Gin: A Global History

(Hardback)

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Description

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. 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.

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

Author Bio

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.