Gin has made a huge comeback in the UK in recent years with an explosion of varying flavours, and gin bars popping up on every high street. While the nation now basks in the delight of a G & T, in the eighteenth century, gin was vilified as a drink that caused societal breakdown, mental illness and death. Let’s take a look at gin and the Georgians.
What is Gin?
Gin is a liquor produced by the distillation of grain and flavoured with juniper berries. Its name is derived from the Dutch word for juniper – genever.
A Brief History
- During the Middle Ages, monks first distilled grain and used it to preserve medicinal plants, such as juniper.
- By the 1600s, the Dutch used the liquor as a medicinal tonic to treat gout and dyspepsia. High demand led distillers to develop a commercial product, and by the end of the century, there were hundreds of gin distilleries in Amsterdam.
- During the Thirty Year’s War against the Spanish (1618-1648), British soldiers fought alongside the Dutch in Holland. They noticed that Dutch soldiers were very calm and brave in battle after they drank genever from the small bottle they carried on their belts. Not to miss out on some “Dutch courage”, the British joined in and took their new-found spirit back to Britain after the war.
- In the 1660s, King William III began a trade war with the French and put heavy tariffs on French wine and cognac. At the same time, he encouraged gin production in the home and offered tax breaks to distillers, especially if they used British grain.
- Gin became cheap, cheaper than beer, and because water was unsanitary in the poorest areas of London, gin production and consumption soared.
Gin and the Georgians: The Gin Craze
By the 1720s, one-quarter of London households distilled their own gin. Gin distillation was unregulated, and distillers were able to put whatever they wished in their recipes, including turpentine, sawdust, and even sulphuric acid.
As well as drunkenness, gin was also blamed for mental illness, suicide, murder and negligence. Its nickname “mother’s ruin” probably resulted from the distressing tale of a mother, Judith Dufour. In 1734, she left her two-year-old son at a London workhouse. Two days later, she collected him in his new clothes, then strangled him and dumped the child’s body. She had planned to sell his clothes to buy gin and was later hanged for murder.
Public Domain
In 1751, artist William Hogarth produced two works of social commentary: Beer Street and Gin Lane. While Beer Street promotes beer as a less destructive choice of drink, Gin Lane highlights the negligence and insanity caused by gin consumption.
The Gin Crackdown
The Gin Act Of 1751 attempted to clamp down on gin production and consumption. Distillers were forced to pay an extortionate price of £50 for a licence. While only two licences were issued in seven years, gin consumption remained popular. Unlicensed distillers continued to produce gin illegally, and while dram shops closed, many retailers continued to sell gin “under the counter”. The symbol of a small black cat in a shop window made it known that “Old Tom Gin” was available upon request.
However, some respectable distillers improved their recipes and produced better quality gin.
A new column still was invented in the 1830s which produced a cleaner, purer spirit. Gin then became the gentleman’s choice of drink and Gin Palaces offered luxurious surroundings and lavish entertainments for the discerning man about town.
As the British Empire expanded, gin was the drink of the Royal Navy, because it kept longer than beer, especially in tropical climates. In malarial climates, quinine was also drunk. It turned out that gin was the perfect drink to disguise the bitter taste of the quinine.
Ta-dah! We have the gin and tonic!
By the way, the brands pictured in this post are just some of the many wonderful gins that you could sample. I think I’ll pour myself a G & T right now.
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