By 1743, England was drinking 2.2 gallons (10 litres) of gin per person per year. As consumption levels increased, an organised campaign for more effective legislation began to emerge, led by the Bishop of Sodor and Man, Thomas Wilson (who, in 1736, had complained that gin produced a 'drunken ungovernable set of people'). Prominent anti-gin campaigners included Henry Fielding (whose 1751 'Enquiry into the Late Increase in Robbers' blamed gin consumption for both increased crime and increased ill health among children), Josiah Tucker, Daniel Defoe (who had originally campaigned for the liberalisation of distilling, but later complained that drunken mothers were threatening to produce a 'fine spindle-shanked generation' of children), and – briefly – William Hogarth. Hogarth's engraving Gin Lane is a well known image of the gin craze, and is often paired with "Beer Street", creating a contrast between the miserable lives of gin drinkers and the healthy and enjoyable lives of beer drinkers.[4]
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Gin has always been high proof. I would be skeptical of a gin that clocks in at less than 45 percent alcohol by volume (or 90 proof). In fact, by 19th-century standards, even the British gins of today would seem tame. So it’s no surprise that, as part of the larger trend of cask-strength whiskeys or overproof rums, we are seeing a renaissance of old-style, higher-alcohol, “navy-strength” gins.
Navy-strength gins must be 57 percent alcohol, or 114 proof, the same requirement that the Royal British Navy had for gins beginning in the early 1800s. The reason given back then was: Gunpowder could still be fired if 114 proof gin was accidentally spilled on it. This was the same era when the gimlet was invented by a Royal Navy doctor named Sir Thomas Desmond Gimlette so sailors could mix gin with their daily lime ration to prevent scurvy. Yes, this is all a true story.
A handful of navy-strength gins are available locally, including two from the U.K., which I highly recommend: Plymouth Navy Strength Gin ($38) and Hayman’s Royal Dock of Deptford ($26). There are two gins by American distillers, Perry’s Tot by New York Distilling ($32) and Leopold Brothers ($45), that are also well made. A word of caution: These spirits are for people who really love gin.
Local bartenders have embraced navy-strength gins, especially Hayman’s Royal Dock. “I love them,” says Derek Brown, who with his brother Tom co-owns the Passenger, Columbia Room and the new Hogo. “They lend weight and intensity to gin drinks. Sometimes London dry gins at regular proof can seem light and summery.”
Navy-strength gins must be 57 percent alcohol, or 114 proof, the same requirement that the Royal British Navy had for gins beginning in the early 1800s. The reason given back then was: Gunpowder could still be fired if 114 proof gin was accidentally spilled on it. This was the same era when the gimlet was invented by a Royal Navy doctor named Sir Thomas Desmond Gimlette so sailors could mix gin with their daily lime ration to prevent scurvy. Yes, this is all a true story.
Man, being in the British Navy in the 1800's sounds like a helluva time!
