Beginner's guide to GIN! A history & tasting of various styles

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Today’s video is all about Gin! This is an essential bottle to have behind your bar, but with so many producers and styles to choose from, it can be overwhelming. To further understand this category of spirits, we’re going all the way back to the beginning. We’ll cover gin’s history, some various styles, a few of my go-to gins, and of course we’ll taste along the way! With new expressions of gin continuously being introduced, there’s no need to feel intimidated. This is an exciting time to explore new bottles! Cheers!
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Video/editing/illustrations by Azusa Inaba 🎥 🎨
TIME STAMPS
Intro: 0:00
What is Gin?: 1:21
Genever: 2:24
Early Gin: 3:45
Cordial Gin: 5:39
Old Tom: 6:39
A New Still: 8:01
London Dry: 8:45
Other Dry Gins: 9:58
Plymouth: 10:58
Navy Strength: 11:53
New American: 13:40
Barrel-Aged: 16:44
Sign Off: 18:01
For further reading on everything spirits-related (and a source for much of this information), I strongly recommend: The Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails 📖 amzn.to/30Ij7I8
THE BOTTLES ON THE TABLE
Bols Genever Original
Plymouth Sloe Gin
Scofflaw Old Tom Gin
Beefeater London Dry Gin
Broker’s London Dry Gin
The Botanist Islay Dry Gin
Martin Millers Gin
Plymouth Gin
Plymouth Navy Strength
Tanglin Black Powder Gin
St. George Terroir Gin
Journeyman Bilberry Black Hearts Gin
Death’s Door Gin
Koval Barreled Gin
THE TOOLS
The Glencairn Glass: amzn.to/3icRVr7
My workhorse double jigger: amzn.to/3lmmKrK
My go-to large shaking tin: amzn.to/33vnMLJ
My go-to small cheater tin: amzn.to/3qecbe5
Hawthorne strainer: amzn.to/2VBUSWh
Fine mesh strainer: amzn.to/4akT1dn
My favorite mixing glass: amzn.to/46KrrTX
Bar spoon: amzn.to/3wkkDhg
Julep strainer: amzn.to/3mymEyA
Rubber bar mat (6"x12"): amzn.to/3h2IJER
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[@AndersErickson]

Now who brought the tonic water?

[@gnyrinn]

I was gonna reply with a joke about mass-market tonic water, but I can't top Brendan Behan's.

[@DryWall-wd4ei]

I'm not a fan of gin. Have a couple bad'exeperiences when I was young including sneaking into the parents liquor cabinet as a teen and getting sick from it. Maybe I should give it another chance.

[@jaydub2971]

I brought the Cocchi Americano; does that help?

[@jeffhildreth9244]

@@DryWall-wd4ei Been there , done that in 1964.. I remember it well. Barfed in a swimming pool.

[@kumqwtf]

Omg yes. The whole history of the gin and tonic and the anti-malarial properties of quinine could be a video in itself!

[@lucasmelac1464]

As much as I love the cocktail recipes, I find that I am most interested in the “history” portion. Loving these long form videos breaking down individual spirits!

[@AndersErickson]

Appreciate the comment. Always so much to cover with these deep dives. Cheers

[@kilrpenguin]

Echoing Lucas here. The deep dive and history segments are the best, and having a whole episode of just that is just perfect

[@budreau]

Yes, Anders, keep it up! Your style is informed and trustworthy. I will keep watching these. (Hi, Oz!)

[@dietrickholliday4188]

I appreciate them, too. It gives me more context about what to use and when, based on the type of gins available. Within the era of cocktail, I want to recreate.

[@itscjuun93]

as a dutch person I have to say the seccond pronunciation you did was spot on.

[@scottlei4]

Love the history content. As a bourbon and rum lover, my fascination with gin began recently with a bottle of The Botanist. I always thought of gin in the same vein as vodka as a boring alcohol additive for cocktails. Wow, was I wrong! I enjoy exploring the different offerings by local distilleries and growing my gin collection. I justify it to my wife by stating I'm not buying more whiskey, lol.

