London Gin Craze Had Roots in Nascent Consumer Society
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Sept. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Gin has always been big business inEngland. In the 18th century, as London’s infamous “Gin Craze”unfolded, the spirit was at the center of a debate that helpeddefine the country’s politics and economics -- and created acommercial demand that persists to this day.
The privileged of the 1700s sipped genever, the “originalgin” imported from Holland. Desperate to keep up with theirbetters, the lower classes demanded a gin of their own. As aresult, from 1720 to 1751, a storm of unrest swirled around theproduction, distribution and sale of rotgut booze.