Gin is a distilled alcoholic drink flavored with juniper berries and other botanical ingredients.Here’s a brief history of gin:

Origin (13th Century)

Gin originated as a medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe. The earliest known written reference to jenever (an early form of gin) appears in the 13th-century encyclopedic work Der Naturen Bloeme, with the earliest printed recipe for jenever dating from the 16th-century work Een Constelijck Distileerboec.

17th Century

The modern gin was modified in Flanders and the Netherlands to provide aqua vita from distillates of grapes and grains, becoming an object of commerce in the spirits industry. It became popular in England after the introduction of jenever, a Dutch and Belgian liquor¹.

Gin Craze (1695–1735)

Gin emerged as the national alcoholic drink of England during the so-called Gin Craze.

Modern Day

Today, gin is produced from a wide range of herbal ingredients in a number of distinct styles and brands¹. After juniper, gin tends to be flavored with herbs, spices, floral or fruit flavors, or often a combination. It is commonly mixed with tonic water in a gin and tonic.

The name gin is a shortened form of the older English word genever, related to the French word genièvre and the Dutch word jenever. All ultimately derive from juniperus, the Latin for juniper.