It was mainly officers who were on gin and the rest of the ship would have been on rum, or brandy, depending on where they were setting sail from. That has carried on today to malaria tablets which are still, essentially, quinine in massive concentration. The Philosophy of Gin covers the historic transformation of the beverage, ideal flavour pairings for the gin connoisseur, and how a spirit once given a wide berth by the middle and upper classes now attracts such a large proportion of the British public to choose gin as their tipple of choice. I still think Schweppes is great and a lot of the supermarket home brands are fantastic as well, but they are all fructose syrup. Sipsmith® Lemon Drizzle® Gin, Sipsmith® Sloe Gin, Sipsmith® London Dry Gin and Sipsmith® VJOP® London Dry Gin, 29%-57.

Please note, all personalisation will appear exactly as provided and personalised books are non-refundable unless faulty. Let’s go on to your next book, The Book of Gin: A Spirited World History from Alchemists’ Stills and Colonial Outposts to Gin Palaces, Bathtub Gin, and Artisanal Cocktails (2011) by Richard Barnett . And—who knows—maybe that made their houses less attractive to rats and rodents that were carrying the plague at the time.It covers both distilling and cold compounding, providing advice on equipment and detailing step-by-step processes, whilst discussing a wide variety of gin production issues.

In this fascinating new instalment of the British Library’s pocket philosophies, gin is explored through its origins in Holland, where it was popularised by William of Orange; its roots in medicine; its capacity to provide an albeit destructive escapism during the Gin Craze; its influence on language – responsible for the coining of ‘dutch courage’; and its current status as a popular social beverage and a pastime for those keen to experiment with flavouring their own gins. Somerset Maugham, Dorothy Parker, The Dutch East India Company, and Robert Benchley (I must get out of these wet clothes and into a dry martini. The city of Oxford has been a popular location for fictional murders for nearly a century, the ancient university and its beautiful buildings also lending themselves to wonderful screen adaptations. It was an amazing time of discovery, not just of alcohol but the effects of alcohol in a pre-police society.It truly is a global history, focusing on the development of gin styles from sweet and malty to dry and crisp, along with relevant period illustrations giving the reader a broad sense of just how important gin has been in the world of spirits.