Welcome to BH1’s top 10 gin-teresting gin facts! From common drinking trends to Prohibition panics these 10 gin facts will make you the most gin-knowledgeable person ever! So, let’s crack out a bottle of BH1 and enjoy these gin-teresting gin facts!
1. Gin was born around 1689. The earliest known food pairing occurred in 1731 which was gingerbread! This became quite common and is still traditional in many parts of England.
2. You’ve heard of Navy Strength Gin? It was named as such due to the fact that the navy used to use gunpowder to ensure that their gin was of good quality. The gin was poured onto gunpowder, and the strength of the gin was confirmed by how well it lit!
3. Gin and curry are the perfect pair. The flavours work amazingly well together because neither overpowers the other!
4. Drinking different gins at room temperature, diluted with an equal measure of water is the best way to test for comparisons. This method reveals both qualities and flaws.
5. Gin and tomato juice was all the rage as a hangover cure during the roaring ‘20s, years before the Vodka-based Bloody Mary
6. The olive was popularised in cocktails when American drinkers began moving from sweet to savoury flavours in the late 1800s
7. London Dry Gin doesn’t need to be made in London instead, it is a broad style guideline rather than a legal indicator
8. In 1721, Britain consumed 3.5 million gallons of gin
9. “Bathtub Gin” was the name given to gin that was made in peoples’ bathtubs during the Prohibition in 1920’s America. “Bathtub Gin” had dangerous effects since it sometimes contained methanol. Sufferers were either poisoned or blinded as a result
10. Which came first? The gin or the tonic? the G&T first gained popularity in the British colonies, as the quinine in the tonic water had proved to be a deterrent to mosquitoes. However, many couldn’t stand the bitterness of the quinine, so gin was added to make the drink taste better