GINS AROUND EUROPE
‘It’s glib to call it terroir, but some gin versions do have a strong local accent’
Gin from Europe?’ you might be thinking. ‘Is nothing sacred?’ After all, gin is as proudly British as fish and chips, Tesco and Fray Bentos meat pies. This is correct – but only in so far as none of the above are strictly British inventions, either. The first chippie was set up by a Jewish immigrant, the first Tesco was established by the son of Polish arrivals, and Fray Bentos was first manufactured in Uruguay.
As for gin, well, gin began in Holland, with medieval monks who flavoured distillates with juniper for medicinal purposes. Dutch distilleries continued this practice in the 17th century, and their genever (Dutch for juniper) was mostly used for medicinal reasons; though British soldiers fighting in the Eighty Years’ War reputedly found it useful for relieving pre-battle nerves, hence the term ‘Dutch courage’. Before long, it was well established in Britain – a proudly Protestant spirit that had the backing of the country’s rulers over untrustworthy Catholic brandies. At least, it did until they realised that swathes of the country were happily drinking themselves insensible on a daily basis. This ultimately
