The name gin is derived from either the French genivre or the Dutch jenever, which both mean "juniper" A common misconception is that the word is derived from the Swiss city Geneva. The Dutch physician Franciscus Sylvius is credited with the invention of gin .By the mid 1600s, numerous small Dutch distillers (some 400 in Amsterdam alone by 1663) had popularized the re-distillation of malt spirit or wine with juniper, anise, caraway, coriander, etc., which were sold in pharmacies and used to treat such medical problems as kidney ailments, lumbago, stomach ailments, gallstones, and gout. Gin emerged in England in varying forms as of the early 17th century, and at the time of The Restoration enjoyed a brief resurgence. It was only when William of Orange, ruler of the Dutch Republic, seized the British throne in what has become known as the Glorious Revolution that gin became vastly more popular,, particularly in crude, inferior forms, where it was more likely to be flavored with turpentin ...more

Netherlands