Once outlawed as “mother’s ruin,” gin is back in fashion — thanks to the lifting of a 200-year-old law. From an ornate drinks room overlooking the River Shannon, spirits expert Cathal Quinn is in full flow telling the story of the drinks craze gripping Ireland. “They say you eat with your eyes,” he declares, carefully filling a large goblet with ice, deliciously scented Mediterranean tonic, raspberries and a strong measure of gin. My mouth is watering, and I’ve never tasted gin before. “But you drink with your eyes too.” Quinn organizes gin tastings and a gin cruise master class on Lough Derg from the picturesque village of Ballina in County Tipperary. On this cool summer evening, he’s giving us a rundown of the history behind this once-berated spirit, known as “mother’s ruin” and the “demon drink” in Britain during the early 1700s for the destruction it wrought on households. | 
