Yesterday I stumbled upon a most intriguing find at my local apothecary: Juniper Green Organic Gin, “The world’s first organic London Dry Gin”. It’s quite yummy, and very good for you. In fact, I recommend drinking a tall glass of organic gin every day.
Now my quest for organic tonic begins.
Wikipedia has an interesting story about gin:
Gin became very popular in England after the government created a market for poor quality grain that was unfit to be used in brewing beer by allowing unlicensed gin production and at the same time imposing a heavy duty on all imported spirits. Thousands of gin-shops sprang up all over England. By 1740 the production of gin had increased to six times that of beer and because of its cheapness it became extremely popular with the poor. Of the 15,000 drinking establishments in London over half were gin-shops. Beer maintained a healthy reputation as it was often safer to drink the brewed ale than unclean plain water, but gin was blamed for various social and medical problems, and may have been a factor in the high death rate that caused London’s previously increasing population to remain stable. The Gin Act 1736 imposed high taxes on retailers but led to riots in the streets.
18th century London sounds like a crazy place. Chances are if you lived there around that time, you were probably soaked in gin or beer almost all the time.
A little learning is a dangerous thing;
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring:
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely sobers us again.
- Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
You can bet Pope was totally wasted when he wrote that.
Rollin down the street, smokin indo, sippin on gin and juice
Laid back with my mind on my money and my money on my mind
- Snoop Dogg (1971-)
Snoop didn’t live in 18th century London. But he is from the LBC, which stands for the London Buddhist Centre.
And everyone knows, Buddhists love their gin.
tags: alexander pope, drinking, gin, london, organic, poetry, snoop dogg
posted: 11:28 pm
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