Gin is a distilled alcoholic beverage having approximately the same alcohol content as whisky, brandy and rum, and owes its character to the fact that it is flavored with the juniper berry. The juniper tree belongs to the family Coniferae, and is therefore related to the pines, hemlocks and balsams. The juniper tree which yields the seeds employed for flavoring gin is known as the Juniperus communis. Oil of juniper is a product distilled from the berries of the Juniperus communis. It has the flavor and aroma which are characteristic of gin. The French term for the juniper berry or juniper is "genevre." "Gen-£vre" therefore became the name of the beverage flavored with juniper, and this in Holland became "Geneva," the name which was for many years given to gin. This was afterward shortened gin.