Gin is making a comeback in a big way thanks in part to the Spanish love for this summer time favorite and the opening of gin bars in Barcelona and Madrid that are offering all the familiar makers along with some you may have never heard of.
UK
The trend is also catching on in the United Kingdom where drinking “mothers ruin” does not have the reputation it once had the first time this drink was at fever pitch when during the 1700’s in the seedy slums of Georgian London, gin was the Heroin of the poor.
For a few pennies people could escape from their miserable lives and all the problems they had to contend with, which led to Lord Hervey calling the streets of London full of drunken people from morning until nighttime.
Gin was to blame for an increase in crime, prostitution and just about anything bad that people needed something to blame for.
It was also the opening of gin palaces that for the first time allowed woman to drink alongside men while abandoning their children at home that coined the phrase that gin was “mothers ruin.”
A public outcry led to the Gin Act of 1736 putting a tax on a gallon of gin, and also forcing establishments that sold gin to pay a one off £50 licensing fee.
Eventually bad grain harvests put the cost of gin up, and the craze died out until a year ago when people started to favor the juniper berried drink once again.
Distilleries
New micro distilleries have sprung up in England and Scotland wanting to get in on the new fad, one of whom is Langton’s of Skidaw in England’s Lake District who describe their Langton’s #1 as being the purest of gins thanks to the regions slate filtered water.
The crave has not been lost on the big boys in the world of spirits with companies like drinks giant Diageo owners of both Gordon’s and Tanqueray brands who are resurrecting forgotten brands like Tanqueray Malacca and bringing them back as a limited edition.
Gordon’s are also preparing to launch a range of new flavored gins with names like “Crisp Cucumber” that they are backing with a million pound advertising campaign.
France
With summer only just around the corner why not visit a local cocktail bar or a gin bar if you are lucky enough to have one near where you live and rather than just stick to the old favorite gin and tonic or martini try a cocktail comprising of a gin you have never tried before, like the French 75 named after a French First World War artillery piece that just like the drink had a heavy kick to it.
The French 75 was said to have been invented at the New York bar in Paris by Harry MacElhone for returning fighter pilots and is simple to make at home by first chilling a champagne flute, and then over crushed ice in a cocktail shaker add:
- Half an ounce of lemon juice
- One ounce of gin
- Half an ounce of Cointreau (orange liqueur)
Enjoy
Shake well straining into the chilled champagne flute filling halfway full, and then very carefully top up the glass with your favorite champagne.
While this drink is undeniably good if you have one too many you will realize the next day why it was named after a cannon.
This post was written by Steve Long. Steve has teamed up with www.forevercrystal.co.uk to bring you a post on the history of Gin through the ages. Steve has lived in London his whole life, and started in the pub trade at the age of 17. Steve is a die hard Chelsea football fan and enjoys spending time with his children.
