English soldiers drank Dutch genever during the Eighty Years' War for its calming effects before battle, from which the term "Dutch courage" is believed to have originated.
The word gin is derived from juniper, whether the French genièvre or the Dutch jenever.
Distillers distinguish themselves by using varying levels of one botanical or another, as well as by adding plants and herbs taken from the local vegetation around the distillery. In that sense, gin often speaks to a certain place.
The three most popular botanicals used in gin are juniper, coriander, and angelica, sometimes called the "holy trinity". Juniper is predominately pine-flavored and is essential to make gin. Coriander is the seed of the cilantro plant and is spicy, citrusy and nutty. Angelica comes from the root and tastes earthy and medicinal.
Other botanicals commonly used are:
The invention and development of the column still made the distillation of neutral spirits practical, thus enabling the creation of the "London dry" style that evolved later in the 19th century. Column stills behave like a series of single pot stills, formed in a long vertical tube. The tube is filled with either porous packing or bubble plates. The rising vapor, which is low in alcohol, starts to condense in the cooler, higher level of the column. The temperature of each higher stage is slightly lower than the previous, so the vapor is progressively more enriched with alcohol.
Historically the term London Dry Gin has been a quality control designation and not a flavor designation. Though some efforts have been made to add clarity to defining the flavor of gin, they continue to remain subjective and largely unenforceable. All botanical flavor in a London Dry Gin must be imparted through distillation, not added later.
Generally, London Dry gins tend to be lighter and cleaner, whereas "New World" style gins such as Leopold's and Spring 44 tend to be heavier and more flavorful.
Gin drinking in England rose significantly after the government allowed unlicensed gin production, and at the same time imposed a heavy duty on all imported spirits such as French brandy, a period known as the "Gin Craze".
Because of its low price gin began to be consumed regularly by the Eniglish poor. Of the 15,000 drinking establishments in London, not including coffee or drinking chocolate shops, over half were gin shops. Gin was blamed for various social problems, and it may have been a factor in the higher death rates which stabilized London's previously growing population. The epithet "mother's ruin" is a common British name for gin.
The Gin Is In is a comprehensive gin website.