Gin is tops in UK - Printable Version +- Scivillage.com Casual Discussion Science Forum (https://www.scivillage.com) +-- Forum: Culture (https://www.scivillage.com/forum-49.html) +--- Forum: Zymology (https://www.scivillage.com/forum-56.html) +--- Thread: Gin is tops in UK (/thread-5153.html) |
Gin is tops in UK - Magical Realist - Apr 6, 2018 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/gin-uk-spirit-most-popular-whisky-vodka-g-and-t-drink-a8112256.html "Britons bought a record 47 million bottles of gin over the last year, up by seven million on 2016 as consumers named the G&T their favourite drink. Gin moved up from third place last year as 29 per cent of consumers named it their favourite spirit, ahead of whisky (25 per cent) and vodka (23 per cent), the annual poll by the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) found. Sales of the quintessentially British spirit have doubled in value in the last six years to £1.2bn in the 12 months to September, up from £630m in 2011, WSTA’s market report figures show. The equivalent of more than 8.8 million bottles of gin were sold in pubs, bars and restaurants to a value of £729m in the same 12 months, while 38.7 million bottles were sold in shops and supermarkets. In the 12 weeks up to September, gin sales were up 26 per cent by volume in shops and supermarkets and up 34 per cent by value compared to the same time last year. HMRC figures early in the year showed that gin exports were outperforming those of British beef and soft drinks." RE: Gin is tops in UK - C C - Apr 6, 2018 Given the supposed prior long history of use, a rather trivial question might be why it took till the 16th century for juniper berries to finally become an entrenched spirits ingredient. (The 8th century was apparently the advent of accomplished distilling.) The history and folklore concerning the juniper tree is long reaching. The first recorded mention of use is in an Egyptian papyrus from 1500 B.C.E. Juniper was the symbol of the Canaanites fertility goddess Ashera. Western European folklore tells that is a juniper tree is planted by the door to your home, a witch cannot enter. Juniper incense has also been used by the Scottish to ward off the evil eye, and by the Tibetans to remove demons. RE: Gin is tops in UK - Yazata - Apr 6, 2018 I've never liked gin. (I've always preferred vodka.) But it isn't surprising that Brits like it (you should see some of the things the Scots eat). RE: Gin is tops in UK - Magical Realist - Apr 6, 2018 I'm a vodka fan too. The less flavor in my the spirit the better. Except for tequila. I actually like the flavor of tequila, especially in margaritas. RE: Gin is tops in UK - stryder - Apr 7, 2018 Interesting point about Gin was actually the Tonic that was served with it, It's active ingredient (Quinine) was used as an Anti-Malarial. On it's own it likely made people feel sick, so applying it with alcohol was likely to at least give some sort of positive incentive for drinking it. As for favouritism I've had my fair share of many types of alcohol, with various cocktails being what I'd prefer over a pint. (to be honest I find beer to be gassy and I likely react to the Gluten content) Long Island Ice teas (no tea included) tends to be a mainstay, although other cocktails sometimes do find their way (Tequilla Sunrises, Dragonfly's etc) |