Gin, the evil spirit which literally makes certain staffers here at MetroWize get dumb and ride the short bus, is the subject of this week's daily dose. Pop your monocle, your seeeeester, some crumpets, blast the Bowie and prepare yourself for the MetroWize guide to gin.

Let's start from the start, go all the way to the end and then stop. G-G-G-G-Gin, gin, gin, gin, it's the evil spirit that taught your girlfriend that thing you like. It's a real sonofabitch. With that said, the name comes from an old Dutch drink called Genever. It's the distilled form of juniper, an awesome sauce and one hell of a way to start the evening. In the early 17th and 18th century it was almost outlawed in England for its evil effect on the periwigged populace. Genever is once again the darling of the colonies with its recent resurrection issued by none other than Bols; the makers of good triple sec and trouble. Believe us when we say that gin, a founding father of the Long Island Iced Tea- will "f*ck" you the "f*ck" up.

Surprisingly enough, it's distilled much the same way as vodka with the juniper flavoring actually being infused into it. With that said, and all bases covered by our legal department, turn the Calvin Harris up to 11, kick off your Reebok's and prepare your liver for glory and let's dive into the good stuff.

There are many expressions of gin, like Beefeater, Plymouth, Tanqueray, and its tawdry cousin Rangpur, Seagrams, Bombay, Hendricks and Damrak. The former being more of the London dry style and the latter being of the sort who, like Josh Groban, breaks all the rules.

For the rest of our list on The MetroWize Guide to Gin, check out part 2.

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For more info on sippin' gin and juice like snoop and the crew, check out these gin connoisseur's tips:
Drinks Mixer: Gin based drinks
A Grandiose Blog: Bathtub Gin, How to Make Your Own
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Digital Bartender: Gin
Popular Mechanics: Gin is the New Vodka

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