[@nibsabbath1825]

I, too, was a whiskey enthusiast, and The Botanist was my first gin as well! (I blame Binging with Babish) I also categorized gin in the same way, but now I absolutely love it. In fact, I think I like gin more than whiskey 👀

[@my2hansyd]

I found botanist within the last year and love it also!

[@stepanpazderka5497]

Botanist is truly one of the best value for price gins that aren’t London Dry. Super good.

[@shyambhatt2977]

Cool piece of history to add on- British soldiers often made trips to their colonies, often places like India where Malaria was endemic, and so had to drink quinine water, which when mixed with sugar became tonic water. They used the gin to help make that bitter concoction go down more smoothly. Also as sailors, they often suffered from scurvy, which a dash of lime juice in the G&T remedied.

[@susanward398]

As I understand it, one reason for producing Plymouth Navy Strength is that it was used by Royal Navy surgeons as both an anesthetic and an antiseptic during and after surgical procedures. This, of course, predated the availability of drugs designed specifically for these purposes. The higher ABV of Navy Strength more quickly rendered the patient insensible to pain, and topical application was more effective at killing bacteria in and around the surgical site. The higher ABV also more effectively held (and still holds) all those botanical flavors in the gin until ice or tonic water releases them.

[@ltdwlbl]

That was my first thought as well. Still, the gunpowder relation is another great thing to know! Thanks Anders!

[@oliverdown6287]

I’m so happy that you dedicated a portion of the show to talking about Plymouth Gin. I live in Plymouth, and Blackfriars is a source of a lot of pride for our city. I’m not a gin fan myself, but it still makes me happy that such a popular gin is unique to us. (Note: HMNB Devonport is still here! I don’t know how much it affects our booze industry to have the military so close as it once did, but I felt it was still worthy of mention)

[@nickdavies9731]

Whitby Gin is run by a young couple, and they do several different gins. Everything that they do is to represent the local area of North Yorkshire Moors, including the unique design of the bottle. They even do a flavoured gin called Prince Of Darkness that came out to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Bram Stoker's novel, Dracula, that has very strong links to Whitby. They will also be moving their site to two barns on the site of Whitby Abbey in the near future to keep the links with the local community as strong as possible. Worth a look for uniqueness.

[@BarmanStout]

I wanna join in and say that I've been watching your videos for a long time now, and I've always loved the way they're structured, I love the personality you and Oz give them, always entertaining, and I'm always looking forward to see the next one. Y'all have only gotten better with the years. I genuinely appreciate what y'all do!

[@williammountfield8508]

There’s been a real gin renaissance in Britain in the last couple of years, because they loosened the regulations, now there are thousands of small gin producers as a opposed to the dozen there were before.

[@tombrown1898]

Anders, I'm a gin guy, but I live in Louisville, Kentucky, which is not a gin town. When I moved back here in 2010, the owner of a small liquor store told me that "brown liquors are dead," and that virtually everything he sold was vodka or tequila. Fourteen years ago. Now , there are more barrels of bourbon aging across the state than there are people in Kentucky. But not much gin. But I found a bottle of Brokers this morning, and this tutorial went as well with it as the Schweppes tonic. Cheers!

[@parkerdavis7859]

As someone who grew up hating on all things carbonation, the gin and tonic convinced me that I hated gin for the longest time. Then, I came to your channel, looked for gin drinks that didn't have them, and voila, it's now my second favorite type of liquor behind rum, and let's be honest, alcohol made from sugarcane is a hard act to follow for anything. Your channel enlightened me a ton to a new world of mixed drinks, and this video is a great primer I wish I had months ago.

[@m.charron]

I'm not into gin, but the Japanese Suntory Roku was a discovery. I started working at a bar where they were wondering what they could do with it, can we get it on the menu, etc. So, when a gin-based dealer's choice came in, that's where I gravitated, and now it's one of my go-tos. The juniper is very subtle, everything else takes over, and I love that.

[@vividly94]

The place i work at has a cocktail that contains lemon grass shochu, and suntory gin. Its a riff on a college cocktail that involved vodka, but its basically that, lemon, maracuya, and a beer of your choice, most preferred cider. its delicious, and one of the very few gin cocktails that are shaken for a good reason -- because, though shaking gin bruises and loses the herbal elements and back-end, it also aerates it and it comes out sweeter.

