The History of Gin

The word Gin derives from an English shortening of Genever meaning Juniper in Dutch. In the late 1580s a juniper-flavoured spirit was found in Holland by British troops who were fighting against the Spanish in the Dutch War of Independence. They gratefully drank it to give them, what they soon came to call, “Dutch courage” in battle.

When high trading barriers were set for spirits such as Brandy the government encouraged the production of grain spirits such as Gin as a consequence over 25% of households in London were producing Gin leading to its popularity.

Gin is a spirit which derives its predominant flavour from juniper berries; the minimum bottled alcoholic strength for gin is 37.5% ABV in the E.U.

There are two types of Gin, Distilled gin and Compound Gin. Distilled Gin is made by macerating botanicals in a neutral, flavourless spirit and distilling it in a Carterhead pot still whereas Compound gin is made by simply flavouring neutral spirit with essences and/or other ‘natural flavourings’ without re-distillation.

The main botanicals that are used in the production of Gin are juniper berries, coriander, angelica, citrus peels, ginger, cardamom, cassia, cinnamon, orrisroot, liquorice,
and grains of paradise. The number and combination of these used is generally a
closely guarded secret among top distillers.

There are six main categories of gin: Dutch Gin, Old Tom Gin, London Dry Gin, Plymouth Gin, New Western Dry Gin and Fruit Gin, such as Sloe or Damson Gin.

So how did gin come to be known as ‘mother’s ruin’? In the first half of the 1700s,

there was a diabolical situation occurring in the lower classes of London. Gin was being consumed in massive amounts by the poor, and had reached such catastrophic levels that 9,000 babies had been thought to die because of negligent mothers forcing the alcohol down their throats.

The process of distilling gin had initially been encouraged in England at the beginning of the 18th century, as the distilling industry propped up grain prices, which were very low. However, over the next 50 years, the consumption of gin would increase to disproportionate and dangerous levels.

The government of the day recognized the problem in the 1720s, but there was no act of Parliament addressing the issue until 1729. The first Gin Act introduced high prohibitive taxes and made licenses for the sale of gin compulsory. Despite good intentions, the act was a failure as, by that stage, it was estimated that one in seven houses in the poorer areas of London were gin-sellers. The sheer quantity of sellers meant that the Excise men could not enforce the law or collect the taxes.

In 1736, the second Gin Act was passed, which prohibited the sale of gin in quantities under two gallons. The immediate result of this was violent mob riots, and by the time the act was 2 months old, it was apparent that the real effect of the act was to increase the smuggling and underground selling of the liquor. In the seven years that followed, gin production rose by more than a third.

1743 the third Gin Act was passed, but followed a different tack. The duties on gin
and the cost of licenses for production were reduced to stop the illegal selling of spirits. However, the act had indifferent success. It had stopped the black market trade of gin, but had not reduced the amount of production or the level of consumption, and by 1751, reform was again on the political agenda.

“Should the drinking of this poison be continued in its present height during the next twenty years, there will be by that time few of the common people left to drink it.”

Stated Henry Fielding, Westminster magistrate, 1751

In the same year of 1751, Hogarth printed a picture of ‘Gin Lane’ (above), to bring to the public's attention the consequences of drinking this vile liquor.
Gin Lane depicts some of the effects of excessive gin-drinking on the society of London, mainly the working poor. Before you think that this portrayal is extreme, there were many, many documented cases of citizens drinking large amounts of raw spirits (turpentine) and being found dead the next day. There was even the case of Judith Defoe, who murdered her child to sell the child’s clothes for money to buy gin, hence ‘mother’s ruin’. So, whilst we shudder to imagine it, Hogarth’s depiction may have had some basis in the contemporary reports of the day.

It wasn’t until the arrival of the Gin Martini at the turn of the 20th century that the drink accrued glamour and status. Before then, it was used in tropical colonies to mask the bitter taste of quinine, which was the only anti-malarial remedy available. Strange irony that Gin and Tonic would be regarded today as a more middle to upper-class ‘tipple’.

How things can change!