bathtub gin 23 by Editorial Zone
Published Date: 15/09/07
Bathtub Gin
Ever since it was invented, the world has had a love hate relationship with alcohol. It stirs strong emotions and causes conflict. The prohibition era of the United States, which ran from 1920-1933, was not met with universal approval. Illegal stills sprang up in homes and backwoods across the land. Police forces raided the speakeasies where it was sold. The moonshine, or hooch as it was sometimes known, was in big demand on the black market. Illegal whisky was big business and gin was popular too. Large receptacles were used to mix the brew and that's how the term, bathtub gin evolved.
Bathtubs were the perfect size and shape for the mixing. The recipes varied but always involved large quantities of cheap grain alcohol. The gin concoction was flavored with such ingredients as juniper berries. This was a low standard of alcohol and flavoring was needed to disguise the poor taste! People were desperate enough to drink it. Even today, there are recipes for bathtub gin posted on the Internet and there is a nostalgia industry. It's possible to buy a working replica of the still, in the design used during prohibition.
This homemade gin, as with any alcoholic preparation, can be dangerous and even fatal if improperly prepared. Denatured alcohol must be used and the ethyl alcohol recovered. If the poisons are not taken out and the liquid purified, it will cause great harm. The gin is then diluted and bottled. No less than 75 known recipes exist for bathtub gin.
The history of gin is interesting. It was first made in Holland and then traveled to Britain and the US. Early varieties were mixed with wine. There was so much concern about the amount of gin drunk in Britain in the 19th century amongst the poor classes; it was dubbed mother's ruin. There was a great deal of drunkenness in the pubs and streets with both men and women affected. Later, it became a respectable drink with the higher class, especially when mixed with tonic. English people sent to the tropical outposts of empire, such as Singapore would genteelly sip their gin and tonics to ward off malaria. This is because the tonic water contains quinine, an effective antidote to the disease.
Whether legal or otherwise and for medicinal or simple social pleasure, gin is here to stay. It would probably be unwise to experiment with bathtub gin unless one really knows what one is doing. It will no doubt taste better too, if a good branded gin were bought from the store.
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