All about Beefeater Gin
Beefeater - is a dry London gin that has been on the shelves of stores in more than a hundred countries for almost a century and a half.
How many degrees and calories
How many degrees in Beefeater gin
Given the unprecedented popularity of the drink both in the UK and outside of foggy Albion, a kind of double standard is used in its production. So, in its homeland, gin has a strength of 40 degrees, which corresponds to the tastes of the British. In its export manifestation, the drink raises the degrees to 47 degrees.
Calorie gin Beefeater
217 calories - that's how many you'll get if you drink 100 ml of 40 degree gin.
And 235 calories, if the gin has 47 revolutions.
History of Beefeater Gin
Unlike many London Dry gins, Beefeater was actually created in London. This drink first became public in 1876.
The story of Beefeater is associated with the name of an English pharmacist, a native of Devonshire, James Barrow, who lived in Canada for many years. In 1863, this rather lucky son of foggy Albion returned home and purchased the Chelsea distillery with his savings of £400. Apparently, Barrow was not only happy, but also ambitious. He devoted the next 13 years of his life to experimenting with different plants, wanting to create the best gin of all time.
As a result, Beefeater was created, decorated for advertising purposes with the image of the guardian of the Tower of London, dressed in bright (red and gold) ceremonial clothes. In fact, the popular nickname of these very guards - Beefeaters (beef eaters) - gave the name to the newborn drink.
For more than a hundred years, the Barrow family has been the unchanging producer of Beefeater gin. However, in 1987, the French company Pernod Ricard became the owner of the brand. At the same time, the drink is still produced exclusively in London.
Beefeater gin production technology
It should be recognized that the pharmacist Barrow was a great botanist. This is confirmed by the Beefeater gin, the composition of which includes about a dozen well-chosen herbal ingredients. In addition to the unchanged juniper berries, it includes: liquorice, coriander seeds, angelica root and seeds, German iris root, almonds, lemon zest and Seville orange... In particular, almonds, angelica, and coriander are responsible for the characteristic herbal flavor and specific bitterness inherent in the drink with "beef eater" on the label.
All of these and probably some other components are filled with high-quality wheat-barley alcohol, in which they stay for a day. Subsequently, the resulting substance is slowly, almost drop by drop, distilled in a special vertical distiller. As a rule, distillation takes about seven to eight hours. Further, the result of distillation is diluted with water to a strength of 40 or 47 degrees, after which the process of producing the drink is considered complete.
Unfortunately, we have to disappoint the craftsmen who want to make gin bitters with their own hands. It is unlikely that you will get an analog of James Barrow's invention. The fact is that only six (6) people know the one and only recipe for Beefeater gin, with all its proportions and a complete list of ingredients.
By the way, the current owners of the English brand continue to tirelessly experiment with the original recipe of the drink. As a result, a variety of seasonal novelties appear almost every year, produced in limited batches. For example, the 2009 version of Beefeater 24 includes grapefruit zest and several varieties of Far Eastern green tea. And in the seasonal summer batch released in 2010, black currant, elderberry and hibiscus were added to the canonical list of ingredients.
How to drink Beefeater gin
It may seem strange, but the question: "how to drink Beefeater gin" is a very difficult question.
In the historical homeland of the drink, it is drunk exclusively as part of mixes and cocktails, given the solid strength associated with the complete absence of sugar.
Among the former, drinks are especially popular, which, in addition to the coveted juniper poem, include bitter or sweet and sour juices - mainly citrus, but others are also possible: for example, pineapple or cranberry. The name of the others, more often than not, speaks for itself. These are: "Gin and Tonic", "Martini", "Negroni", the British favorite "Double G" (a drink made from gin and ginger ale) and many, many others.
In general, among the vast majority of lovers of the juniper substance, there is an opinion that only Dutch gin is good in undiluted form.
However, there is an equally overwhelming minority who believe that a tauerkraut cooled to 4-6 ° C can be not only a great refreshing aperitif, but also can decorate the feast itself...
If you feel in yourself a potential belonging to the second group of English juniper supporters, then after the question: "how to drink gin Beefeater" you will quite naturally have a question: "what do they drink gin Beefeater with". The answer to this question is quite simple. If you used the drink as an aperitif, then a couple of olives, a slice of lemon, pickled onions or soft sharp cheese like Dor Blue will go well with a glass of pleasantly refreshing potion. In the case of a full-fledged feast, you can generally not limit yourself. A cold drink with the Guardian of the Tower on the bottle will be a pleasant addition not only to meat or fish, but also to vegetarian dishes.
How to distinguish a fake Beefeater gin
And finally, consider the delicate issue of choosing a genuine product. To avoid getting a fake, you should follow a few simple rules.
Label and excise stamp
Examine the label carefully. It should be glued on smoothly, without traces of glue or other artisanal work, and in very high resolution. Do the same procedure with the excise stamp.
Transparency of alcohol
Make sure that the liquid in the bottle is crystal clear and does not have any suspicious sediments or questionable turbidity. Remember that Beefeater manufacturers use only very high quality alcohol for their purposes.
Shake the gin
Shake the bottle well. Large bubbles indicate a strong dilution of alcohol with water. After shaking, a "snake" of small bubbles should appear in normal gin.
Country of origin
Pay attention to the place of production of gin and the presence of the corresponding barcode. As we have already said, Beefeater is produced only in the fertile surroundings of the Thames and nowhere else. Therefore, the bottle should have a three-digit number starting with the coveted fifty, which means that the product is produced in the United Kingdom.
Compliance with the above rules will protect you from buying a fake and allow you to enjoy a truly English drink in all its pristine completeness.
Update: 21.02.2016
Category: Gin