Journey through gin at Holborn Dining Room

Kristian Smith recalls the infamous history of the classic drink as he prepares to host a weekly masterclass at London's largest gin bar

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Most people know that for a spirit to be classed as gin it must be made from juniper berries. What's less well known is that they actually aren't a berry at all, they come from a type of pine cone. The special medicinal and culinary qualities of juniper were utilised by the Ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians – it's a mark of the value they placed on it that King Tutankhamen notably had more juniper in his tomb than gold.

The Dutch were the first to standardise a juniper-style drink, Genever, which is the national spirit of Holland and where the term 'Dutch courage' comes from. During the Thirty Years' War of the 17th century, the Dutch and British armies fought together against the French. The story goes that the Dutch army displayed one major contrast to the British – a great deal of additional courage, simply because on their hip they sported a clay flask full of Genever. Needless to say it quickly caught on with the British too.

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