Gin's story begins in the 16th century Netherlands, where it was known as genever—a medicinal spirit flavored with juniper berries. Dutch physician Franciscus Sylvius is often credited with creating genever as a remedy for kidney ailments, though juniper-infused spirits likely existed earlier.

When British soldiers fighting in the Dutch War of Independence encountered genever in the 1580s, they brought back tales of its warming effects and courage-inducing properties—earning it the nickname 'Dutch Courage.' The spirit crossed the North Sea and found a new home in England.

By the late 1600s, English distillers had adapted the Dutch recipe, creating a drier, lighter version they called 'gin'—a shortened form of genever or the French word for juniper, genièvre. This English interpretation would become the foundation for what we know as London Dry Gin today.