Gin: A Short History

(Hardback)

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Description

Gin is a drink deeply rooted in British culture. From Dutch Courage to Gin Soaked our language is full of expressions which reflect our gin drinking heritage. Consumed straight or as part of a mixed drink such as gin and tonic, martini or Pimms, gin has been a part of British drinking culture for over 400 years. First consumed in Britain after importation from the Netherlands in the seventeenth century, Britain was gripped by the Gin Craze in the early eighteenth century, when the drink was dubbed mothers ruin. In the nineteenth century gin became more respectable as advances in distilling led to a drink of higher quality and improved flavour, which was consumed in lavish gin palaces highly decorative public houses of the Victorian and Edwardian era. In recent years a twenty-first century renaissance in gin drinking and craft gin production has led to the drink once again rising high in our national conscience. This book explores the processes involved in manufacturing gin, the history of its production and consumption as well as modern methods of distilling and drinking the spirit.

Reviews

This book is crammed full of fascinating information about gin... and reveals your favourite spirit to be a drink with more of a colourful and exciting past than you could ever imagine. * The Scottish Gin Society *
A great introduction to gin and its past. [...] Moses Jenkins reaches out to the reader [...] with a clarity that makes the book approachable and interesting in equal measure. * Gin Magazine *

Author Bio

Moses Jenkins is Senior Technical Officer at Historic Environment Scotland, and gained his PhD in 2016. He has written various technical guidance notes on subjects including brickwork and energy efficiency and contributes a regular column to the Victorian magazine.