Mother’s Ruin. Bunter’s Tea. Kill-Grief. Roll-Me-In-The-Kennel. Even if you’ve never tasted gin, the always-fruity (and slightly disturbing) nicknames of this historic spirit should give you an idea of its reputation as a potent, moreish concoction that can fell even the hardiest drinker.

Its vigour might account for its early popularity – when getting steamed was the only way to weather the 17th century, what with all its scurvy and people emptying latrines into the street – but these days, gin is more than just a byword for inebriation. In fact, recent years have seen the emergence of infinite ‘craft gin’ producers, which create small-batch, highly botanical blends in micro-distilleries based around the world.

In a perfect world, you’d learn everything there is to know about this compelling little sup by seeking out these artisan producers, and sampling all the gin they have to offer. Then again, hospitals don’t exactly hand out new livers. So, to give you a head start, here is everything you need to know distilled into a handy bluffer’s guide.

The History Of Gin

Any discussion on the trajectory of gin’s popularity and development should begin with its historical origins. Its earliest purpose was not a drink to be knocked back on a Friday night, but an unction for the ill.

Made from juniper berries – thought to be medicinal as far back as the 11th century – gin officially began life when the Dutch took the long-established recipe of distilled juniper berries, blended it with malt or wine and named it ‘geneva’, a contraction of the French word ‘genévrier’, meaning juniper.

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The blend was used to ward off illness and eventually made its way over to England, where geneva was shortened to gin. Here it began to gain popularity among the wider population as a drink of choice rather than just a salve. Later it would make its way to the tropics with British sailors, where it was used to disguise the bitter taste of malaria medication known as quinine, which was dissolved in tonic water. Thus, we got the gin and tonic we know and love (a little too much) today.