With Mother’s Day fast approaching, you may be on the hunt for an original gift to show your mum just how much you appreciate her. Flowers will fade and chocolates rarely last long, so why not invest in a decent bottle of gin for her this year?
Admittedly mums and gin haven’t always had the best press. The spirit was nicknamed ‘mother’s ruin’ back in the 18th century, when cheap gins became widely available in England. They sparked a gin-drinking craze among the poorer population, and gin was consequently blamed for all kinds of social ills. It took an act of parliament in 1751 to regulate gin sales and bring the situation back under control.
Fast-forward to the present day and the current gin craze is an altogether more sophisticated affair. It has been driven by several factors, but was kick-started by a change in legislation in 2008 to allow production of craft gins in small distilleries.
The increased popularity of cocktail culture, as well as a renewed interest in the provenance of drinks and shopping local have also played a part. With small distilleries springing up everywhere, gin fans can buy local and also learn about regional ingredients used by distillers.
Beautiful…
