Gin: 400 Years of Mother’s Ruin

For me, the smell of a freshly poured gin and tonic is pure Summer. One whiff of that angelica root transports me to London and Summer after work drinks with friends before a play at the National Theatre or a meal in Covent Garden.

Although gin didn’t originate on these shores, it has become a quintessentially British drink and our relationship with it is steeped in quite dark history. It’s a fascinating story that interweaves politics, class warfare and technological development - well worth further reading if you’re so inclined.

Here’s a brief run down of the important bits.

Photo by Vlad Tchompalov on Unsplash

From Genever To Gin Craze

The core ingredient of gin is juniper and records of the berries being combined with alcohol for medicinal purposes date as far back as 70 AD. In the 16th century, the Dutch began producing a spirit called ‘genever’ — a harsh malt wine heavily flavoured with juniper to mask its taste. After William of Orange came to the throne, restrictions on distilling were relaxed and domestic spirit production was encouraged, partly as an alternative to imported French brandy. The result was cheap, readily available gin — a pint of gin was cheaper than a pint of beer. Naturally, that encouraged some less than responsible drinking, especially amongst the poor. And so began the notorious Gin Craze.

Incidentally, the first known written use of the word ‘gin’ appears in a book in 1714. The story goes on that the name ‘gin’ caught on because the British were too drunk to pronounce ‘genever’ properly. Almost certainly nonsense, but too good a story not to mention.

Gin distillation was a free-for-all and, such things as turpentine went into the brew to maximise profits. The people of Britain (more precisely, England) were, quite literally, going mad. Gin was blamed for the death of thousands by overconsumption, murder, negligence and insanity. To combat the massive social problems, a distiller’s licence was introduced and the industry plummeted. The Gin Act was passed by Parliament in 1751, raising taxes and fees for distillers and making licences more difficult to obtain. It marked the beginning of the end of the Gin Craze. Much later, in 2009, Sipsmith became the first new copper-pot distillery to open in London for nearly 200 years, after helping to overturn rules that made small-scale distilling extremely difficult.

Mother’s Ruin

William Hogarth’s famous engraving Gin Lane was published in 1751, at the height of concern about the social effects of cheap gin. It depicts a chaotic London neighbourhood ravaged by drunkenness, poverty and neglect — most notoriously, a mother so intoxicated that her baby is falling from her arms.

Hogarth published it alongside a companion piece, Beer Street, which showed a prosperous and orderly population enjoying beer instead. The contrast was hardly subtle! The phrase Mother’s Ruin is often associated with this period and the devastating effect gin was believed to be having on families and society.

William Hogarth, Gin Lane, 1751 — Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The G & T Is Born

By the 19th century, improvements in distilling had produced a cleaner, more refined gin. At the same time, British people living in India were taking quinine to help protect themselves against malaria. Unfortunately, quinine was extremely bitter, so it was mixed with water and sugar to make it more palatable.

At some point, someone hit upon the excellent idea of adding gin. The exact origins of the gin and tonic are somewhat hazy, with some versions of the story bringing in the Royal Navy. Sailors often travelled to parts of the world where malaria was prevalent and the Navy also carried fashionable gin with them so, it’s easy to see how the two stories became intertwined. Add in a squeeze of scurvy-preventing lime and, the rest — might be — history!

Whatever its origins, the combination of gin and tonic became firmly associated with British life in India. Schweppes launched its Indian Tonic Water in 1870 and the G&T went on to become one of Britain’s most enduring drinks.

These days the amount of quinine in tonic water is far too low to offer any protection against malaria — but thankfully that hasn’t harmed its usefulness!

Has Gin Lost Its Fizz?

Today, gin is firmly established as a modern British favourite, although the extraordinary craft-gin boom of the 2010s has begun to fade. For a while it seemed that every conceivable flavour and botanical combination was appearing on the shelves, with pink and flavoured gins leading much of the growth.

Since I originally wrote this blog, the gin market has settled down considerably.

UK gin consumption is now around 40% below its peak and flavoured gin sales have fallen particularly sharply.

It seems we may finally have reached “peak gin” — but judging by the number of bottles still lining supermarket shelves, it’s certainly not disappearing any time soon.

Photo by Franco Debartolo on Unsplash

What’s Your Poison?

Assuming you’re a gin drinker, do you have a favourite? I’m partial to a glass of sloe gin now and then but my drink of choice is a nice, big G&T with ice and a slice. Preferably Gordon’s. I know this may be controversial but, I really think it has a distinctive aroma and taste.

Many years ago, I ordered a G&T in a pub and specifically asked for Gordon’s. The landlord insisted there was no difference between brands and bet me I couldn’t tell them apart in a blind tasting. Not being one to resist a challenge, I took him up on it. After lots of sniffing and sipping, I finally had to admit that he was right. I couldn’t tell them apart - they both tasted the same to me. Guess what? They were both Gordon’s! He cheated but I got a free double gin so, I let it pass. Sadly, Gordon’s aren’t paying me to promote their product but, it’s definitely my favourite.

Does gin evoke any special memories for you? If so, I’d love to hear about them so, do post a comment below.