Menorca gin is one of the island's symbols and one of the liveliest legacies of eighteenth-century British rule (see Menorca).
History
In the eighteenth century, when Mahón was a base for the British Mediterranean fleet, soldiers and sailors wanted gin, their drink back home. Menorcan craftsmen began making it with local ingredients: instead of the grain spirit used in England they used wine alcohol, adding juniper berries, partly imported. The result was a gin of its own character. The tradition continued after the British left, and gin became a typical product.
Gin de Mahón
The island's gin has a recognised geographical indication, Gin de Mahón, one of the few in Europe for gin. It is made from wine-based alcohol and juniper berries distilled together in old copper stills traditionally heated by wood, then rested in casks. It has a dry, aromatic taste with herbal notes.
The Xoriguer distillery
The best-known distillery is Xoriguer, founded by the Pons family on Mahón harbour, named after a windmill the family owned. It can be visited free of charge, to see the stills and taste the gin and other island liqueurs, such as herb and camomile. The glass bottles with a handle, like old Dutch bottles, are distinctive.
How to drink it
- Pomada: Menorca gin with lemonade, often on ice, the drink of every island festival, especially the summer horse festivals (see festivals).
- Gin and tonic, now very popular, perhaps with lemon or orange peel.
- Neat or on the rocks, as an aperitif or digestif.
Bottles of Menorcan gin also make an excellent souvenir. See also Menorcan food.