story of gin

The history of gin is one of the most fascinating, chaotic, and dramatic evolutionary tales in the spirits world, particularly in the realm of botanically diverse spirits. It transitioned from a rough-around-the-edges medicinal remedy to a cheap, destructive street drink, eventually transforming into the sophisticated, flavored concoction we know today as London Dry Gin.

Here is the timeline of how juniper-infused alcohol took over the world.

The Medicinal Roots 11th - 16th Century

Monks in Salerno, Italy, first distilled alcohol with juniper berries as a medicinal cure-all. By the 1500s, the Dutch had commercialized this as genever, a malt wine spirit infused with juniper. British soldiers fighting in the Low Countries during the Eighty Years' War drank it to steady their nerves before battle, giving birth to the phrase "Dutch Courage."

The London Gin Craze 1689 - 1751

When the Dutch William of Orange took the English throne, he banned French wine imports and opened the floodgates for unlicensed distillation, leading to gin becoming cheaper than beer. Consequently, London descended into the "Gin Craze"—a period of extreme social chaos where citizens consumed rough, toxic "bathtub" gin flavored with turpentine or sulfuric acid, which earned the spirit the grim nickname, "Mother's Ruin."

The Dawn of London Dry - 1832

The invention of the Coffey still (a continuous distillation column) changed everything. Distillers could now create highly pure, neutral spirits, eliminating the need to mask foul flavors with heavy sugar or sweetening agents. This clean style, heavily balancing juniper with bright citrus and roots, became the classic innovation known as London Dry Gin.

Empire & The Gin and Tonic - 19th Century

British soldiers stationed in tropical colonies like India needed to consume quinine to prevent malaria. Because raw quinine tasted incredibly bitter, they dissolved it in carbonated water with sugar—creating tonic water. To make it palatable, they added their daily rations of London Dry Gin and a squeeze of lime, inadvertently creating one of history's greatest highballs.

The Craft Renaissance - 2000s - Present

After decades of being dominated by a few massive global brands, gin experienced a massive craft explosion. Distillers began looking beyond traditional heavy juniper to experiment with local, hyper-regional botanicals, adding to the rich tapestry of botanically diverse spirits.

Understanding the Evolutionary Tree

To see how the flavor profiles branched out from those early medical roots into today's market, it helps to look at how modern distillers approach the spirit. While traditional London Dry remains the structural blueprint, the modern era allows for an incredible range of creative expressions.

As shown in the flavor tree, the baseline neutral spirit acts as a blank canvas. Today's craft distillers group their botanical recipes into distinct families to differentiate their bottles:

Classic & Citrus

 The backbone of the traditional style, relying on juniper berries, coriander seed, angelica root, and bright citrus peels (bitter orange, grapefruit, pomelo).

Floral & Herbaceous: A massive trend in the current craft renaissance, utilizing delicate additions like rose, lavender, jasmine, rosemary, and thyme.

Spice & Earthy: Heavy hitters that bring warmth and complexity to a blend, employing botanicals like grains of paradise, pink pepper, cardamom, and clove.

From a street-corner vice in 18th-century London to a highly curated art form, gin's defining trait has always been its adaptability. Lakewood Five is continuing gin's proud history with our own unique flavor profiles.