Gin was originally created in Holland in about 1650 to treat stomach complaints.
The term "Dutch Courage" was coined by English soldiers fighting Dutch counterparts. The English believed that the Dutch drank gin to fortify themselves before battle.
Gin is distilled from grain and primarily flavoured with juniper berries. The name gin comes from the French "genièvre" or the Dutch "jenever", both of which mean juniper. Juniper is one of the key botanicals used to make gin.
The "cocktail hour" may have come from the British fondness for cooling off after a hot day in the tropics by drinking a gin and tonic.
The gin-and-tonic cocktail was invented in 1870, strangely enough, as a cure for malaria when the British were in Asia. Quinine (the cure for malaria) is an ingredient in tonic water, but some people found that the taste was rather bitter. So the British mixed the tonic water with gin to make it easier to drink, and voilá – a classic cocktail was born.
During the U.S. Prohibition period (1920-1933) when the sale of alcohol was banned, gin soared in popularity due to its transparent colour and lack of alcohol breath after drinking it, compared to whiskey and bourbon.
The classic taste of Gordon’s Gin is derived from its triple distillation process, as well as from the strength of the juniper berry. The recipe also includes coriander seeds, liquorice, orris root, orange peel, lemon peel and angelic root which ties all the 120 botanicals used together to form a long, complex taste.
What makes Gordon’s so special is that botanicals are added before distillation, not afterwards like most other gins. To achieve the standards of Gordon’s quality, three thousand botanicals are nosed annually in search of the perfect Gordon’s blend.
The recipe invented by Alexander Gordon in 1769 is so perfect it has remained unchanged for 243 years, and is so valuable, it’s known to only 12 people around the world.
Early Australian settlers paid for their imported Gordon’s London Dry Gin in gold dust.
Gordon’s Gin is specified by name in the recipe of the Vesper Cocktail given by James Bond in Ian Fleming’s book Casino Royale.
Gordon’s Gin goes well with any mixer. Try it with lemonade, ginger ale or Dry Lemon. Or, have the classic Gordon's and Tonic, the ultimate G&T! Gordon’s is still the No. 1 selling gin in South Africa and is known around the world as The Universal Favourite.
Alexander Gordon
Founded in 1769 by Alexander Gordon, the distillery hasn't changed an awful lot since. The same two-part distillation process is used, and the copper still which Gordon himself used, known as `Old Tom`, is still in use.
Gordon's secret 200-year-old recipe is still the key to this world-famous gin.
Image of the first Gordon's bottle
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