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 mixed drinks, including the martini. Secretly produced "bathtub gin" was available in the speakeasies and "blind pigs" of Prohibition-era America as a result of the relative simple production. Sloe gin is traditionally described as a liqueur made by infusing sloes (the fruit of the blackthorn) in gin, although modern versions are almost always compounded from neutral spirits and flavourings. Similar infusions are possible with other fruits, such as damsons or beach plums. Another popular gin-based liqueur with a longstanding history is Pimm's No.1 Cup (25 per cent alcohol by volume), which is a fruit cup flavoured with citrus and spices.