Like most spirits, Gin started out as a medicine - it was thought it could be a cure for gout and indigestion. Due to its affordability, Gin became increasingly popular with the poor and was sold by everyone from grocers to barbers. In London alone, there were more than 7,000 'dram shops', and 10 million gallons of gin were being distilled annually in the capital.
Gin rendered men impotent, and women sterile, and was a major reason why the birth rate in London at this time was exceeded by the death rate.
The government of the day became alarmed when it was found that the average Londoner drank 14 gallons of spirit each year. As usual, the government wanted their piece of the action and decided that the tax must be raised on gin. This had a negative effect as most of the reputable sellers went of business and were replaced by 'bootleggers' who sold their wares under such fancy names as Cuckold's Comfort, Ladies Delight and Knock Me Down. Overnight, gin sales went underground! Dealers, pushers and runners sold their illegal 'hooch' in what became a Black Market.
Much of the gin was drunk by women, consequently the children were neglected, daughters were sold into prostitution, and wet nurses gave gin to babies to quieten them. This worked provided they were given a large enough dose! Gin was the opium of the people, it led them to the debtors' prison or the gallows, ruined them, drove them to madness, suicide and death, but it kept them warm in winter, and allayed the terrible hunger pangs of the poorest.
In 1736 a Gin Act was passed which forbade anyone to sell 'Distilled spirituous liquor' without first taking out a licence costing £50. In the seven years following 1736, only three £50 licences were taken out, yet the gallons of gin kept coming. On the last night, as the last gallons of gin were sold off cheaply by the retailers who could not afford the duty, more gin was drunk than ever before or since. The authorities believed there would be trouble the following day but nothing happened as the mob lay insensible in the streets, too drunk to know or care.
Gin is another extremely simple drink. It is a grain spirit produced from rye, barley and sometimes corn. English style Gins are produced through successive distillation until all the higher alcohols are driven off. After distillation and some dilution, aromatization occurs through macerating dry herbs and botanicals through the alcohol or by running the spirit through them. The finished product is then bottled for immediate consumption. Gin has a reputation for being a depressant which is in fact a myth. In the 17th century it was made with the ingredients of beer and consumed in the same quantities. A British naval officer, Admiral Gimlet, first mixed it with lemon to make sure officers would keep up their vitamin C! Thus the Gimlet cocktail was born.
There are two types of Gin; London Dry and Plymouth Gin (the respective gins do not have to be made in these two cities). London Dry Gin is extremely perfumed with a number of exotic botanicals and varies substantially in quality.
Bombay Sapphire (40%) It is again distilled to 96% abv and then diluted with 10 different botanicals. Unlike other Gins that place the botanicals in the spirit prior to distillation, Bombay Sapphire uses a Carthead still. The Carthead still (has four stills) allows the spirit to vaporise before coming into contact with the botanicals. The spirit is mixed with pure water from Scottish springs and then heated to 82 degrees C (the boiling point of alcohol) which turns the alcohol to vapour without vaporising the water. The botanicals are sourced from all over the world from Mexico to Italy to India. Bombay Sapphire is a brand that carries the classic hallmarks of quality and heritage yet oozes contemporary style.
Tanqueray (40%) is also on the back bar and is a good up selling spirit from Bombay Sapphire. Although Tanqueray is distilled the same amount of times as Bombay, and it uses less than half the amount of botanicals as Bombay, Tanqueray discards 90% of its sourced botanicals. It only uses the best 10% of its botanicals to provide one of the best and purest premium gins on the market.
Tanqueray No. Ten (47.3%) Tanqueray has a new member to this international gin brand. Called Tanqueray No. 10, the small batch distillation product is crafted with hand-picked whole fruit botanicals and is distilled four times.
Hendricks (40%) is said to have more of a backbone than other gins but is definitely not for everyone. It has a number of the traditional botanicals used in its production, including coriander and citrus peel, but also has rose petals and cucumber which give it a very distinct flavour. This flavour is complimented with a wheel of cucumber as a garnish.