[@chrishartman5383]

Love these longer format history pieces, thanks for the content!

[@Draevon68]

I love the history you share about each of the different types of Gin. It really helps us understand how and why varieties of Gin have their distinct flavors. This is what sets you apart from other content creators in this genre. Great video!

[@nathanhunt9105]

What a great video! Very comprehensive, love the lore, true or not. It helps to understand how all the styles are connected throughout history. It makes me want them all lol

[@amandadeloff4278]

Adding to the chorus of appreciation. Your deep dives on different spirits are just wonderful. Excellent history with lots of info mixed with the tastings, great format. I always learn something new! Thanks!! ❤

[@dulouz]

The music choices for the different eras of gin were so perfect. The neo-swing for the 20’s and bossa nova tune for the 60’s. Beautiful. Also, you did cover my favorite gin. St. George is one of the most amazing spirits I’ve ever tasted.

[@jcmarasigan7214]

Thanks for spoon feeding the information to me. This was so educational and wonderfully done. Answered so many of my questions! You’re the best anders! 👏🏽

[@weldonic]

I love exploring the different riffs on gin that the smaller distillers have come up with. Empress 1908 is one of my favourites. Also one of the local distilleries to my area Dillion’s has put out a few really good tales on gin. I recommend their rose gin.

[@nealwriter]

One of your best videos yet, Andres. You are the first person to demystify the world of gin for me. I'm a Botanist man myself, but I do like Plymouth Navy Strength, though I can't get it at my local Binny's anymore. Go figure. Thanks so much!

[@AndersErickson]

Appreciate that. I think we've got a similar taste for gin!

[@user-rh8yn3hv8v]

I remember visiting the Plymouth Gin distillery as a child/teenager (I grew up in Cornwall)...it's been a favourite gin ever since 😊😊

[@kimisenberg4732]

Love love love gin… I started with Tanqueray, moved on to Hendrix and Bombay Sapphire, and I just bought my first bottle of Plymouth ❤

[@javakidnyc1]

same path. have a bit of Hendrick's to finish before I crack open the Plymouth Navy Strength.

[@Paprika-six]

I learned so much in the video despite a 10-year love affair with gin. Fascinating about the origins of Navy Strength. I was glad to see your love for my favourite gins; all four of my must-have bottles were at least mentioned. Plymouth is my forever number one!

[@nicholasturrentine3301]

Thank you for this history. I really love the long form videos that dive into details about a spirit. I revisit the rum episode regularly. I love gin and the different varieties. This was really fascinating. Thank you.

[@VictorasLux]

As I’m not a big gin fan, the St. George is the only one that I’d drink on its own. It’s truly special. For cocktails I use either Botanist or Malfy (the citrusy kind). So I guess I’m in the contemporary gin camp. We learned something today.

[@polishprince7219]

such a great video! I can't get enough of these history lessons!

[@frann.8879]

Hi Anders, such a great video-I really enjoy all the details and history portion of your videos and your cocktails are always spot on!! Enjoy your weekend & CHEERS!🍹

[@fxeditor1138]

Terrific video! Thanks so much for demystifying these different styles!

[@greenleaf504]

Excellent video. Great history lesson and great flavour profiles on everything mentioned.

[@mph7282]

So I became a gin fan when I was working in, of all places, Sumatra. I was working with a bunch of ex-pat Brits who would have gin parties. There’d be 30-40 different gins there and we’d sit in the jungle and drink gin, pick guitars and sing terribly out of tune (there wasn’t a whole lot else to do). And it was this epiphany…holy cow, I REALLY like gin! It’s my main go-to for summer cocktails, of which the French gimlet may be my favorite. But gin is SO good on a hot summer night.

[@seamusgreenfield-peterson6371]

Hey Anders! Thanks for making this excellent video. I am fairly new to the world of alcohol and recently made my first ever gin purchase (beefeater). I immediately fell in love and am very excited to explore more gins soon, so this couldn't have come at a better time. Thank you!

