The official definition of gin in France is found in the Public administration ruling of the 5 th of September, 1907. It is defined as an alcoholic drink obtained under the conditions set forth in Article 15 of the law of March 30, 1902, by the simple distillation in the presence of the seeds of the juniper tree of the fermented must of rye, of wheat, of barley, or of oats.

1 Beverages, Past and Present, Vol. II, p. 65.

The Congress of the White Cross at Geneva adopted the following definition of gin: "Gin is the product of simple distillation in the presence of the seeds of the juniper tree of the fermented must of cereals."

The definition of gin in Belgium is more flexible, but it is of such a character that it defines nothing by defining too much. The definition says: "Gin is the alcoholic liquor prepared either by the distillation of added fermented materials or not, of the seeds of the juniper tree, or by simple mixture with alcohol and water in determinate proportions to obtain the alcoholic strength required.

The definitions in Switzerland and Italy are more restricted, and according to these, gin is obtained only from the fermentation of wheat and the seeds of the juniper tree.

In the north of France gin is the distilled alcoholic liquor which is most employed. Its distillation and consumption are much anterior to the production of industrial alcohols of high strength. One of the most ancient distilleries of gin in the north of France near Lille was erected in 1817. There are 11 distilleries in the north of France, producing gin; 8 in the Department of the North, and 3 in the Pas-de-Calais, making together nearly 38,000 hectoliters.

Gin is often called the "Cognac" of the North. In the north of France gin is often sold under the name of "Schiedam, Wam-brechies." The method employed in the manufacture in the north of France is described as follows: "100 hectoliters of ground grain, of which rye is the dominant component, are mixed with from 10 to 30 hectoliters of barley malt, and suspended in 250 liters of water of a temperature of 500. This temperature is maintained for an hour and afterward it is raised for one and one-half hours to 630 in order to permit the inversion of the starch. At the end of this time cold water is added until the temperature falls to 28 or 30o, at which temperature it is treated with the yeast. The fermentation lasts about 30 hours, and the alcoholic mass thus obtained is then submitted to distillation in a column still. The alcohol obtained in this way is mixed with variable quantities of juniper berries and redistilled from a simple pot still. When the work has been completed there is obtained about 30 percent of pure alcohol, or about 60 liters of gin for each 100 kilos of the grain employed. The quantities of juniper berries employed are very variable. In the region of Lille they usually use about 100 grams per hectoliter of gin. The berries contain at least 1 percent of the essence so it is seen that there is about one gram of essence of the juniper berry per hectoliter or one-hundreth of a gram per liter. The gin called "Schiedam" made after the Holland style is somewhat more strongly flavored.