Canadian Gin Pills, 1926

…From the Hamilton Spectator (Hamilton, Ontario), 1926. Lots of Canadian content on Kitchen Retro this week, eh?

So did you think there was really GIN, as in the liquor, in these things? I did, when I first found the ad. Actually, they just had juniper in them, which is also a primary component of gin.

See here, to learn about how they were a famous remedy for kidney trouble in the 19th century in Canada. And as a bonus, they turned your urine green (probably due to methylene blue, which was often found in medicines of this era).

Let’s see your Pink Lady cocktail do that!

Bonus Recipe:

PINK LADY

2 parts Dry Gin
1 part Brandy
1 white of an Egg per cocktail
Grenadine to taste

[from Cocktails by "Jimmy" Late of Ciro's London, circa 1930]

Apparently Gin Pills had a following in other Commonwealth countries - see here for Gin Pills bottles from Tasmania.