"We're in the middle of a new gin craze," claims Ian Buxton, the author of a new book due out in August, 101 Gins to Try Before You Die.
The title would have had a certain irony for those caught in the first gin craze that swept through London in the early 18th century. Back then gin was the fastest, cheapest ticket to oblivion, promoted by the bar owner in Hogarth's satirical print Gin Lane, with the sign: "Drunk for a penny. Dead drunk for two pence."
The spirit has certainly reinvented itself a few times. Dragged from the gutter, gin rose through the sophistication of Victorian gin palaces and 1920s cocktail culture, only to slump into genteel, post-war decline as "the Nigel Farage of drinks", to quote Buxton. Drowned out by vodka, the gin and tonic became irredeemably suburban and suffered the same fate as sherry.
While the resurrection of sherry is still a work in progress, the recent explosion of new brands confirms gin is back. When Gordon's signalled its lack of faith in gin's future in 1992 by diluting its strength to 37.5%, Buxton's book would have been slim indeed (Five Gins to Guzzle Before You Go would have been a measly stocking-filler). Today he reckons there are more than 500.
He credits the resurgence to Bombay Sapphire and Hendrick's. "They tore up the rule book and proved to the rest of the industry you can sell premium gin to a younger audience. There was also the growing interest in artisan craft spirits and the fact bartenders had grown bored of vodka and started to remember the classic cocktails which were based on gin."
Added to which, gin is quick to make. You simply create a recipe of botanicals led by juniper, followed by dried citrus peel, cardamom, coriander, nutmeg and the like, and then macerate them in neutral spirit in a slow, second distillation. You could sell it in three days unlike the minimum three years for whisky, and as a result many of Scotland's new craft distillers are trying to build their name with gin before venturing into scotch.
Hendrick's, the inspiration for so many boutique gins, is made in Girvan although you would never know since the branding is all about Edwardian whimsy. Buxton believes provenance will become increasingly important to gin drinkers. If true, it will benefit Glasgow's new Makar gin and Alex Nichol's Edinburgh Gin.
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