The Inebriated History of the Gin & Tonic
Who doesn’t love a Gin & Tonic? It’s a favourite of many, even the Queen Mother herself. The classic G&T is unique, simple, and impossible to mess up. But did you know that this cocktail also comes with the most interesting backstories there is to a drink?
Gin can be traced back to the 16th century and throughout history has been the drink of choice for many. But Gin wasn’t always just a drink to enjoy at happy hour. Back in the day, this delicious cocktail was used to treat diseases (now that’s a treatment I can get on board with).
Gin was originally developed by a physician as a medicine to improve circulation and cure other illnesses. Tonic water was infused with quinine and had an awful bitter taste, was used to cure and prevent malaria.
As British troops began to make their way to India and other warm climates, malaria and scurvy (from the long sea journeys) became a problem. Tonic water with lime was prescribed to fight off both illnesses. British troops quickly realized that adding gin to the mix made the bitter taste more palatable. And the Gin & Tonic was born.
Today's tonic water is much better tasting, with less quinine and more sweetener, but the classic G&T is no less popular. I think we can all agree that a Gin & Tonic does still cure many ailments… or at least helps you forget about them.
Gin Maker Highlight: A Witch, A Dragon & Me
A Witch, A Dragon & Me is a young team of four friends, two of them are even brother and sister. The gang of four have known each other for quite some time and share a love of handcrafted goods and special ideas. At a small distillery in Mainz, the friends developed their very own gin recipe. Their goal wasn’t to reinvent gin, but rather reinterpret the juniper schnapps according to their personal ideas. For the traditional taste, they only used natural raw materials such as juniper berries, chamomile, cicatrix, safe, elderberry blossoms and others. Inspired by their region and the family love of wine, these friends infused Muscatel wine into the gin. With the grandfather and father of two of the team members were wine merchants and lovers, the passion for wine was passed down through generations, which made the special ingredient of wine obvious. Since yellow muscatel was the go-to wine for family celebrations, the type of wine was an easy choice. The yellow muscatel belongs to one of the oldest cultivation varieties and, with its aroma and sweet fruitiness, adds a very special flowery and soft touch to the Muscatel Distilled Gin.
Learn more about A Witch, A Dragon & Me at Here
