Mother's Milk or Blue Ruin, Dutch Courage or Cuckold's Comfort - the fanciful nicknames that gin has acquired only hint at its colourful story. The story begins with the aromatic juniper berry originally used by the Dutch to flavour the whisky-like genever. The drink then made its way to Britain, where cheap imitations laced with turpentine and other caustic fillers made it the drink of choice for poor eighteenth-century Londoners. Eventually replaced by the sweetened Old Tom style and then by London Dry, gin was introduced to the wider world by means of the British Empire, and during the Jazz Age became a mainstay of a new drinking culture: the cocktail. Today classic cocktails like the Gimlet and the Negroni are embraced by drinkers who enjoy a new breed of modern gins, and gin has reclaimed pride of place in the world of mixology. Gin: A Global History will attract both cocktail aficionados and lovers of food history as it chronicles gin's evolution from cheap liquor to modern alcoholic marvel.

About the Author
Lesley Jacobs Solmonson is a freelance writer and co-founder of the 12bottlebar.com cocktail blog. Her writings on food, wine and spirits have featured in Wine Enthusiast, Gourmet, Dining Out and C magazine.

Reviews
'The "Gin," volume seems particularly well-timed; the spirit is enjoying a US renaissance. Author Lesley Jacobs Solmonson brings us through gin's history at a blistering pace that manages to satisfy with plenty of drama and botanicals. Somerset Maugham, Dorothy Parker, The Dutch East India Company, and Robert Benchley ("I must get out of these wet clothes and into a dry martini.") all get their due.' - Boston Globe



Book Information
ISBN 9781861899248
Author Lesley Jacobs Solmonson
Format Hardback
Page Count 128
Imprint Reaktion Books
Publisher Reaktion Books