We go to back to the mid 1500’s and we see a man studying late into the night by candlelight. He is working on developing a medicine that will cleanse a person’s body from toxins. His name is Dr Franciscus Sylvius de la Boe, and he is a highly respected Dutch doctor. He did succeed and it is a liquor that we call Gin. It is basically Vodka infused with Juniper Berries for taste.
As I understand Vodka is a neutral spirit, nearly pure alcohol, (96%,) and basically no taste. Juniper Berries are the product of an evergreen tree, and they have got to be bitter. Some types of Gin are Schnapps distilled with Juniper Berries. Allow me to tell you more than I know about liquor. Everything rots. You pile leaves and grass and eventually you will have beautiful fertile compost. In the case of hard cider or wine the sugars turn into alcohol. Sometimes the process is speeded by using yeast. I knew a man that made wine nearly every day of his life out of every fruit or vegetable conceivable. Honey turns into a wine called Mead.
In the case of hard liquor, a mash made out of grain is mixed with water and after the fermenting process is distilled. As a lad I had a flock of ducks, and they could not eat dry feed, so I would mix the mash with water making a slurry which they could eat easily. If for some reason it wasn’t all eaten, by the next day it would decay and smell terrible and had to be discarded.
Hard liquors are distilled to 96% alcohol, then reduced by water to 40 or 50%. (80 & 100 proof.) At that time some were reduced by turpentine and sulfuric acid. Some have flavor, like with Gin and Juniper Berries. In the mid 1700s Gin was the drink of choice by the poor living in London. London was rife with crime, prostitution, and they had decreasing childbirth. Many made their own. Grain was cheap, hence the term bathtub gin. There was a tax of 20 shillings per gallon on any imported liquor. Gin was called Mother’s Ruin.
When I was in high school I had a buddy that I hunted rabbits with. He lived out in the country with his mother,and as I look back I wonder if they had any income at all.They’re drink of choice was Mogen David wine which they bought by the gallon jug. It was almost cheaper than grape juice. In 1736 England passed a tax on Gin which led to riots, called The Gin Craze. Kind of reminds you of the Baldwin sisters on The Waltons. They were famous for “The Recipe.”
In Master Gardeners we had a gentleman that was an expert on wine and beer. He was what you might call rotund. Each fall he would take a tour of 10 wineries in southern Indiana and Kentucky. We also had an expert on bats that traveled the world looking for bats. I believe he found one species with a 3-ft wingspan but don’t quote me on that.
I remember reading a book when I was a lad about Billy Sunday, and his battle against liquor in Chicago. He would visit saloons and preach against the problems caused by liquor. I don’t remember the probition area but we have all heard stories about illegal stills, and the rum runners in our country. There are at least 1,000 different kinds of rum and probably more than that of whiskey, and they ain’t cheap. But when you buy it you must get the correct brand.
Dr. Sylvius was somewhat successful because juniper berries do have disinfectant and healing properties. In the 1800’s the British invaded India, and their soldiers drank gin to protect against Malaria. Does anyone remember using turpentine as a disinfectant on wounds? If you wish to become an expert on gin I would suggest that you join the World Gin Club.
PS. I have tried many herbal medicines, talked to Jan at the Health Food Shoppe and have never had a great deal of success using herbs. Golden raisins soaked in gin are supposed to be good for arthritis. If you have had success over an extended period of time let me know.
—James Neuhouser
