Page 45 - Thirst Magazine Issue No. 3 Coffee & Tea
P. 45
GIN
spirit that had HE WHO WANTS a good starting point
become dreadfully for something we may
unpopular from the TO BE RID recognize as gin today,
mid to latter part OF STOMACH PAIN USE we’d need to go a little
A of the 20th century further back in time
is enjoying an incredible JUNIPER and a little further from
resurgence as a category. As London than we might
the world of spirits and how first imagine, if we wanted
we use them is becoming ever COOKED IN to find the roots of the
more sophisticated, there has famous juniper distillate.
never been a more varied RAINWATER. As far back as the
market for niche and unusual Native American Navajo
gins from around the globe. HE WHO HAS tribes and the Romans
Or has there? CRAMPS COOK in Europe, medicinal
Perhaps one of the first properties have been
images we conjure in our JUNIPER attributed to the juniper
minds when we think of gin berry - the botanical at
is an 18th or 19th century the heart of gin, which
picture of London – possibly IN WINE. grows freely in many parts
a grand old Gin Palace, of the globe. The Navajo
or something akin to the IT’S GOOD purportedly used it as a
notorious William Hogarth cure for diabetes, whilst
etching of ‘Gin Lane’ from AGAINST THE PAIN. the Roman philosopher
1751. Whilst this, or maybe Pliny the Elder once
a little earlier, could be noted that:
‘Gossip records a
miracle! That to rub crushed juniper berries
all over the male parts before coitus will
prevent conception.’
So there we go - a cure all and
contraceptive of the ancient world!
But the distillation part?
Well, we know that at some point in the
700’s or 800’s AD, a Persian alchemist named
Jabir Ibn Hayyan invented the Alembic Still,
something of a precursor to pot stills that
play an integral part in the history of gin.
We also know, that this technology makes
its way back towards Europe via monks and
missionaries around the 11th century where
records indicate that monks on and around the
Amalfi coast of Italy used distilled botanicals
to cure a range of ailments. Juniper grew
abundantly in this region, and based on the
earlier comments of Pliny the Elder, could this
possibly be the earliest stop on our journey to
modern gin?
By 1269 we have the comments of a
Flemish (modern day Belgium/Holland region)
monk named Jacob Van Maerlant writing that:
“He who wants to be rid of stomach pain
use juniper cooked in rainwater. He who has
cramps cook juniper in wine. It’s good against
the pain.”
But taking medicinal elements out of the
equation, who first started drinking Juniper
based liquids for fun? In 1351, another Flemish
William Hogarth’s Gin Lane monk named Jan van Aalter writes of how to
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