12th Century AD Records reveal distillation practiced for medical purposes at Salerno Medical School. Invention of process variously attributed to Chinese, Persians and Arabs. 1650 Franciscus Sylvius, Dutch doctor in the city of Leyden, infuses juniper berries into distilled spirits in a search for a cure to kidney and stomach disorders and creates "jenever" origin. Late 1680's Dutch exports of gin at over 10 million gallons a year. 1689 William of Orange, Dutch consort to Queen Mary of England, bans imports of French brandy and levies duties on German spirits, guaranteeing a market for Dutch spirits in England. At the same time, the distilling trade is opened to locals who begin producing "Dutch Courage." 1690 Londoners consume one-half million gallons of gin. 1695 British beer taxes are raised, making gin the cheapest beverage in England. 1720's "Gin Madness' spreads through London as an escape from the brutal life of the nascent working class. Dram shops advertise, "Drunk for a penny, dead drunk for two pence and straw for nothing." 1729 First of a series of unsuccessful Parliamentary acts to curtail gin consumption in London. 1750 Londoners consume 11 million gallons of gin per year. 1751 The Tippling Act passed by Parliament - the beginning of the end of "Gin Madness." The Act eliminates small gin shops and leaves the distribution of gin to larger distillers and retailers. Within a few years, consumption is down to 2 million gallons per year and the quality of gin has improved. Gin is on its way to becoming a gentleman's drink. Mid-18th Century Gin comes to the New World with the settlers. 1825-1835 Robert Stein of Scotland and Aeneas Coffey of Ireland invent the column still. The distiller has less control over the product but can produce far more of it at a time. Mid-19th Century Gin becomes a respectable drink in British high society, served in gentleman's clubs. In the meantime, it grows drier and more refined. 1860's A great notion is born - three times in different places. Martini birth number 1: Jerry Thomas, bartender at San Francisco's Occidental Hotel, mixes up a "Martinez" for a traveler bound for that town. It consists of bitters, maraschino, vermouth, ice and Old Tom (i.e. sweet) gin. Sugar syrup is added on request. 1870's Gin's position in Britain moves up as it grows drier and more refined. "Indian tonic water" is invented to disguise the unpleasant taste of the quinine necessary to fight malaria in the tropics. It combines well with gin, and the gin and tonic is born. 1870's Martini birth number 2: A gold miner pays for a bottle of whiskey in the town of Martinez with a nugget so Ibig he demands an extra drink. The bartender dubs it a "Martinez." 1879 Founding of Dirkzwager distillery in Schiedam, Holland. 1912 Martini birth number 3: Martini di Arma di Taggia, bartender at New York's Hotel Knickerbocker, mixes up a drink using equal parts gin and dry vermouth. August 16, 1920 The Volstead Act goes into effect. Saloons and bars give way to speakeasies. Gin, the easiest spirit to produce illegally, is king and contributes to the rising popularity of the cocktail because of its smooth, dry quality and it mixes well with other flavors. Spirit consumption goes up and moves from the saloon to the home. Women civilize the saloon. 1934 The Volstead Act is repealed, and with it Prohibition ends. Early 1950's The cocktail hour becomes an established feature of U.S. lifestyle and executives enshrine the three-martini lunch. Mid-1970's Executives sober up and Perrier replaces three martinis at the executive table. 1976 Vodka surpasses gin and whiskey to become the most widely-consumed spirit in the U.S. 1985 Time calls the martini an "amusing antique." 1993 U.S. tax laws are changed to allow only 50 percent of "lavish and extravagant" entertaining to be deducted as business expenses. Thus ends the 3-martini lunch. Mid-1990's The martini stages a comeback, particularly among 20- and 30- somethings and becomes associated with retro culture, deco style, night clubs, cigars and Hollywood's depiction of the thirties' lifestyle. 1995 The Wall Street Journal reports that while overall spirits sales in 1994 were down 2 1/2 percent, gin sales increased by 2 percent. 1997 Holland does it again! Light, 80-proof Leyden Dry Gin, produced in Schiedam's historic Dirkzwager distillery and aimed to satisfy gin and vodka drinkers alike, is the first new gin to appear on the American market in 10 years.