Are you a gin connoisseur or a ginthusiast? It’s World Gin Day on Saturday, 12 June, and in celebration of one of our favourite spirits, we’ve put together 7 fun facts about gin that will boost your gintelligence.
- The bigger the glass, the better the taste.
Use a large gin glass with a long stem instead of a small tumbler. This ‘opens up’ the drink, allowing you to enjoy the full aroma of the botanicals in gin. A long stem also prevents your hand from warming the glass and melting the ice, helping you appreciate every flavour. - Blind drunk was an actual thing.
During 1920s Prohibition in America, bathtub gin was popular. As the name suggests, it was a cheap, homemade gin produced in bathtubs. Unfortunately, some batches contained methanol, causing blindness or even death, which led to the phrase ‘blind drunk’. - The juniper berry is not actually a berry.
A juniper berry is a type of seed cone with fleshy, merged scales that make it look like a berry. The berries used to make gin are usually wild-picked, contributing to gin’s unique flavour profile. - The original G&T was medicinal.
In 17th Century India, English expats mixed gin with tonic as an anti-malaria remedy. The quinine in tonic water helped ward off the disease, giving birth to the now-classic Gin & Tonic. - Local gin contains uniquely South African flavours.
Inverroche was the first South African brand to handcraft fynbos gin, using botanicals native to the Cape, creating a flavour profile unique to the region. - There are more classic cocktails made with gin than any other spirit.
From the Negroni, Gin Fizz, Tom Collins, and Singapore Sling to the Bee’s Knees, Gin Martini, French 75, Gin Rickey, Red Snapper, and Gin Sour – gin forms the base for countless iconic cocktails. - The gin market is big business.
The global gin market is projected to reach $11.2 billion by 2024. Celebrate World Gin Day by checking out our online store for amazing gin-related specials.
