Filipinos are the world’s top gin drinkers and the third rum consumers, a report from The Economist said, citing data from International Wine and Spirit Research.
In an infographic titled "
High spirits: Who drinks most vodka, gin, whisky and rum?", the newspaper's online edition noted that Filipinos drank almost 200 million liters of gin last year. This translates to almost 1.4 liters per person.
The United States and Spain were the next biggest consumers of the clear concoction made from juniper berries. India was the only other Asian country in the top ten consumers of the drink. Almost 440 million liters of gin was consumed worldwide, according to the study.
The Philippines is also the third biggest consumer of rum as well with almost 200 million liters drank last year. India and the United States consumed more of the drink respectively.
Vodka was the world's favorite drink among selected spirits chosen by the research institution. Some 4.44 billion liters were consumed last year.
"The Filipinos' taste for gin can be attributed in part to good marketing and to the spirit's long-established toe-hold in the local market," said the article. "Ginebra San Miguel, a firm that makes the world's two best-selling brands, started operations there in 1834."
The company also manages the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings, the Philippine Basketball Association's most popular basketball team, also in part because of the "never say die" spirit which rang truest during the days of former Senator Robert Jaworski on the court as both player and coach.
The article did not say how many countries were covered by the research.
