How to drink gin

Homeland of gin - Holland, where this drink is known as "Jenever". However, the real popularity of gin found after it was brought to England. In the 19th century, the so-called London dry gin (London dry gin), which became the most common type of gin. It should be remembered that London dry gin is not a brand of the drink, but a designation of the distillation process.

The Dutch jenver does not taste like English gin, it is less strong, but has a more pronounced taste, a bit like whiskey. English gin must have a strength of at least 37.5%, he has a very dry harmonious taste and a clear taste of juniper.

How to drink gin? Because of the very dry taste to drink gin in its pure form is not accepted, it is usually diluted with soda, tonic,ginger ale, citrus juices (orange, lemon, grapefruit, lime juice) or cranberry mors. Also, gin is often mixed with other alcohol when making cocktails.

The tradition of drinking gin and tonic appeared in the 19th century. Initially, the tonic was a carbonatedwater with quinine and was used to fight malaria. To beat the bitter taste of quinine, the soldiers of the British East India Company mixed tonic with gin.

Modern tonic has a much more pleasanttaste, and for medical purposes it is no longer drunk, but gin and tonic continues to be one of the most popular cocktails. It adds ice, as well as lemon or lime. The proportions of gin and tonic can vary from 1 to 3 to 1 to 1.

To make the perfect gin and tonic, you need adhere to several rules. To make a cocktail you need to useonly a quality gin and a good tonic. A bottle of tonic must be opened immediately before preparing a cocktail. Ice for a cocktail should be prepared from still mineral or distilled water. A slice of lemon must be taken freshly cut.

So, take a straight, high glass with a thick bottom, fill it with ice for a third. Pour gin and a little bit of it in a glass, so that the juniper flavor is better revealed. Add a fresh tonic to taste and a slice of lemon.

You can drink gin and other cocktails. One of the most famous cocktails with gin is "Martini" (not to be confused with the same vermouth). In the classic recipe, gin is mixed with vermouth in equal proportions. But over time, there were many variations of the cocktail with different proportions, so, cocktail "Martini Dry" ("Dry Martini") consists of three parts of gin and one part of dry white vermouth.

The cocktail "Martini" is never mixed in a shaker. It is accepted to serve in a cocktail glass (it is called - Martini Glass). To decorate in a glass, drop the olive or a piece of lemon zest strung on a skewer. If you use marinated onions for decoration, The cocktail will be called "Gibson".

Another famous cocktail with gin is called "Vesper". This is a personal recipe for James Bond: agent 007 liked to drink gin with vodka and vermouth Kina Lillet. The cocktail was named after Vesper Lind, a double agent and a girl named James Bond in the novel Casino Royale.

According to the original recipe, described by Ian Fleming, to prepare a cocktail you need three pieces of Gordon's gin "s mixed with one part of the vodka and half of the vermouth Kina Lillet. Shaking well, you need to add to the cocktaila lot of ice (as much as the cocktail itself, or twice as much) and a twist of lemon peel. Since it is very difficult to find Kina Lillet on sale, you can use another quality vermouth.

If you still decided to drink gin in its purest form, it is best to add a little crushed ice and a slice of lemon into the drink, so the taste of gin will become softer, and the aroma andaftertaste - more intense. Jin is usually served before a meal as an aperitif. This drink is not customary to drink at a salvo - so you can not enjoy its taste. As a snack for gin, solid cheese, olives, a slice of lemon will do. But do not drink gin.