Gin: From Kidney Disorder Cure to England’s National Drink

There are many types of liquor in the world. Some have been around for a long time, like beer or wine. Many have only been made during the last millennium. One of the relatively newer ones is gin.

Gin is a hard, dry white spirit flavored with the seeds of a juniper bush and other botanicals. Alcohol is made from grains like wheat and rye. It is often used as a base for other drinks. It is often used in cocktails and other mixes.

As mentioned before, gin is relatively recent. It was created in the 17th century, in 1650 to be exact. The creator was a professor of medicine at the University of Leyden. He really was a doctor who knew what his patients needed from him. His name was Franciscus de la Boie, also known as Dr. Sylvius. He created gin as an inexpensive diuretic for kidney disorders. While gin will never serve its intended purpose, it caught on anyway, as another way to destroy our kidneys and liver when taken in ungodly amounts.

Dr. Sylvius named his creation Genever, which is the French word for juniper. He is shortened in English to gin. Juniper is a shrub that can be found throughout the northern hemisphere. Produces aromatic bluish-green berries. The juniper was not added just for flavor. It is also known to have healing properties. It can act as a diuretic and also helps with arthritis. Other botanicals are sometimes added to gin, such as cinnamon, anise, orange peel, cassia bark, angelica root, and coriander. Gin makers have their own secret combinations of botanicals.

The gin was very popular with English soldiers “living” on the Continent. They called it Dutch Courage and it was an instant hit when they went there for the Thirty Years War. He warmed their bodies during the cold nights and calmed their minds before battle. They brought this flavor to England, where it found incredible popularity. Gin practically became the national drink of England.

The most interesting thing about gin is not the addition of juniper berries or botanicals. It’s the alcohol used. Alcohol is usually made from fruit or aged grain liqueurs. Gin was made from unaged grain spirits. Before the creation of gin, this type of alcohol was considered too strong. But that was never the case with gin. It tasted good and it was also easy to produce.