A brief History of Gin

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A brief History of Gin

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“A good heavy book holds you down. It's an anchor that keeps you from getting up and having another gin and tonic.” - Roy Blount, Jr.

Sorry Roy.

Up till the rise of the vodka in the 1960s, gin was the numero uno white spirit in nearly all western counties. Gin, the base for many variations of cocktails, still remains popular among highballs and martinis. But its history is what sets it apart from many other alcohols. Its impact on society and laws made its way into the books as the booze that criminals drink like water, and the fuel of underground criminal activity. Phrases like “Gin-soaked” or bathtub gin are now common in everyday English. Up till the mid-twentieth century, gin was the scapegoat of many nations, and the controversy behind gin reaches back through the centuries.

The creation of Gin is often credited to the German physician and scientist Franciscus Sylvius. Sylvius, who worked and eventually died in Holland, created a juniper berry-flavoured grain spirit which he promoted as a medicinal diuretic. Sylvius’s spirit, fashioned in the late 17th century in the university town of Leiden, Holland, is the predecessor to the modern gin we know today, and is know as jenever or genever or Holland Gin in England. At the time, the only technique available for distilling malt was the inefficient pot still which resulted in a lower-proof, less pleasant tasting spirit. The juniper berry was used for the genever, to mask the initial flavour and make it more palatable for the drinker.

Gin never really picked up in Britain until the “Glorious Revolution” of 1688, when a union of parliamentarians and the Dutch steward William The Third of Orange overthrew the kingdom of King James The Second of England. The new king of England attempted to discourage the importation of brandy from catholic countries by setting high tariffs on imports. As a result, Gin became more fashionable. To further discourage people from buying foreign alcohols, King William promoted the production of grain spirits by abolishing taxes and licensing fees for the manufacture of such local products as Gin. A complete 360’ turn in comparison to the prohibition in the United States in the twenties and early thirties. Both periods in history are ironically similar, however, in that they both resulted in the downfall of society.

Chaos. Gin mania wrecked havoc throughout many dense cities, largely London. Having become extremely popular with the poor because of the cheapness of the spirit, extreme drunkenness became a serious problem. By the 1720s it was estimated that a quarter of the households in London were used for the production or sale of Gin. There were more than 7000 bars exclusively for Gin alone. Realizing its mistake, the British government, eventually, attempted to intervene. The 1736 Gin Act imposed a duty of 20 shillings a gallon on spirits and required distributers to buy an annual £50 licence to sell their gin. The act ultimately failed, and the trade became illegal. After mass law-breaking and violence, the Act was effectively repealed in 1743. Consumption levels were at its highest ever and social collapse became all too real. But like all good economies, even the Gin craze had its bust. Because of the rising cost of grain, landowners could afford to abandon the production of Gin. That, with a boomng population growth, poor crops resulting in lower wages and food shortages, by the time the governerment released the Gin Act of 1751, which forced distillers to sell to only licensed retailers, the Gin craze was falling fast. By 1757, the Gin craze, along with its countless drunks, was dead.

The British flag was flying across the seas at an increasing pace. As Englands territory expanded, so did its language, its customs, and its liquor. Gin grew in popularity not only in Europe, but across the globe to wherever the Union Jacks went. In 1832 under the reign of William the Fourth, the French born Irish raised inventor Aeneas Coffey invented the revolutionary Column Still. More efficient than the Pot still, the Collumn Still produced a high proof, light bodied, clean spirit. Now recognizable as the standered for all Gins, the “London Dry” Gin was created. London Dry Gin flourished in the ninteenth century. The tropical British colonies, because of the London Dry’s excellent body for mixed drinks, Gin was used to mask the bitter taste of tonic water fortified with quinine, a protection against malaria. The Gin and Tonic made its debut. Other Gin based drinks made their first appearance as well in the coming decades. The maritini was introduced, as well as the Gin Fizz later in the ninteeth century. The Singapore sling, created for the Raffles Hotel in Singapore by Ngiam Tong Boon, made its entrance the in the early years of the twentieth century. Gin, because of its relatively easy manufacture, sprouted in prohobition erea America alongside moonshine and other alcohols that require little to no aging in barrels.

The revoke of prohabition in 1933 ended the illegal production of Gin in the states. While the dominant white spirit of the last 100 years will remain strong for decades to come, it isn’t until the ’70s that Gin suffered a blow to the heart. The rise of Vodka in western nations killed the prevailing liquor. Today Gin isn’t as popular as it once was in the eighteeth century. Although still fairly popular, it is now outclassed by other drinks such as vodka or beer. Unlike the others, however, its impact on society, particularly in Europe, will subsist for generations.