(A Brief History of Gin)

Gin is a juniper berry-flavored grain spirit. The word is an English shortening of Genever, the Dutch word for juniper. Whilst the origins of Gin are rather murky it is likely that in the late 1580’s British troops fighting in Holland against the Spanish in the Dutch War of Independence found a juniper flavoured spirit which they gratefully drank, before going into battle, to give them what they soon came to call “Dutch courage”.
    Whether it was these troops returning to England or Dutch Protestant William III, (a.k.a William of Orange) when he with his English wife Mary became co-rulers of England in 1689 who are to be credited with introducing Gin to my native land I know not. I rather favor the former! In any event I am grateful as without Gin I would not have enjoyed, for twenty five years, a most interesting career in the wine and spirits trade; but I digress.
    The early history of Gin in England is to say the least unsavory. What started out as a medicine soon became the curse of the poor, particularly in London.
In the 1730’s Gin was the cheapest of all alcoholic beverages. Duty paid on Gin was 2 pence a gallon. The duty on strong beer was 57 pence! There were more than 7000 dram shops in London alone and 10 million gallons of Gin were being distilled in the capital.
    Much of the Gin was drunk by women. Not only did their children become neglected but also, perhaps thankfully, these drunken hags became sterile. This is probably where Gin acquired its reputation as “mother’s ruin.” Cartoonist of the era, Hogarth, depicted the awful scenario in his famous print “Gin Lane”.
    The governments of the time became so concerned about the insatiable thirst for Gin that they attempted many unsuccessful pieces of legislation (including prohibition which was no more successful than it was to be in this country some 200 years later). It was not until 1751 that a new Gin Act was passed which restricted distillers from selling to unlicensed merchants and imposed high fees for licenses upon such merchants.  Small unlicensed shops disappeared and consumption was controlled to a greater degree.
    With such an horrific heritage it is quite remarkable that by 1920 and the advent of prohibition in the U.S.A Gin had become the most popular base for a vast selection of very fashionable cocktails. What had been “mothers ruin” could now be called “debutantes delight”.  
    The reason for this dramatic change in the popularity of Gin is perhaps twofold.
    First, the nature of the product changed from the rather sweet beverage found in both Holland and the streets of London to a much dryer, still juniper based, spirit which became known as London Dry Gin.
    Contrary to the belief of many, London Dry Gin is not necessarily made in London. It is a type of Gin and can be made anywhere in the world. Unlike, for example, Scotch Whisky or Kentucky Bourbon which must, by law, be produced in respectively Scotland and the fair state of Kentucky.
Whilst the sweet type of gin is still produced in Holland as Genever and, until recently, to a very limited extent in the UK and USA as Old Tom Gin, the product that achieved worldwide popularity because of its greater mix ability was the London variety.
    Much of the credit for the success of quality Gin is probably due to the Booth family who started production in London in 1740. Sir Felix Booth (1775 – 1850) inherited the family business and his wealth was used, amongst other things, to finance Ross’s expedition to find the Northwest Passage. Boothia Peninsular in Canada is so named in Felix’s honour. Booths Gin is still distilled and is a very fine product especially for the price.
    Another early gin distiller was Alexander Gordon, a canny Scot, who started distilling in London in 1769. Gordons Gin became the leading brand of Gin in the USA, UK and the world until the introduction of higher priced and, dare I say it, snob appeal brands in more recent times.
    London Dry Gin, in addition to juniper, has ingredients such as coriander, cassia, angelica and orange peel to name but four of the many botanicals used by gin distillers to produce the unique flavour of their product. Gin is sometimes described as flavoured vodka but such is not really the case as good Gin is made by redistilling grain spirits in the presence of the distiller’s secret quantities and types of ingredients. Not simply adding botanical extracts to a base spirit.
    The second reason for the popularity of London Dry Gin was undoubtedly the invention of the cocktail.  The unique flavour of Gin, when consumed neat, was not to every ones taste. It was however an ideal mixer.
    The cocktail’s fragmented history begins in the 19th century. One of the first modern cocktails was the martini which can be traced back to 1862 when it was called the Martinez. “Professor” Jerry Thomas, the mixologist or bartender at the old Occidental Hotel in San Francisco reputedly made the drink for a gold miner returning home to Martinez, a town some forty miles away, after some R & R in the big city. His recipe called for Old Tom gin and sweet vermouth, maraschino, bitters, gum syrup and a slice of lemon. I shudder to think what would happen if such a concoction was proffered today as a martini!
    The modern dry martini should, and I emphasize should as there is currently a bewildering array of so called martinis being touted as a result of the renewed interest in cocktails, be made of Gin (maybe Vodka for the feeble hearted), white vermouth, in minimal quantities, and an olive garnish. Of course there are many experts when it comes to the correct way of making a perfect Martini. Winston Churchill, no less, believed that passing the cork of the vermouth bottle over the glass of Gin was sufficient!
    When I first arrived in New York in the late 1960’s the three martini lunch was a common occurrence. The thought of such now horrifies me. I am bound to confess, however, that a well made icy very dry martini is a splendid appetite stimulant but beware, as President Jimmy Carter espoused, the temptation of more than one.
    A discussion on Gin would not be complete without reference to the ever popular G&T (gin and tonic). Quinine water, the early name for tonic water, was consumed in vast quantities by the British in colonies such as India to ward off malaria. British soldiers discovered that its bitter taste was enhanced by the addition of Gin.
    It would appear that the good old British ‘tommy’ is more than just an accomplished fighter having first discovered Gin then inventing the all time summer favorite, the gin and tonic. I raise my glass in salutation, “cheers.”

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