What is "ginger wine"

Ginger \Gin"ger\, n. [OE. ginger, gingever, gingivere, OF. gengibre, gingimbre, F. gingembre, L. zingiber, zingiberi, fr. Gr. ?; of Oriental origin; cf. Ar. & Pers. zenjeb[=i]l, fr. Skr. [,c][.r][.n]gav["e]ra, prop., hornshaped; ???ga horn + v["e]ra body.]

1. (Bot.) A plant of the genus Zingiber, of the East and West Indies. The species most known is Zingiber officinale.

2. The hot and spicy rootstock of Zingiber officinale, which is much used in cookery and in medicine.

   Ginger ale (a) a soft drink flavored with ginger and carbonated. (a) See ginger beer, below.

   Ginger beer or Ginger ale, a mild beer impregnated with ginger.

   Ginger cordial, a liquor made from ginger, raisins, lemon rind, and water, and sometimes whisky or brandy.

   Ginger pop. See Ginger ale (above).

   Ginger wine, wine impregnated with ginger.

   Wild ginger (Bot.), an American herb ( Asarum Canadense) with two reniform leaves and a long, cordlike rootstock which has a strong taste of ginger.

Ginger wine is a fortified wine made from a fermented blend of ground ginger root and raisins which was first produced in England. It is often fortified by being blended with brandy (especially cognac). Ginger wine can be drunk with ice ("on the rocks"), or without ice (either "neat" or "straight up"), and is frequently used as an ingredient—along with whisky (typically a blended Scotch whisky)—in a " Whisky Mac" (the shortened form of "Whisky Macdonald"). Ginger wine can also be served mixed with other beverages, such as lemonade, ginger ale, bitter lemon or diluted with water. Ginger wine is traditionally sold in green glass bottles, although the word "green" may or may not appear on the label.

The first documented appearance of ginger wine occurred with the foundation of The Finsbury Distillery Company based in the City of London in 1740. The company, like other distillers, was required to build a retail network in compliance with the Gin Act 1751. Joseph Stone, a grocer on High Holborn street, central London, was one of the most prominent and important customers of the Finsbury wines division, and as such, had his name given to their ginger wine.

In the 19th century, sales were boosted by a cholera epidemic and a widely held belief that ginger offered protection against the disease. Other 19th-century claims marketed it as a medicinal tonic that aided digestion and served as an effective aphrodisiac. Today, it is still produced and is widely available through most licensed premises.

A ginger essence name "Yulade" was produced by the Co-op and was widely used at festive times to make a non-alcoholic 'ginger wine' popular for children and teetotal households.