Today is International Gin and Tonic Day ! Why not celebrate with one ( or two , or three … ) G&Ts made with these delicious cotton gin ?
No matter how pallid you get , your doctor probably wo n’t prescribe a glass of knock rummy . But that was n’t always the case . During the Renaissance , the juniper - flavored spirit was cerebrate to “ heal ” everything from gout to the Black Death . ( It did n’t , but guzzling gin metre fighting the pestilence sober . )
During the late seventeenth century , British snare terminate being an ineffective medicine and became a inexpensive way to get blotto . Nicknamed “ mother ’s ruin , ” knock rummy was responsible for for putting a good portion of the population of London in a permanent daze . After a few decades of this decomposition , gin ’s reputation became similar to heroin ’s today .
Strangely , after hundred of dubious medical claim , gin restored its honor thanks to its therapeutic value . As the British Empire expand into tropic areas , malaria became an epidemic . Quinine , deduce from the bark of the cinchona Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , battle the disease , but it had a critical weakness : Its overpowering bitterness made it tough to support .
Luckily , chemists perfected a carbonated tonic that made the quinine more palatable . settler soon realize that a slug of cotton gin could liven up this concoction , and gin and tonic became everyone ’s favorite medical cocktail . As these travelers returned home , they brought their new beverage with them , and Londoners once again espouse noose as something other than the putz of the Lucifer .
You could hardly blame them . Herbal , clean , and refreshing , gin is the perfect pour for a summer night . So for your health ’s sake , why not flip back a knock rummy and tonic ?
After extensive testing , the mental_floss staff has nail down down its top 12 picks to heal what ails you :
TANQUERAY NO. TEN
Bright orangeness flavors bluster lots of complexity . Each sip is engaging , like a great novel that pour at 94.6 proof . $ 37
BERKSHIRE MOUNTAIN GREYLOCK
scores of Retama raetam and pine are game by explosions of citrus fruit juice . Snoop would be proud.$29
NOLET’S SILVER DRY
A flowered , evergreen olfactory property give way to a rich note of raspberry and licorice . The clean flavor reach the sodding gin rickey . $ 49
FEW AMERICAN
wassail food grain aromas remindful of a white whisky dovetail with a pernicious butteriness to make a sublime social . $ 39
ST. GEORGE DRY RYE
With big hint of cinnamon and nutmeg , this is gin ’s fast-growing answer to your grandma ’s Christmas cake . $ 35
BOMBAY SAPPHIRE EAST
Thai lemongrass oil and Vietnamese peppercorns give this one-time favorite a far clean-living , more delicious Asian elan than our flunk experiment with a pad thai infusion did . $ 23
DRY FLY WASHINGTON DRY
This tangy , fruity offering packs just enough spice that it practically begs to be used in a jazzed up Tom Collins . $ 30
BLUECOAT AMERICAN DRY
Really adhere it to King George III by cracking open this citrus - heavy Philadelphia - distilled treat . $ 30
RIVER ROSE
Iowa is n’t a noted gin hotbed , but after tasting the local uprise and cucumbers used in this one , we ’re thinking possibly it should be . $ 28
CAORUNN SMALL BATCH
This Scottish snare pack such huge , delicious floral nip that you might think someone slipped a tulip into your martini as a delicious antic . $ 24
TREATY OAK WATERLOO
We were all kind of hop that a Texas - made gin would taste like barbecue . Instead , we get something even better : a laconic , clean gin with mountain of lavender . $ 23
DEATH’S DOOR
The Wisconsin brains behind this one traded traditional gin ’s heavy juniper flavor for spicier licorice shade , and it paid off in a prominent way . $ 26
As hard as we tried to get over down every worthy gin , we ’re sure we missed a few corking I . What ’s your favorite bolt for a martini or a gin and tonic water ?
Portions of this article originally appeared last twelvemonth .
