Gin The National Jenever Museums are located in Hasselt, Belgium, and Schiedam, the Netherlands. The name "gin" is a shortened form of the older English word "genever", related to the French word "genièvre" and the Dutch word "jenever". All ultimately derive from "juniperus", the Latin for juniper. Although several different styles of gin have evolved, it is legally differentiated into four categories in the European Union, which are described as follows. In the EU, the minimum bottled alcoholic strength for gin, distilled gin, and London gin is 37.5 per cent ABV. In the United States, gin is defined as an alcoholic
Gin illustrated by William Hogarth in his engravings "Beer Street and Gin Lane" (1751), described by the BBC as "arguably the most potent anti-drug poster ever conceived." The negative reputation of gin survives today in the English language, in terms like "gin mills" or the American phrase "gin joints" to describe disreputable bars, or "gin-soaked" to refer to drunks. The epithet "mother's ruin" is a common British name for gin, the origin of which is the subject of ongoing debate. The Gin Act 1736 imposed high taxes on retailers and led to riots in the streets. The prohibitive duty was gradually