gin production went underground. Bootleggers sometimes created crude gin-like spirits by flavoring questionable neutral alcohol with juniper and other ingredients. The notorious term “bathtub gin” became associated with the era, although the spirit wasn't necessarily—or usually—made in an actual bathtub.

Thankfully.

After Repeal, gin gradually regained its respectability. By the 1930s and 1940s, Hollywood helped transform the Martini and other gin cocktails into symbols of sophistication. Movie stars appeared on screen in elegant bars holding elegant glasses filled with elegant drinks.

Gin had completed quite a journey:

medicine → Dutch courage → Gin Craze → gin palace → bathtub → Martini.

Not bad for a little juniper berry.

Photo from Aviationgin.com

Public Domain

Fun Gin Facts

Gin and vodka are close cousins. Many gins begin with a neutral spirit much like vodka. The difference comes when juniper and other botanicals are introduced to give gin its distinctive flavor.

Think of vodka as showing up naked. Gin accessorizes.

Juniper berries aren't actually berries. Botanically speaking, they're the fleshy seed cones of the juniper plant.

So gin has been lying to us about the berries this entire time.

Most juniper used for gin is wild-harvested rather than commercially farmed. Pickers gather the tiny cones from naturally growing juniper shrubs, particularly throughout Europe.

Imagine explaining your occupation at a party: “I pick gin berries.”

The Philippines has historically been the world's largest national gin market. Gin is enormously popular there, particularly the locally produced Ginebra San Miguel. Apparently, England started the Gin Craze, and the Philippines said, “We'll take it from here.”

Gin can be made from some surprising things. The base alcohol can originate from grains, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, or other fermentable agricultural ingredients. What makes the finished spirit gin is its botanical character—most importantly, juniper. There is no official botanical limit. Gin makers can experiment with citrus peels, coriander, cucumber, flowers, tea, peppercorns, herbs, spices, seaweed, and countless other ingredients.

Basically, gin distillers are the people who look around the garden and think, “I wonder what that tastes like at 80 proof.”

One of the world's most extravagant gins is Watenshi. Cambridge Distillery produces it by capturing extraordinarily small quantities of spirit normally lost during distillation. Watenshi has recently been priced at about £3,000 ($4,000) per bottle.

At that price, I'm going to need you to measure my Gin & Tonic with an eyedropper.

The Guinness World Record for the most expensive bottle of gin has belonged to MORUS LXIV. A bottle sold in London in 2018 for £3,800, approximately $4,888 at the time.

And suddenly the well gin doesn't look so bad.

Gin doesn't have to come from England. Unlike geographically protected spirits such as Cognac, gin can be produced around the world. Today you'll find excellent examples from Japan, Spain, Germany, the United States, Australia, South Africa, Sweden, and many other countries. International gin competitions now recognize producers from all over the globe.

London Dry Gin doesn't have to be made in London. “London Dry” refers to a production style, not an address.

London would probably like a word with whoever came up with that naming system.

Navy-strength gin is seriously strong. It's traditionally bottled at about 57% ABV. The style is associated with the British Royal Navy and the strength at which spilled spirit could still allow gunpowder to ignite.

That's one way to conduct quality control.

Gin nearly lost its cool—and then came roaring back. The modern craft-gin revival exploded in the 2000s and 2010s. At the International Wine & Spirit Competition, gin entries increased 200% between 2013 and 2016 alone.

In 2018, Snoop Dogg helped make a record-breaking Gin & Juice. Snoop Dogg, Warren G and others created an enormous cocktail at the BottleRock Napa Valley festival using gin, juice, and a giant drinking vessel. Because apparently a regular Gin & Juice wasn't Snoop enough.

The Martini glass became an international shorthand for “cocktail.” You see its V-shaped silhouette on bar signs, cocktail menus, neon lights, logos, invitations, and cocktail-hour graphics around the world—even when there isn't a Martini anywhere in sight.

It's basically the cocktail world's version of the peace sign.

Types of Gin

Gin is now made around the world, and today's bottles don't always fit neatly into four boxes. But these are some of the major styles worth knowing:
Genever (Jenever)

The Dutch ancestor of modern gin. Genever generally has a richer, maltier character than London Dry Gin and can taste closer to a meeting between gin and whiskey.

Traditional classifications include jonge, oude, and korenwijn. And confusingly, jonge and oude don't simply mean the genever is young or old—they refer primarily to the style and production method.

Apparently, ordering Dutch liquor required a vocabulary test.

London Dry

This is the classic gin profile most people recognize: dry, crisp, botanical, and juniper-forward. Familiar examples include Beefeater, Tanqueray, and Bombay Sapphire.

And despite the name, London Dry Gin does not have to be made in London. “London Dry” describes how the gin is produced, not its mailing address.

Plymouth Gin

Unlike London Dry, Plymouth Gin is geographically tied to Plymouth, England. Today, Plymouth Gin is the best-known—and historically defining—example of the style. It tends to be softer and earthier than a traditional London Dry, with less aggressive juniper.

Old Tom

A historic style that is generally a little sweeter and rounder than London Dry. Old Tom nearly disappeared during the 20th century before the craft-cocktail revival brought it back.

Bartenders started digging through old cocktail books and realized we'd misplaced an entire gin.

Contemporary / New Western Gin

Beginning around the turn of the 21st century, distillers increasingly produced gins in which juniper shared the spotlight with other botanicals. Citrus, cucumber, flowers, herbs, and spices could become much more prominent.

Hendrick's and Aviation helped popularize this modern approach.

Juniper is still there—it just finally learned how to share the microphone.