Did you ever buy a bottle of gin and the label states "London Dry Gin." Most gins are dry and the city of London weather wise is not, so what's up? Here is the answer. Gin is simply a spirit with a predominant flavor of juniper. It became popular in London during the 1700's because it was cheaper than beer and safer than water. Many of the poor drank it because it was a cheap drunk. By 1790, quality had become more of an issue than cheap, and London produced 90% of English gin from its more than 40 distilleries. London was now known for the quality of its gin as well as the characteristic, which was not as sweet as foreign produced gins. This led to the term "London Dry Gin." Today the term refers more to the style of gin made rather than the location. Traditionally, a London Dry Gin would have been distilled using more aromatics, especially citrus, than foreign produced gins that focused on juniper. Today, the only legal requirement to use the term is that the botanicals are added during the distilling process and not later as flavorings. Adding sugar or coloring is also not allowed. Most of the big name gins have since left London for cheaper places of production, with Beefeater London Dry Gin being the lone large player still producing in London. So, in a nutshell, London Dry Gin is not as sweet and has less juniper flavor than non-London Gins.
