Summary of Selects: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Gin

Overview of Selects: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Gin

This episode (a Select from Stuff You Should Know) is a lively, conversational deep dive into gin—its origins, how it’s made, the different styles, notable brands, historic controversies (the “gin craze”), and why gin tastes the way it does. Hosts Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant (with asides and anecdotes) explain distillation methods, key botanicals (especially juniper), cocktail history (martini, gin & tonic), modern craft trends, and practical drinking tips — sprinkled with humor and a few memorable origin stories.

Key topics covered

• What legally makes something “gin” vs. flavored spirit
• Base alcohol sources and the role of re‑distillation with botanicals
• Main botanicals (juniper foremost) and examples (Bombay Sapphire’s list)
• Two main botanical extraction methods: steeping and vapor (steam) infusion
• Gin categories: distilled gin, London Dry, Old Tom, Navy Strength, genever
• The historical arc: genever → gin’s spread to England → the 18th-century “gin craze” → Victorian London Dry → 19th/20th-century innovations and Prohibition → modern craft revival
• Tonic and quinine: why gin & tonic was invented (malaria prevention)
• Cocktails (martini origin, gimlet, gin fizz) and why many early cocktails masked bad gin
• Modern craft gin resurgence (Bombay Sapphire, Hendrick’s, Sipsmith, St. George, The Botanist, etc.)
• Fun anecdotes: Old Tom signs, the Navy gunpowder test, whey/milk-based gin (Bertha’s Revenge)

Distillation and production — essentials

Base spirit

• Gin starts from a neutral spirit (often distilled up to ~96% ABV) made from grains, potatoes, grapes, whey, etc.
• Legally in many places, you can flavor a neutral spirit and call it “gin,” but true/distilled gin is re‑distilled with botanicals.

Botanical extraction methods

• Steeping: botanicals are soaked/re‑distilled in the spirit (like making a strong tea).
• Vapor (steam) infusion: botanicals sit in a basket above the boiling spirit; vapors carry flavors into the condensate (used by Bombay Sapphire).
• Some producers combine methods (e.g., steep most botanicals, vapor-infuse a few).

Continuous still vs pot still

• Continuous (column) stills (circa 1830) allow very high‑proof neutral spirits and large-scale production — key to producing the clean base that enabled London Dry styles.
• Pot stills are batch (single-run) and often yield lower proof or more characterful distillates.

Types/styles of gin (what to look for)

• Gin (broad category): legally may include flavored neutral spirits.
• Distilled gin: re‑distilled with botanicals—considered “real” gin by many.
• London Dry Gin: typically dry (no added sugar), botanical-forward, historically tied to 19th‑century British production. Examples: Beefeater, Gordon’s, Tanqueray.
• Old Tom: historically sweeter (used sugar), older style that fell out of favor after Prohibition and has seen a modern comeback (try Ransom Old Tom).
• Navy Strength: higher proof (traditionally ~57.1% ABV); named for the test where gin could still ignite gunpowder if not watered down.
• Genever (Dutch "genever"): predecessor to modern gin, malt-wine base with juniper — a different mouthfeel/taste and the root of the word “gin.”

Historical highlights and memorable stories

• Genever (from the Netherlands; genever = juniper) is the direct ancestor of gin. Pliny the Elder recorded juniper use in 1st century CE.
• English soldiers brought a taste for genever back from the Low Countries; Geneva → gin.
• The Gin Craze (early–mid 1700s London): cheap, homemade “bathtub” gin, public health/social crises, sensationalist press accounts, and multiple “Gin Acts” that regulated/distanced production and sales.
• Old Tom origin story: cat-shaped signs outside pubs with slots/funnels for anonymous gin dispensing (Captain Dudley Bradstreet / Blue Anchor Alley anecdote).
• Quinine/chinchona bark: used against malaria; British colonial soldiers consumed it — tonic water with quinine + gin → gin & tonic (practical + tasty).
• Continuous still invention (~1830) allowed purer base spirits and the rise of London Dry gin.
• Modern revival: late 1990s onward (Bombay Sapphire’s U.S. arrival, Hendrick’s, Sipsmith lobbying for small‑batch licenses in the UK).

Brands & examples mentioned

• Bombay Sapphire — notable for listing 10 botanicals (e.g., juniper, coriander, angelica, lemon peel, grains of paradise, cubeb).
• Plymouth — favored by some for martinis (and historically important).
• Beefeater, Gordon’s, Tanqueray — classic London dry examples.
• Hendrick’s — popular, distinctive (rose/cucumber notes).
• Ransom — recommended Old Tom example.
• St. George (Botanivore), The Botanist — botanical-forward craft gins.
• Sipsmith — instrumental in small-batch revival in England.
• Bertha’s Revenge — whey/milk-based gin from Ireland (uses cheese whey ferment).

Cocktails and drinking notes

• Martini: traced back to late 1800s; hosts recommend using botanical-forward gin in martinis so the gin shines (less reliance on vermouth).
• Gin & Tonic: born from quinine/tonic used to prevent malaria; add citrus (lime/lemon) for flavor and scurvy prevention.
• Gimlet, gin fizz, other mixed drinks: many cocktails evolved to mask the harsh flavors of earlier, low-quality gins.
• Tonic water quality matters: real chinchona/quinine tonics (Fever-Tree, artisanal brown quinine-tonics) vs. classic Schweppes — big taste differences.

Practical tips & recommendations

• For martinis: choose a botanical-forward gin (not just a neutral or overly flavored sweet gin) to taste the spirit.
• For gin & tonic: use a good tonic (look for real chinchona/quinine); try different tonics to find balance.
• Try Navy Strength sparingly — it’s potent (higher ABV, different hangover potential).
• If curious about craft/odd gins: sample small amounts first (whey-based gins, barrel-aged gins, etc.).
• Drink responsibly and use ride-hailing options — don’t drive after drinking.

Notable quotes / soundbites from the episode

• “Gin: once you’ve had a sip, you will never mistake it for anything else.”
• “Gin was the crack of the 1600s” (host hyperbole summing up the societal impact during the gin craze).
• Hosts coined playful terms and jokes like “gennaissance” to describe the modern gin revival.

Quick glossary

• Botanical: any plant-derived flavoring (berries, roots, peels, bark, herbs).
• Juniper: the dominant, piney/peppery botanical that defines gin’s essential character.
• Steeping vs Vapor infusion: two common ways botanicals flavor the spirit during distillation.
• London Dry: a style indicating dryness (no added sugar) and a specific production approach (distilled gin with no post‑distillation sweetening).

If you want a single takeaway: start with a good, botanical-forward London Dry or craft gin and a quality tonic — it will quickly change your view of what gin can be.