Drink Matron

Category: Booze of the Week – Gin

  • The Gin Craze

    When I think about gin, my mind takes a trip to Dickensian London where the streets are filthy, the people filthier, and everyone drinks gin like it was water.  There is a reason for this imagery coming so readily to many people’s minds: The Gin Craze.

    England vs France

    The Gin Craze began as a result of the history of bad blood between England and France. At the end of the 17th century, when William the Orange took power in England, several acts were passed to thwart French influence in England. These acts made it more difficult to import French brandy, and at the same time encouraged the production of local gin. Further, the London Guild of Distillers was essentially neutered and new distillers were encouraged to start producing gin. Licensing requirements to produce or sell the spirit were completely dropped. On top of all of that, the government put a considerable effort into encouraging the population of London to imbibe this locally produced gin.

    These reasons alone would be enough to start a whirlwind of popularity for the distinctly flavored liquor, but other factors caused it to spin out of control.

    The Industrial Revolution

    By the 1720s, the Industrial Revolution was starting to pick up steam and people were being encouraged to leave their rural communities for the hustle and bustle of the city. London started to get overcrowded far beyond what the infrastructure could handle and the factories could employ. Having this overabundance of potential workforce meant that business owners could demand longer hours for less pay from their employees (if you complained you could be easily replaced). Miserable, unsafe work conditions became the norm. Couple that with the dreadful and unsanitary home conditions meant that life was desolate without any hope of getting better. Any one of working age (6 years old or older) wanted to find a way to just forget about how miserable their lives were. Lucky for them, there were more gin shops in the poor areas than any other shop in London (most of which were unlicensed, selling gin made in the back room).

    During this time, food prices also started to drop, meaning that the working class (aka the dirt poor) had a little more money in their pocket, which to them equated more drinking money.

    “Gin Lane” and the end of the Gin Craze

    By the 1730s, gin consumption had reached an average of two pints per week per Londoner and would only increase from there. The best illustration of just how terrible it had become was an engraving by William Hogworth entitled “Gin Lane” which depicted a street piled with lazy and careless drunks, including a woman allowing her child to fall to its death.

    The Gin Craze started to fizzle around 1751 and is attributed to the passing of the Gin Act of 1751, though the rising price of grain probably contributed to it as well.

    While I have no evidence to support it, I’m quite sure that the reason that gin remains such a prevalent and popular spirit is partially to do with the Gin Craze.

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  • Gin and Tonic

    Most two part drinks have very little history. The combination of a liquor with a wash is normally just a way to cut the strong taste of a booze or to add a little flavor to or hide the liquor within a cocktail. The gin and tonic, however, has a slightly more interesting history.

    Roots in Medicine

    Both gin and tonic have origins deeply rooted in medicine.

    Gin first appeared in the mid-1600s when Dr. Franciscus de la Boë, a professor of medicine at Leyden, Holland, created a juniper flavored diuretic that he called Genever, the Dutch word for juniper. He intended the concoction to be used for kidney disorders, but it quickly grew in popularity as an enjoyable spirit.

    When the British began to populate India, many people contracted malaria. Tonic water was introduced as a remedy to malaria, due to its high levels of quinine. Because of its bitter taste, it was difficult to get people to drink it, despite its helpful effects. In order to make the drink more tolerable, gin was added to the mix.

    Just as gin had become popular as a spirit centuries before, the gin and tonic began to take on a new role as a favorite drink of the people, rather than a medicine.

    The Gin and Tonic

    Ingredients:

    • 2 oz Gin
    • 5 oz Tonic
    • Lime cut into wedges

    Combine the gin and tonic in a highball glass. Garnish with a lime wedge. Enjoy.

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  • What’s in a name? Old Tom Gin

    Old Tom Gin is an old name in the world of gin. It reached the pinnacle of its popularity in the late 1800s in England as a sweeter style of gin than today’s popular London dry. The only one left of its kind, Old Tom is making its way back onto cocktail menus, and onto the taste buds of a new generation of gin drinkers.

    But what’s with the name? Who was Old Tom?

    It may be more accurate to ask WHAT was Old Tom, actually.

    Old Tom takes its name from plaques shaped like a black tom cat that were mounted on the outside of pub walls in 18th century England. Thirsty patrons would drop a penny into a slot in the mouth of the cat. The bartender would then poor a shot of gin down a tube held between the tom’s paws to the customer’s waiting mouth.

    This “gin vending” practice is both terrifying and laughable, and it is not surprising that it eventually fell out of style. But in 18th century England, when the combination of cheap gin and unfettered production of alcohol encouraged extreme drinking habits, the Old Tom dispensers were probably as common as a soda machine is today.

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  • Have You Seen Tom Collins?

    In New York City in 1874, a man became the most sought after and despised person of the times, but no one ever met him. His name was Tom Collins, and his name still carries on today.

    Have You Seen Tom Collins?

    Tom Collins, as the story says, was a loud and boisterous man who was known to sit in taverns and talk harshly of nearly everyone he’d met, or in many cases, those he hadn’t. Luckily, those who fell victim to Collins’ wrathe had good friends who would immediately find their friend and let them know of the blasphemies against them. The victim was then encouraged to find Collins and confront him. However, when the victim went to the tavern where Collins was meant to be, he was no where to be found. The reason for this, was, of course, because Tom Collins did not exist.

    The prank came to be known as The Great Tom Collins Hoax of 1874. Two years later, Jerry Thomas included a new drink named after the hoax, in “The Bartender’s Guide.” It was then that those desperately looking for their revenge would walk into a bar asking for Tom Collins, and instead receive the sour cocktail.

    Other Possible Origins

    There is speculation that the drink was named for a London waiter named John Collins. According to history, the name was supposedly changed to Tom Collins after the advent of Old Tom gin. However, this is most likely inaccurate since both the Tom Collins and the John Collins appear in the 1876 “The Bartender’s Guide.”

    It has also been said that the drink was invented by an Irish immigrant in the 1850s as a remedy to the excruciating New York summer heat. Made by adding lemon juice to a gin and tonic, the cocktail was light and refreshing and gave a needed break on those long summer nights.

    The Collins Glass

    The same shape as a highball glass, the Collins glass is bigger, holding from 10 to 14 oz. Once used solely for the mixing of the infamous cocktail, the glass become practical for a variety of drinks and is a bar room essential.

    The Tom Collins

    Ingredients:

    • 1 1/2 oz gin
    • 1 oz lemon juice
    • 1/2 oz sugar syrup
    • Club soda
    • Maraschino cherry for garnish
    • Lemon slice for garnish

    Pour the gin, lemon juice, and sugar syrup in a Collins glass with ice cubes. Stir thoroughly. Top with the club soda and garnish with the cherry and orange slice. Serve.

  • Booze of the Week: Gin

    Love it or hate it, people know what it is.  From the Gin Craze in England to Prohibition in the US, gin has made a place for itself in the history books.  This week we’ll explore gin and try to find a gin cocktail that the Drink Matron actually enjoys.