[@DanielBrice7f58a6]

My favorite is St. George Terroir. I really like the subtle pine notes mixed in with the juniper. The combination reminds me of my grandparents house, growing up.

[@TheComplexed]

Great vid. Thank Anders. I found myself building a personal bar around Gin and Whiskey love vermoth based cocktails and really enjoy your content. Keep up the good work man.

[@kumqwtf]

Love these videos, Anders! I think I requested a history of gin around a year ago, so I was delighted to see you post this! Gin holds a special place in my heart. It's really the spirit that got me into the world of drinking for pleasure (and not just to get wasted). And you're right, I do have a favourite! I'm particularly fond of Harris Gin from Scotland, which uses sugar kelp as a botanical. I also love Mermaid Gin, which is from a small distillery on an island in the south of England where I grew up. As an island boy living far inland now, the flavours of those particular gins are so reminiscent of the coast and sea. It really is just home in a bottle

[@cascar]

I just started out drinking and loving spirits especially rum. Your rum guide helped me really a lot and I want to explore more so this comes right at the perfect time.

[@Vares65]

Thanks Anders! Love your channel. I was actually sipping a Corpse Reviver Number Two when I saw this video in my feed. Gin is deff a fav of mine so I clicked on the video right away, and as always I was not disappointed. You are my go-to-guy when it comes to spirits and cocktails. I have learned so much from your channel and not only have I enjoyed making a lot of the cocktails you've shown, I've also used the knowledge you've given me to impress ladies I know, so seriously man, thanks again! Also - Hi Az, you're great too!

[@AlonzoTheArmless]

I LOVED THIS VIDEO. Gin is my favorite spirit but I knew practically nothing of its history and not much more about the varieties. Thank you for doing this research and sharing this info.

[@tombrown1898]

The final word on gin had to have come from a bountiful young lady I dated in 1980, named Ruth. Whenever we went out, she would order a Gin, Lemon and Seven. When I asked her why, she enthusiastically replied, "I just love gin...gin, cigarettes, and Kenny Rogers!"

[@theplatypuss9662]

This came out at such a perfect time for me. Gin was the next spirit to check out on my entry to cocktails so thank you Anders for giving me characteristics for everything under the sun.

[@scottcunningham5425]

on the cheaper side I really like Roku gin from Japan. My current favorite is a German gin Monkey 47, it works well with sweeter drinks like the Bees Knees. As far as the prohibition era gins, we detailed this in our podcast, crime organizations would provide widows and housewives with stills and all the ingredients to make gin, and bottle it., but the bottles were too tall to add water in the kitchen sink...so they did that in the bathtub. If I remember right it would cost about 75 cents a gallon to make and they would sell it to a speakeasy for 10 to 15 dollars a bottle, which was how Capone became very rich.

[@jschoenack]

TO THE BAR!➡️🥃

[@CalusoXP]

Lovely video, Gin actually started my passion for spirits and distilled drinks. It's so exciting every time I get a new bottle because idk what to expect, the variety is overwhelming! That St. George Terroir is so unique! one of my latest favorites.

[@exeterjedi6730]

The old illustration of dissolute people is by Hogarth in 1751 and called Gin Lane, in contrast to Beer Street, where people behave themselves. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_Street_and_Gin_Lane

[@b_leigh]

These deep dive histories are awesome!! They’re so detailed damn

[@giselaschmoll1955]

If you come to San Francisco, take a hike on Mount Tam and then you’ll understand the nose on the Terroir gin from St. George. It smells of Northern California. It’s my favorite sipping gin.

[@rebeccabrown1951]

I have been a Bombay Sapphire fan since my twenties. But this made me want to check out the Sloe Gin cordial and the Old Tom. Really love the history and introduction to all the other liquor options. The "navy strength " gin was an eye opener.

[@rickgreene9820]

I subscribe to about a dozen bar tender channels but you are by far the best. I love every part of your videos. The history, unique drinks along side classics but mostly you voice / personality. Thank you.

