I reviewed the beautiful hardback of Rebellious Spirits in 2016 and you can read my review here. I'm absolutely over the moon to open the paperback blog tour with an extract on how to make your own bootleg gin and a fabulous giveaway (UK only) to win your own copy of this excellent book. I'd love to have a go at distilling my own alcohol although 20 gallons (just shy of an eye-watering 91 litres!!!) is a bit too much for me so I think I'll stick to the pre-bottled version of mother's ruin.
Bootleg Gin Extract – taken from Rebellious Spirits by Ruth Ball
With illegal gin sold
from under a stranger’s skirt, you couldn’t be sure what you were
getting. Gins had fancy names like White Satin, Blue Ruin, Cuckold’s
Delight, King Theodore of Corsica, Flashes of Lightning or The
Cure for the Blue Devils, but they were usually more turpentine than
juniper. Even the less dodgy recipes for gin – those involving real
juniper – were full of toxic ingredients. They were used in all
kinds of food and drink at the time because their toxic properties
just weren’t known. It wouldn’t be safe to try a truly authentic
recipe for bootleg gin, but I have managed to put together a cocktail
that should give you some idea of the taste without any of the nasty
side effects.
BOOTLEG
GIN: THE ORIGINAL
For twenty gallons
of gin
Seventeen gallons of
spirits one to five under proof. Take one penny-weight and three
quarters of the oil of vitriol, one penny-weight and three quarters
of the oil of almonds, half a penny-weight of the oil of turpentine,
two penny-weights of the oil of juniper berries, mixed with lump
sugar and spirits of wine, as before; add to it one pint of
lime-water, and one pint of rose-water; use the whole. After you
dissolve five pounds of lump sugar, in two gallons and a half of
water that was boiled, as before directed, fine it down with the
proportioned quantity of allum and salt of tartar.
P. Boyle, The
Publican and Spirit Dealer’s Daily Companion (Sixth Edition,
c. 1800)
THE
ALCHEMIST’S VERSION
1 part vodka
½ part retsina
¼ part amaretto
¼ part neat sugar syrup
⅛ part rosewater
½ part water
1–2 drops of juniper oil
Simply mix and
serve. But how? With tonic? While this gin would be really lovely
with tonic, that wouldn’t be authentic. Tonic wouldn’t be
introduced to Britain for more than another hundred years; so while
you could drink it with tonic, it would be a little like going to a
re-enactment wearing a digital watch. Chilled or with ice? Although
this gin would also be excellent shaken over ice with a splash of
vermouth and served in a well-chilled Martini glass, historical
authenticity will not allow.
Drink it the
authentic way. Just add a little water and drink at room/street
temperature. If possible, try to throw some mud at an MP, or anyone
who looks like they might be rich or important, at the same time.
That’s the eighteenth-century way!
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If you like the sound of this book (and who wouldn't?), you can click HERE to buy a copy from Amazon or enter my giveaway to be in with the chance of winning a copy - you've got to be in it to win it!
GIVEAWAY
Win a paperback copy of Rebellious Spirits by Ruth Ball courtesy of Elliott & Thompson. The giveaway is open to entrants in the UK only and is open for 3 days from 19th April 2018 to midnight on 21st April 2018. One winner will be chosen at random and contacted via email on 22nd April 2018. If the prize is not claimed within 48 hours, another winner will be chosen. GOOD LUCK!
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