Plymouth Gin - Historical Background

Historical Background

Blackfriars Distillery Blackfriars Distillery (Devon)

Gin, originally being a relatively cheap alcoholic beverage, was bought by the poor and caused considerable social problems, illustrated and satirised by the engraving 'Gin Lane' by Hogarth in 1751. The global deployment of the British Royal Navy led to the renown and wide consumption of the product. In British India, it was mixed with the tonic water consumed for the anti-malarial properties of quinine, which lead to the creation of the Gin and Tonic.

Plymouth Gin was very popular in the first part of the 20th century. 23 gin based cocktail recipes in the Savoy book of cocktails name Plymouth Gin specifically. It was a tradition in the Royal Navy that all newly commissioned vessels receive a "Plymouth Gin Commissioning kit", a wooden box containing two bottles of navy strength Plymouth gin and glassware.