[@AM-hh8lj]

Great video as always! What I love about gin is all the terroir gins. Every time I go on a trip I buy a bottle of a local gin, made with local or even native botanicals, it’s a great way to bring back the smells, flavors and memories of my vacations.

[@dmitrireavis1729]

Interestingly, my neighbor did launch their own gin recently. It's called Two Shores. Really great stuff.

[@federicon.5085]

This episode filled me with joy. I love gin so much!!!

[@user-bb1kw3hf7d]

"Gin was Mother's Milk to her". One of my favorite lines from a play, ever. Whenever I see a new gin on my local bar's shelf ( Gracias a Dios Agave Gin), one with a different ingredient like kelp (but NOT turpentine.) or even a fun "bottle" ( Engine, out of Italy btw) I will always give it a taste. I have rarely been disappointed. Thanks for all you do.

[@Lasciatemi_Guidare]

She bit the bowl off the spoon! Love a Pygmalion/My Fair Lady reference.

[@peterbarnard6396]

Wild local botanical find are my favorite current genre of Gin. Micil Irish Gin is a current favorite, and we have Rowhouse Spirits’ Wendigo Gin (a Philadelphia Gin) on our shelf as well. A past favorite was Tinto from Portugal, which was rested in red wine barrels and included poppies in their botanical blend.

[@peterbarnard6396]

*Wild Harvested featuring local botanicals…

[@janlee6395]

Marvelous segment! Thank you so much. I learned so much. I love gin, and now I know I'll find gins I love even more.

[@luanjoub3rt]

I went through a big gin phase last year and researched like crazy but kept getting stumped and stuck. Thanks for filling in some of the gaps! Love these histories!

[@tzor]

True story: Eastern end of Long Island, New York, a region known for potatoes (and sod but that's kind of boring for mixology). When potatoes are plentiful, farmers have a problem because the cost to row potatoes is the same, but their returns are lower. So back in 2007 someone started making vodka from potatoes. They did diversify, but they eventually made a gin from their potato vodka. This is an untold story of spirits. George Washington, for example, switched his crops from tobacco to wheat because if the market for exports had declined, he could turn his grain to vodka which has a very long shelf life and as a result not lose the revenue from his year's crops.

[@matthewhorwath323]

Thank you so much for explaining the varying types of gin and what drinks they usually go into. Please make videos with more gin recipes.

[@macnichols7180]

Gin is my favorite spirit. As I’ve gotten older, I have decided that Plymouth gin suits me best. Thanks for this video. I learned a lot.

[@jgutierrez8024]

Thanks Anders for the History on Gin. I found it very interesting. Keep them coming. Cheers/Salud!!

[@AlphaLlama]

Great episode! Always love to learn about spirits and their history

[@pintorichio]

Amazing video man! Completely love your history videos on spirits 🎉

[@jasoncoates1835]

Love these deep dives into the breadth and the history of spirits.

[@miksologia]

Really great video once again. I've been wondering about some gin styles you mentioned. Not wondering anymore. Thanks!

[@kristofferrosvall8709]

I have only had one barrel aged gin and really liked it. That gin worked great in an Old Fashioned, used angostura orange bitters instead of the original angostura. Great video!

[@spencerzepelin8803]

Love to see you repping Chicago and the region so much in this video! So many of our local faves

[@chrissiebeneck3294]

This is a wonderful channel! It's what I feel has been missing in How To Drink for the last couple years. Thanks Anders!

[@patybernal8774]

Thank you for all your videos. I learn so much.

[@my2hansyd]

Great info! Thank you for doing the research and sharing

[@Villa_0l]

Nice vid! Looking forward to the next beginner’s whiskey/tequila guide video. I like the way you gather information and put it together for us to enjoy!

[@mdh1961]

Being a huge gin fan, I was excited to watch this. It did not disappoint. I’ve had a bottle of The Botanist on my bar for a few years now. I think it might be time to crack it open. 🍸

[@kristenungstad3252]

Barrel aged gins are my favorite! I strongly recommend making it to make a mint-julip style coctail, especially with fresh speramint.

[@letortua1044]

That was exciting journey through centuries! Thank you Anders!

