The second Saturday in June
Celebrating World Gin Day
It's on days like today we are grateful for the Dutch who brought us, among other things, the telescope, the fire hose and Bluetooth. But today we pay homage to their miracle essence - Gin.
The origins of gin
Certain plants have always been used to produce medical substances. One of them is the juniper, whose Dutch name is "Jenever". The doctor Dr. Franciscus Sylvius de la Boe treated fever patients with juniper distillate, which became known as "genever".
In the 16th century, the Dutch already knew that one can drink this spirit without suffering from physical discomfort and refined the alcohol so skilfully with herbs or fruits that even their king became a fan of this spirit. The English soldiers who supported the Netherlands during the Dutch war against Spain brought the genever to England, where it was abbreviated as "gin" and produced according to a Dutch recipe.
Olive Oil Gin
Ingredients (makes 3 cocktails)
- 240ml good gin
- 70ml extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons fresh herbs (thyme, basil, coriander...)
- 3 cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 50g cucumber (diced)
- 120ml Tonic Water
- crushed ice
Preparation
Pour the gin and olive oil into a clean bottle with a lid that closes properly. Leave at room temperature for at least 4 days and shake occasionally.
Cool the bottle in the freezer for 1 hour, then pass the mixture through a paper coffee filter to separate the gin from the oil. The gin has now taken on the taste of olive oil and is ready for use.
Spread the fresh herbs over three RIEDEL Drink Specific Glassware Highball Tumblers and crush with a long-stemmed spoon. Wash the cocktail tomatoes and cucumber, cut into small pieces and add to the glasses. Add crushed ice and 80ml olive oil gin and fill up with tonic water.
Violet gin & tonic
Ingredients (makes 1 cocktail)
- 4cl / 40ml Gin Illusionist
- Good quality tonic water
- Figs
- Ice
- Lemon peel, for decoration
Preparation
Wash figs, cut into thin slices and drape on the edge of a RIEDEL Drink Specific Glassware Rocks glass. Add ice cubes, Gin Illusionist and top up with Tonic Water.
To decorate, place a strip of washed lemon peel on the edge of the glass, cut once from below and once from above until it can be pulled apart in an N-shape.
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