TIME TO JOIN THE GIN CRAZE
Gin has come a long way since the 17th century, moving from being essentially British moonshine, synonymous with social failing and moral depravity, to acquiring National Treasure status – the booze equivalent of Judi Dench – beloved by everyone from hipster millennials to maiden aunts. There’s now pretty much a distillery for every day of the year in the UK, with gin sales worth more than £2.7bn. Fifty-four distilleries opened in 2018 alone – more than one a week – and we guzzled down 73 million bottles during the year.
In medieval times, the Dutch found distilled malt wine proved unpalatable so junipers were added for their health-giving properties (they were thought to aid headaches and soothe stomachs) – and so jenever became a medicinal staple. The British observed the beneficial effects on Dutch soldiers of a ‘swift one’ during the central European bloodbath that was the Thirty Years War (1618-48), and this is where the idea of Dutch courage comes from.
When William and Mary ascended the throne in 1689, there were incentives, for political and religious reasons, to encourage production and consumption of gin. These included a tax on foreign spirits (to hit
