Gin Spirit Barrel

around 1880

A few hundred years back, British tavern owners could only buy alcohol in large wooden barrels or jugs. Not very easy to pour a drink out of. For easier handling, barkeeps transferred spirits into smaller ceramic containers called spirit barrels. Spirit barrels lined the shelves behind the bar. The size of a barrel ranged from one to three gallons (about 4 to 12 litres). Lots of drinking meant many trips down to the cellar for refills. Spirit barrels came with a label and a spigot for easy pouring. They also added a little decoration to an otherwise dreary tavern. Animals, birds, coat of arms, knights, and flowers were popular spirit barrel images. Staffordshire, once the centre of ceramic production in England, was the home of spirit barrel manufacturing.

A transfer print scene of three wild carp swimming between water lilies, eight gilt bands and the word GIN in gold lettering decorate the porcelain spirit barrel.