Over the last few years, gin has been enjoying a kind of renaissance. A former medicinal invented by the Dutch in the 16th century to combat insomnia and high blood pressure, gin was rebranded by the British and was spread to the colonies as a vessel for mixing with quinine to combat malaria—the earliest incarnation of a gin and tonic. During Prohibition in the United States, it was reduced to bathtub moonshine. Easy to produce, it slaked the thirst of a nation during trying times. Evidenced by the dozens and dozens of new micro-distillery gins on the market today, this timeless spirit is at last getting the attention it deserves.
Whether made of a mash of corn, rye, barley or wheat, the one key ingredient that makes a gin a gin is juniper berries. While the juniper berries add the flavor, botanicals lend the aromatics. Coriander, fennel, anise, angelica and citrus zest are common; however the new generation of small craft distillers is experimenting with non-traditional, exotic and even floral components. Gin has remained inexpensive, relative to other spirits, due to its lack of barrel aging. But now certain gins are following the path of their ancestor, the Dutch spirit called genever, and spend time aging in oak before release.
Here at the SFWTC, we’ve taken a strong position on gin. In fact, we have more than 40 different selections of gin alone. It’s the primary ingredient of the classic martini, a gin and tonic and a gin fizz. But that’s only for starters. With the widening range of gins available comes an equally impressive array of new gin cocktails. In the interest of promoting our own backyard, we have provided a list of some of our favorite California-made gins below. However, you can click here to browse our entire selection. Please feel free to give us a call at (415) 731-6222 if you would like assistance.
SFWTC Wine Blog 