context1: The British Conquest of 1760, confirmed by the cession of 1763, brought along all kinds of changes in the habits of Quebecers. Great Britain's protectionist trade policy, limiting exchanges within the British Empire, favoured the importation of <strong>alcohols</strong> from England (whisky, <strong>gin</strong>) and Antilles (rum), and discouraged all the artisanal productions of the inhabitants. Only beer, produced by industrialists from Great Britain (or of British origin), will expand significantly in the 19th century.
context2: Reflux stills incorporate a fractionating column, commonly created by filling copper vessels with glass beads to maximize available surface area. As <strong>alcohol</strong> boils, condenses, and reboils through the column, the effective number of distillations greatly increases. Vodka and <strong>Gin</strong> and other neutral grain spirits are distilled by this method, then diluted to concentrations appropriate for human consumption.