For one, who knew that gin was invented by the Dutch? (And since I had no idea who had invented it, why should any answer surpriseme?) The History of Gin in Britain Whereas mixing gin with lemon juice is hardly novel, pomada stands aside for its inherently sharable nature. It’s, in the beginning, a celebration drink. Whereas pomada may be made as a person serving—some bars merely pour gin and lemon soda over ice and garnish with a lemon slice—few individuals achieve this. As an alternative, it’s ready as a batch to be shared with others. However solely in summer time. As soon as mid-September hits, pomada merely disappears. But for these three or 4 sunny months, the drink reigns supreme.

The original recipe looked at the gin made in the Netherlands to develop what will become the gin of Mahon. We only use one botanical, juniper, which is more similar to the Dutch style,” says Camps, quoting recent research that proves how trade with the Dutch had a significant impact on the development of Mahon’s gin style.

MENORCA'S MOST FAMOUS GIN

The two official languages are Catalan and Spanish. [17] Natives to the island speak the variety of Catalan called Menorquí, and Spanish as well; many residents originating from the mainland are monolingual in Spanish. The language of education and of government is Catalan, with Spanish taught alongside it. Four species of snake occur: the viperine snake ( Natrix maura), grass snake, false smooth snake ( Macroprotodon cucullatus) and the ladder snake ( Rhinechis scalaris).

The location of Minorca in the middle of the western Mediterranean was a staging point for the different cultures since prehistoric times. This Balearic Island has a mix of colonial and local architecture. Moll Mercadal, B. Abû 'Uthmân Sa'îd ibn Hakam, Ra'îs de Manûrqa (631/1234-680/1289) Publicacions des Born nº5. 1999 With Spain, I’d expected tortilla and wine, sunshine and fiestas. And for that, the island did not disappoint.The areas and populations of the municipalities (according to the Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Spain) are: Visit the shop Autèntic in Mahón on Plaça Esplanada for a chance to taste and buy the best of the island’s speciality produce including Mahón cheese, pork charcuterie and the local goat’s cheese marinated in red wine from the Binifadet winery. After a century of British rule, Menorca was finally handed over to Spain in 1802, yet the Brits left behind clear traces of their passage. Not only are these evident in some of Menorca’s architecture, but in its drinking culture too, as the island is believed to be responsible for the first gin ever produced in the Mediterranean. Minorca's cuisine is dominated by the Mediterranean diet which is known to be very healthy. [ citation needed] While many of the locals have adopted modern attitudes they still uphold certain old traditions. [15] Traditional celebrations [ edit ] Menorquín horse ridden by caixer at festes During the Spanish Civil War, Menorca stayed loyal to the Republican Spanish Government, while the rest of the Balearic Islands supported the Spanish Nationalists. The island did not see ground combat, but it was a target of aerial bombing by the pro-Nationalist Italians of the Corpo Truppe Volontarie Air Force. Many Menorcans were also killed when taking part in a failed invasion of Mallorca. During the Pedro Marqués Barber era (July–December 1936) some Mallorcans and a priest were executed on the island. After the Nationalist victory in the Battle of Minorca in February 1939, the British Navy assisted in a peaceful transfer of power in Menorca and the evacuation of some political refugees aboard HMS Devonshire.

Over the centuries many different peoples have occupied the Spanish island of Menorca from the Romans and Arabs to the French and British and it is no wonder that this has impacted on the traditional cuisine of Menorca. The Arabs, in particular, introduced many new ingredients including rice, almonds, oranges and lemons, not to mention spices such as saffron. In addition, Menorca, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, has some of the best agricultural produce of the Balearic Islands and these factors combine to make its gastronomy wonderfully varied and utterly unique. While the British certainly had an influence on the growth of the local spirits industry, Menorca developed its own unique gin style, whose artisanal production method has for some decades been protected by a dedicated geographical indication (GI), Gin de Mahon. The Gin de Mahon rangeXoriguer is still made in the same way, according to the 18th century recipe, commanding a devoted following of happy travellers. Gin Xoriguer is the result of a distillation in traditional copper stills, using high quality wine alcohol (eau-de-vie) and carefully selected juniper berries, which come from the neighbouring Mediterranean mountains, together with aromatic herbs. These herbs are the guarded secret of Xoriguer gin’s original bouquet. Only the Pons family know the identity and proportion of this valuable ingredient, which is added behind closed doors and without witnesses, at the start of each distilling. The respect for tradition is such that the fuel still used today in the distillation is wood. The resulting spirit is a clear, fragrant, well-defined gin that manages to capture the real essence of its sole botanical, with aromas that range from juniper itself to green wood, herbs and zesty citrus, a broad, fresh finish, and a peppery aftertaste. Sifting juniper berries We had a wonderful variety of dishes, some of which are pictured below, all washed down with a delicious local wine.

Manûrqa ( Arabic: منورقة) was the Arabicized name given to the island by the Muslims from its annexation to the Caliphate of Cordoba by 'Isâm al-Khawlânî in 903 until the rule of the last Muslim ra'îs, Abû 'Umar ibn Sa'îd in 1287. The only urban centre of the island was Madînat al Jazîra or al Manûrqa (modern Ciutadella). Most of the population lived in small farm communities organized under a tribal structure. Minorca is especially well known for its traditional summer "festes", which intrigue many visitors. The Saint John's Feast is held annually in Ciutadella de Menorca, during 23–25 June. The festes last for three days. On the first day, a man bears a well-groomed sheep upon his shoulders and parades around the local streets. In the late evening, main streets are closed, and bonfires held upon them. Wine production has been known on the island since ancient times, but it went into a heavy decline over the last century. Now, several new, small wineries have started up, producing wines locally. [20] A must for any seafood lover is a visit to one of the island’s fish market in Mahón or Ciutadella. Seafood is a popular feature in Menorcan cuisine. Look out for the red prawns which are reputedly among the best in the world. The markets are open from 8am to 1.30pm except on Sunday and Monday or in bad weather when the fishing boats have not been able to go out.For the reason that starting of the twentieth century, Xoriguer, positioned on the finish of Mahón’s port, has been the main producer. Made in centuries-old wood-fired copper stills with juniper berries from the Catalan Pyrenees, flavored with native herbs and saved in oak barrels till bottling, it’s a dry, herbaceous gin with a pronounced style of juniper—flavors that give pomada its distinctive style. For a lot of islanders, pomada shouldn’t be pomada with out Xoriguer gin. As with the rest of the Balearic Islands, Menorca was not occupied by the French during the Peninsular War, as it was successfully protected by the Royal Navy, this time allied to Spain.