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:<small>''The word "gin" can also mean a machine, particularly a snare or trap. It is closely related to the word "engine." [[Eli Whitney|Whitney's]] cotton gin is one example of this use. The lines "Oh, thou who didst with pitfall and with gin/Beset the road I was to wander in," from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, is another. It can also refer to an Australian Aboriginal woman.''</small>

:<small>''The word "gin" can also mean a machine, particularly a snare or trap. It is closely related to the word "engine." [[Eli Whitney|Whitney's]] cotton gin is one example of this use. The lines "Oh, thou who didst with pitfall and with gin/Beset the road I was to wander in," from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, is another. It can also refer to an Australian Aboriginal woman.''</small>

'''Gin''' is an [[alcoholic beverage]] made by distilling the mash of fermented [[grain]].  The resulting spirit is then [[flavor]]ed by the addition of herbal extracts, primarily [[juniper]] berries. The main producers of gin are [[England]], [[Ireland]] and the [[Netherlands]].

'''Gin''' is an [[alcoholic beverage]] made by distilling the mash of fermented [[grain]].  The resulting spirit is then [[flavor]]ed by the addition of herbal extracts, primarily [[juniper]] berries. The main producers of gin are [[England]], [[Ireland]], [[Belgium]] and the [[Netherlands]].

==History==

==History==

It is alleged that the origin of gin and tonic is from the [[British Army]] in colonial [[India]]. It had been discovered that [[quinine]] had anti-malarial properties and it was prescribed to the soldiers.  However, the taste was very bitter and the British [[soldier]]s found that it was much more palatable when mixed with gin. Having built up a popular following for the [[cocktail]], quinine water was later commercialised as effervescent Indian [[Tonic Water]].  It should be noted that the present levels of quinine in tonic water are low and it requires the consumption of copious amounts to have any [[prophylactic]] effect.

It is alleged that the origin of gin and tonic is from the [[British Army]] in colonial [[India]]. It had been discovered that [[quinine]] had anti-malarial properties and it was prescribed to the soldiers.  However, the taste was very bitter and the British [[soldier]]s found that it was much more palatable when mixed with gin. Having built up a popular following for the [[cocktail]], quinine water was later commercialised as effervescent Indian [[Tonic Water]].  It should be noted that the present levels of quinine in tonic water are low and it requires the consumption of copious amounts to have any [[prophylactic]] effect.

==Netherlands==

== Belgium and the Netherlands ==

In the Netherlands gin is known as jenever with two distinct varieters, jonge and oude (young and old). The flavor of [[Dutch]] jenever is much more pungent than the English and Irish varieties. Dutch gin is normally drunk neat and chilled.

The European Union regulations specify that only liquor made in Belgium and the Netherlands, and some bordering region can use the name jenever. There are two distinct varieters in the low countries, jonge and oude (young and old) and is normally drunk neat and chilled. The flavor of [[Belgian]] and [[Dutch]] jenever is much more pungent than the English and Irish varieties.

 

[[Hasselt]], [[Deinze]], [[Aalst]], [[Schiedam]], [[Groningen]], [[Amsterdam]] and [[Delft]] are known as "Jenever cities".

==See also==

==See also==