The 250th anniversary of London’s Gin Riots

Today marks the 250th anniversary of one of London’s most destructive riots, and it all started over an attempt to stop people drinking gin.
This was the era of the so-called Gin Craze, when the consumption of gin jumped manifold in the UK, and especially in London.
The origins of the Gin Craze can be dated to the abolition of the monopoly held by the London Guild of Distillers, and then the relaxation of licensing, so that even small kitchens could produce gin legally.
So popular was the