Gordon's Gin

Gordon's is a brand of London Dry gin produced in the United Kingdom and under licence in New Zealand, Canada and several other former British territories. The top markets for Gordon's are the UK, US, Greece and Africa. It is owned by the multi-national alcohol company Diageo Plc.

It was developed in London in 1769 by a Scot,^{[citation needed]} Alexander Gordon, who had opened a distillery in the Southwark area, later moving in 1786 to Clerkenwell. The Special London Dry Gin he developed proved successful, and its recipe remains unchanged to this day^{[citation needed][dubious – discuss]}. Triple-distilled, the gin contains juniper berries, coriander seeds, angelica root and one other botanical.^[1]

The recipe for Gordon's is known to only twelve people in the world and has been kept a secret for 250 years.^[2]

In the UK, Gordon's is sold in a distinctive green glass bottle; in all other markets it is sold in the original clear bottle design. Some select airport duty free shops sell it in plastic bottles in the 75cl size.

Gordon's is sold in several different strengths depending on the market. Until as recently as 1992 the ABV in the UK was 40%, but it was then reduced from 40% to 37.5%, purportedly to bring Gordon's gin into line with other white spirits such as white rum and vodka, but in reality to save money^[3] (note that the other leading brands of gin in the UK, Beefeater gin and Bombay Sapphire, are both 40% ABV in the UK). In the US, the strength is still 40% ABV. In continental Europe and in some duty free stores a 47.3% ABV version is sold. In New Zealand and Australia, as of 2011, it is sold at 37.2% alcohol by volume.^[4]

In addition to the main product line, Gordon's also produce a sloe gin, an aromatic gin known as Distiller's Cut, a vodka, two alcopop variants, Space and Spark, and a canned, pre-mixed gin and tonic.

Additionally discontinued products include:

• Gordon's special Old Tom Gin
• Shaker Cocktails (pre-mixed) Piccadilly, Perfect, Fifty-Fifty, Dry Martini, Martini, Bronx & Manhattan
• Finest Old Jamaica Rum
• Orange Bitters (made from Seville Oranges)
• Orange Gin
• Lemon Gin

Gordon's Gin is specified by name in the recipe for the Vesper Cocktail given by James Bond in Ian Fleming's 1953 book Casino Royale.^[5]

References

1. ^ Gin: a fresh look on an old favourite^{[dead link]}
2. ^ "Gordon's Gin". Gordons-gin.co.uk. http://www.gordons-gin.co.uk/about/gordon%27s-history. Retrieved 31 August 2011. 
3. ^ This is Money15 October 2009 Reader comments (9) (15 October 2009). "Why has gin got so much weaker?". This is Money. http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/bargains-and-rip-offs/ask-an-expert/article.html?in_article_id=491973&in_page_id=513. Retrieved 26 April 2011. 
4. ^ The Original Gordon's London Dry Gin. (Bottle, 375mL) Bottled in New Zealand under Licence for Diageo Australia, Huntingwood, NSW by Lion Nathan Wines and Spirits New Zealand, Newmarket, Auckland, New Zealand. Batch code: A1018916:58.
5. ^ "The Vesper " Summer Fruit Cup". Summerfruitcup.wordpress.com. 4 July 2010. http://summerfruitcup.wordpress.com/2010/07/04/the-vesper/. Retrieved 26 April 2011. 

External links

• Gordon's Gin