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DRINKS FEATURES
FEATURED SPIRIT
TANQUERAY GIN
The history of gin stretches back to the early 17th Century when British soldiers were given the spirit as ‘Dutch Courage’ to help them through the long campaign, and then brought the gin home with them. Distillation soon began in London, and by 1730 the city swarmed with drunkenness from morning till night as 7,000 bars, shops and private houses sold the spirit. The drink was so popular that the average adult consumed 14 gallons of it every year!
Most of the gin produced was initially of very poor quality from small back street distilleries, until the Gin Act was introduced in 1742 to clean up the industry, and more respectable firms got in on the act. One of these was Charles Tanqueray’s distillery, set up in Bloomsbury in 1830 – just a few yards from where AKA is now. Tanquery’s popularity grew and the drink was exported around the world to the British colonies.
The gin and tonic was invented around this time, but it originally had a medicinal purpose – some may claim it still does! British soldiers were given a daily ration of tonic water to supposedly help combat malaria, and to make it more palatable they mixed it with their gin rations, accidentally giving birth to one of the world’s most famous drinks.
Ironically, Tanqueray sales in the U.S really took off during the prohibition years of 1919-1933 when the growth of cocktail culture meant the brand became synonymous with the Martini. During the 1950’s & 1960’s the brand continued its popularity, boosted by the fact that it was the drink of choice for Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack.
Tanqueray has been made to the same high quality recipe since its creation in 1830, and is quadruple distilled to remove impurities and create a very smooth tasting spirit. In AKA, if you ask for a Gin & Tonic, Tanqueray is what we pour. We highly recommend it. |
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