Gin. Fit for the Queen and on the cusp of a craze?

In the wake of Queen Elizabeth's death, Kelowna10 is dipping into the archive to share some past stories about the monarch.

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British history is unfolding as Queen Elizabeth marks her Platinum Jubilee, celebrating 70 years on the throne.

What better way to celebrate across the pond than with one of Her Majesty’s favorite drinks, which is also rich with British history: gin.

“It’s one of those things that, when people ask me if I like the gin, it’s like, ‘of course. I’m British, of course I like gin,’” Michael Sculfor, tasting room manager at Forbidden Spirits, told Kelowna10.

Originally from Essex, he lived and worked in London before moving to Canada with his wife three years ago.

Sculfor said, growing up, the old gin bars would be barren of patrons, with just a handful of drinkers and “their dog.”

But gin’s rise and fall has always been a part of the liquor’s history.

Originally made as a medicinal drink called ‘Genever’ by the Dutch in the 16th century, British soldiers who joined them in battle against the French brought it home. It exploded in popularity with as many as one in three public houses being gin distilleries.

But as the juniper juices flowed, reports at that time say the public eventually turned on gin, blaming it for rising crime and death rates. Low birth rates were also chalked up to gin overconsumption, as the liquor was popular at a time when women could drink alongside men at the pubs for the first time.

Amid legislation to curb its production, rumour also spread that it would lead to neglectful mothers and so it was given the nickname ‘mother’s ruin.’

Sculfor said that nickname persist even to this day.

But perhaps another ‘gin craze’ is on the horizon, as Sculfor has noticed its rising popularity in bars before moving to Canada.

“My wife took me to [a gin bar] and it was a queue around the door,” he said. “They would give you a flight of like five or six different gins. Each would have its own specific tonic or mix and its own garnish as well.”

He thinks the same enthusiasm for gin may come to Kelowna, as he’s noticed more gin specific distilleries pop up.

Forbidden Spirits has been in operation since 2019. Its gin is unique because instead of using grain as a main ingredient, it uses apples grown in an orchard adjacent to the tasting room.

Sculfor still has relatives in the U.K., who got to enjoy a national holiday in honour of the Queen.

He got to experience the Golden Jubilee, with parades down the Thames, Parliament Square, and street parties all over London.

Her Majesty herself is known to enjoy a gin and tonic as one of her favorite drinks and Sculfor thinks gin sales will do quite well this weekend.

“If the sun’s shining, then there’ll be a lot of gin and tonics being sold on that Jubilee Day for sure,” he said. “I mean, you can’t beat a gin and tonic in the summer, right?”