SC - Hollands

[Decker, Terry D.]

>From a number of references, aqua vitae appears to have been used as a
generic term for strong, distilled liquors.  IIRC, the term is used in a
reference to the excessive use of brandy in one of the Dutch cities in the
early 16th Century, a time when the Dutch were financing a war for
independence by trading with the enemies of Spain.  Brandewijn predates gin,
as you point out.

Apart from cheese and tulips, the main product of the country is advocaat, a
drink made from lawyers.  -- Alan Coren

Bear


> Was written:
> 
> 
> why not aqua vitae out of Holland by way of the "gentlemen?"
> 
> 
> If gin is what is meant, "Gin as we know it today seems to 
> have been first
> made by Francis-cus de la Boe (1614-72)".  But by 1575 a type of gin
> distilled from rye was sold by Bols of Amsterdam.
> 
> Regards aqua vitae Thaddeus of Florence (1223-1303)wrote a 
> book about using
> distillates titled "De Virtue Aquae Vitae" and in 1310 Arnaud 
> in refering,
> in his book Liber de Vinis, to aqua vine, adds the comment 
> "but some name it
> ...aqua vitae"  These appear to have been distillates of wine.
> 
> The above information is from "The Penguin Book of Spirits 
> and Liqueurs".
> 
> Daniel Raoul