[@jmland3152]

YESSSS IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS

[@jasonjames-eyers6207]

Great video, as ever! Two gins I can highly recommend are Audemus Pink Pepper (French) and Rambla 41 (Spanish). Both excellent and very different but equally versatile.

[@srtrujillo]

This was a specially nice one, Anders, thanks!

[@JDdotdash]

I’m a big fan of both you and gin, sir. London Dry is my go to as I prefer a stout juniper flavor with more botanical notes than citrus. I enjoy all of your content and look forward to your videos every week!

[@AndersErickson]

Thanks so much! Happy weekend

[@dpchiko17]

My personal favourite is one coming from Quebec, Ungava It has boreal herbs in it and it's fantaaaastic. I make variants of the bee's knees with it, love it a lot

[@dannyshapiro9011]

Thanks for the SOT feature! Great video as always.

[@kamakaziemelon]

Really liked this format, the editing, mixed use of typography, imagery and visualisations.

[@jlallenby]

As someone who lives in Plymouth, the gin distillery has such a lovely bar with some class food n cocktails, and you can take the tour and learn it's history! It's very lovely during the summer evenings here

[@martinshelest2426]

This might be your best video yet. You legit took us to school on that one. Awesome vid!

[@michaelhealy1590]

Anders, you are always so entertaining and informative! I love gin too!

[@paulinemegson8519]

There’s a very long tradition of making sloe gin(a sloe is a type of wild plum) and damson(also a wild plum) gin in the country in England. You take a preserving jar, and fill it with your fruits, poking each one with a bodkin(large darning needle) to allow the juices to flow, add sugar, and cover with gin. Shake and leave somewhere dark. Give it a shake every time you remember to and leave for at least 6 months if not longer.

[@medicus5565]

Given that I watch your channel religiously, this was my favorite video - very informative! Wish you had reviewed by favorite gin (Hendrick's), but you did mention my two favorite cocktails (Negroni and Boulevardier). How do you manage to taste test all of those spirits and not get a bit toasted??? Nice job...

[@kriskemp4952]

This was a terrific episode! Nice job

[@oscarramirez3361]

Great vid Anders and Az!

[@cloudforest4087]

Thanks for the journey. The world of spirits is very interesting to know.

[@RebeccaEdwardsJamesEdwards]

Thank you for the history lesson, very interesting! In the past, I only used to drink Tanqueray gin,...but then got turned onto Aviation gin by certain celebrity & enjoyed that. So I started trying other gins & was amazed by all the different varieties! From your suggestions I'm looking forward to trying The Botanist, Plymouth, Terroir & Koval.

[@evecampbell7744]

Enjoyed this one!

[@vinzdahprinz152]

Thank You Sir!!! very educational…

[@colinkang]

Finally, the gin episode! Thanks Anders

[@Notisaac4779]

YAAAAAAYYYYYY I love gin thank you so much!!

[@MrMoney331]

Great Video Anders!

[@Fireorca1231]

Gin is amazing in its varieties. There is a distillery in Juneau, AK called Amalga that makes gin flavored with spruce tips and it is one the most interesting things I've ever tasted.

[@kingsgaurd]

Also, Iceland has a great craft gin industry that has resulted in some great gins. If you are ever in Reykjavik, try the Einstock bar for some great gin cocktails.

[@mph7282]

I’ve tried some Icelandic gin, and it’s terrific.

[@lesliebowles3649]

Love this video. Never was a gin liker at all! Now, with some understanding I’m coming around to it. There are some good ones.

[@curtisbailey78]

Great video, Anders!

[@andypeiffer5]

Super well done, and succinct!

[@doryman3]

Junipero, baby!!! 🍸🍸🍸

[@robertgrenader858]

Back in the day, in the mid-'60s. My father had a friend who professed he would only drink Beefeaters. My Dad was a Gordon's consumer, so he would take an empty bottle of Beefeater and fill it with, you guessed it, Gordon's. The friend could not tell the difference.

[@northforkgardens8043]

Bwahahaha. My dad used to put Castillo rum in a Bacardi bottle for my mom. No one could tell the difference and now if I need a mixer rum, I get Castillo.