South Gin (40.2%) is part of the 42 Below group and is another product of New Zealand. It uses botanicals from Spain, Morocco and New Zealand. The most unusual of these are Kawakawa leaves and Manuka berries.
Gin rendered men impotent, and women sterile, and was a major reason why the birth rate in London at this time was exceeded by the death rate.
The government of the day became alarmed when it was found that the average Londoner drank 14 gallons of spirit each year. As usual, the government wanted their piece of the action and decided that the tax must be raised on gin. This had a negative effect as most of the reputable sellers went of business and were replaced by 'bootleggers' who sold their wares under such fancy names as Cuckold's Comfort, Ladies Delight and Knock Me Down. Overnight, gin sales went underground! Dealers, pushers and runners sold their illegal 'hooch' in what became a Black Market.
Much of the gin was drunk by women, consequently the children were neglected, daughters were sold into prostitution, and wet nurses gave gin to babies to quieten them. This worked provided they were given a large enough dose! Gin was the opium of the people, it led them to the debtors' prison or the gallows, ruined them, drove them to madness, suicide and death, but it kept them warm in winter, and allayed the terrible hunger pangs of the poorest.
In 1736 a Gin Act was passed which forbade anyone to sell 'Distilled spirituous liquor' without first taking out a licence costing £50. In the seven years following 1736, only three £50 licences were taken out, yet the gallons of gin kept coming. On the last night, as the last gallons of gin were sold off cheaply by the retailers who could not afford the duty, more gin was drunk than ever before or since. The authorities believed there would be trouble the following day but nothing happened as the mob lay insensible in the streets, too drunk to know or care.
Gin is another extremely simple drink. It is a grain spirit produced from rye, barley and sometimes corn. English style Gins are produced through successive distillation until all the higher alcohols are driven off. After distillation and some dilution, aromatization occurs through macerating dry herbs and botanicals through the alcohol or by running the spirit through them. The finished product is then bottled for immediate consumption. Gin has a reputation for being a depressant which is in fact a myth. In the 17th century it was made with the ingredients of beer and consumed in the same quantities. A British naval officer, Admiral Gimlet, first mixed it with lemon to make sure officers would keep up their vitamin C! Thus the Gimlet cocktail was born.
There are two types of Gin; London Dry and Plymouth Gin (the respective gins do not have to be made in these two cities). London Dry Gin is extremely perfumed with a number of exotic botanicals and varies substantially in quality.
Bombay Sapphire (40%) It is again distilled to 96% abv and then diluted with 10 different botanicals. Unlike other Gins that place the botanicals in the spirit prior to distillation, Bombay Sapphire uses a Carthead still. The Carthead still (has four stills) allows the spirit to vaporise before coming into contact with the botanicals. The spirit is mixed with pure water from Scottish springs and then heated to 82 degrees C (the boiling point of alcohol) which turns the alcohol to vapour without vaporising the water. The botanicals are sourced from all over the world from Mexico to Italy to India. Bombay Sapphire is a brand that carries the classic hallmarks of quality and heritage yet oozes contemporary style.
Tanqueray (40%) is also on the back bar and is a good up selling spirit from Bombay Sapphire. Although Tanqueray is distilled the same amount of times as Bombay, and it uses less than half the amount of botanicals as Bombay, Tanqueray discards 90% of its sourced botanicals. It only uses the best 10% of its botanicals to provide one of the best and purest premium gins on the market.
Tanqueray No. Ten (47.3%) Tanqueray has a new member to this international gin brand. Called Tanqueray No. 10, the small batch distillation product is crafted with hand-picked whole fruit botanicals and is distilled four times.
Hendricks (40%) is said to have more of a backbone than other gins but is definitely not for everyone. It has a number of the traditional botanicals used in its production, including coriander and citrus peel, but also has rose petals and cucumber which give it a very distinct flavour. This flavour is complimented with a wheel of cucumber as a garnish.
South Gin (40.2%) is part of the 42 Below group and is another product of New Zealand. It uses botanicals from Spain, Morocco and New Zealand. The most unusual of these are Kawakawa leaves and Manuka berries.
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