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Juniper & Gin

The ancestor of gin is juniper. Genever or Jenever in the original version, depending on which side of the linguistic border you are on. The history of gin has been written in dotted lines, through experimentation, prohibitions and reinterpretations. The origins of gin are to be found in the former provinces that today draw the borders of Benelux. The first mentions of gin can be found in monastic publications from the 13th century. The texts evoked a medicinal potion made from juniper berries: it was once used to fight stomach cramps. It was not until a century later that the gustatory and dizzying virtues of gin were recognized and sought after. 

Between the 14th and 15th centuries, the art of distillation was in its infancy but progressing. Gin then served as the main material for more or less successful experiments. Producers were still hesitating between barley and potatoes. From Russia to Ireland, the distillates were refined. At the time, the Benelux was a laboratory where multiple kinds of brandy coexisted according to the terroirs and local traditions. However, one constant appeared: the spirits distilled in Flanders or the Ardennes for the most part had a base of rye.

The main foundation of gin is distilled grain. The composition is then enriched with aromatics, more or less refined and more or less numerous ingredients. Some recipes stack the flavors: there are gins claiming several dozen ingredients! Generally speaking, juniper presents a basic recipe concentrated around the historical flavor of juniper berries. It is also interesting to observe that some bars in Paris and Berlin find gin too mainstream and highlight the minimalism of juniper. Like a return to basics, their menus only offer juniper. Snobbery reinvents itself with disconcerting consistency!

Juniper

Juniper berry has always been on European plates.  Indeed, archaeologists have discovered them in burials in Europe. And Pliny said that in Rome, it was used as a substitute for pepper, which was expensive and difficult to obtain. The one that has therefore been often called "poor man's pepper" has an aroma that is both bitter and spicy, very subtle. It is also called “grassi” in French-speaking patois because this berry is oily and impregnated with resin.

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Culture

The juniper berry grows on a very thorny shrub called the juniper, from the same family as the cypresses and cedars. This conifer therefore does not produce fruit but cones. The scales of the juniper become fleshy and form, in summer, a “galbule” (commonly called “berry”). We harvest the juniper berries in autumn, armed with gloves, a thick cotton bag and kraft paper bags. 

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Gin & Juniper

Gin, like Juniper, originates from the Netherlands and Belgium (genever). Juniper was marketed until 1688, when King William III of England decided to ban the import of foreign brandies. It was then that English distillers began to produce a similar drink which they called "Gin". Gin was first a medicinal drink! We find the first mentions of gin in monastic publications of the 13th century, which evoke a medicinal potion based on juniper berries, allowing to fight stomach cramps.
It was not until a century later that the gustatory and dizzying virtues of gin were recognized and sought after.
As an alcohol, gin was first produced in the Netherlands around the 16th century. It was named Genever, because of the juniper berries that are largely in its composition. And which give it its unique taste.

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Supposed Benefits

The gin is infused with one of the super foods called juniper berries. According to health experts, juniper berries are full of antioxidants and can therefore promote the health of your skin. They can also prevent chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer. Some studies even suggest that juniper berries are beneficial for the skin and can contribute to the fight against aging. Due to its heating properties, juniper is considered a panacea: it cleanses the kidneys and has diuretic properties, relieving thus urinary tract infections, irritable bladder  and by warming the pelvis, it alleviates pain and menstrual cramps. Its benefits are multiple and historically attested as explained by Hippocrates who recommended taking it to facilitate childbirth, and that the Greek doctor Dioscorides prescribed it as a tonic for the lungs and digestion.

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