11 Must-Read Books On Gin
There’s something for everyone, from the historian to the home mixologist.
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“This informative and accessible popular history should appeal to those with a taste for 18th-century English history as well to those interested in histories of mind-altering substances”
—Publishers Weekly
Dr. Jessica Warner looks at the impact of "mother gin" from personal, political, and sexual perspectives. She draws on hundreds of primary sources, from Defoe to Dr. Johnson, guiding us through squalid back rooms, streets thronged with hawkers, raging mobs, and the halls of Parliament. The result is a timely, irreverent, utterly engrossing look at a city and a drug — and a drug scare — that helped shape our contemporary views of pleasure, consumption, and public morality.
Warner, Jessica. Craze: Gin and Debauchery in an Age of Reason. Basic Books; 1st edition, September 18, 2002.
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“With its manic tempo, Dillon’s prose embodies the relentless energy of the time… the city’s infinite variety is also successfully invoked. He has, too, a gift for simplifying complex issues.”
—Daily Telegraph
This is the story of the rise and fall of ‘Madam Geneva’. Gin-drinkers and sellers, politicians and distillers all add their voices to Patrick Dillon’s vivid account of London’s first drug craze, and the ultimately successful attempts to control it.
Dillon, Patrick. Gin: The Much Lamented Death of Madam Geneva. Thistle Publishing, August 8, 2013
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“This is a fascinating little book crammed with intriguing facts and topped off with cocktail recipes with names like ‘corpse reviver.’ It makes a person very thirsty . . . for knowledge, of course.”
—Daily Telegraph
Taking us back to gin’s origins as a medicine derived from the aromatic juniper berry, Solmonson describes how the Dutch recognized the berry’s alcoholic possibilities and distilled it into the whiskey-like genever. She then follows the drink 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 later by London Dry gin, its popularity spread along with the British Empire. As people today once again embrace classic cocktails like the gimlet and the negroni, gin has reclaimed its place in the world of mixology.
Solmonson, Leslie Jacobs. Gin: A Global History. Reaktion Books; Illustrated edition, May 15, 2012.
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"An absorbing popular history of one of history’s most popular drinks. … A well-balanced blend of popular history and scholarship, written in a style as dry and bracing as its subject."
—Booklist
Wide-ranging, impeccably researched, and packed with illuminating stories, The Book of Gin is lively and fascinating, an indispensable history of a complex and notorious drink.
Barnett, Richard. The Book of Gin: A Spirited History from Alchemists' Stills and Colonial Outposts to Gin Palaces, Bathtub Gin, and Artisanal Cocktails. Grove Press, December 4, 2012.
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“An innovative, captivating tour of the finest gins and distilleries the world has to offeR,”
The Curious Bartender’s Gin Palace is the follow-up to master mixologist Tristan Stephenson’s hugely successful books, 'The Curious Bartender' and 'The Curious Bartender: An Odyssey of Malt, Bourbon & Rye Whiskies'.In this book, you’ll be at the cutting-edge of the most exciting developments, uncovering the alchemy of the gin production process and the science of flavour before taking a tour through the most exciting distilleries and gins the world has to offer. Finally, put Tristan’s mixology skills into practice with a dozen spectacular cocktails including a Purl, a Rickey and a Fruit Cup.
Stephenson, Tristan. The Curious Bartender's Gin Palace. Ryland Peters & Small; Illustrated edition, May 12, 2016.
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“A book that makes familiar drinks seem new again . . . Through this horticultural lens, a mixed drink becomes a cornucopia of plants.”
—NPR's Morning Edition
In The Drunken Botanist, Amy Stewart explores the dizzying array of herbs, flowers, trees, fruits, and fungi that humans have, through ingenuity, inspiration, and sheer desperation, contrived to transform into alcohol over the centuries. Of all the extraordinary and obscure plants that have been fermented and distilled, a few are dangerous, some are downright bizarre, and one is as ancient as dinosaurs—but each represents a unique cultural contribution to our global drinking traditions and our history. This fascinating concoction of biology, chemistry, history, etymology, and mixology—with more than fifty drink recipes and growing tips for gardeners—will make you the most popular guest at any cocktail party.
Stewart, Amy. The Drunken Botanist. Algonquin Books; 1st edition, March 19, 2013
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“Garnished with sumptuous illustrations of the plants that tell the story of this complex drink, this enticing book delves into the botany of gin from root to branch.”
With this volume, Chris Thorogood and Simon Hiscock provide an account of how gin has been developed and produced. A diverse assortment of aromatic plants from around the world have been used in the production of gin over the course of several centuries, and each combination of botanicals yields a unique flavor profile that equates to more than the sum of its parts. Understanding the different types of formulation, and the main groups of plants used therein, is central to appreciating the drink’s complexities and subtleties.
Thorogood, Chris and Hiscock, Simon. The Botany of Gin. Bodleian Library, University of Oxford; New edition, November 29, 2020.
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“The most comprehensive guide to teaching oneself how to make cocktails at home.”
—The Telegraph
This edition contains 2,000 easy to follow cocktail recipes. The instructions are simple, the list of ingredients is clear, the correct glass and garnish is stipulated -- and each recipe is accompanied by a colour photograph to show how the finished drink should look. Besides the recipes, the publication includes detailed instructions for beginners, as well as tips for professionals.
Difford, Simon. diffordsguide to Cocktails: Volume 6. Sauce Guides Limited; Updated edition, July 15, 2007.
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"Comprehensive…will enhance your gin appreciation"
—The New York Times
The Gin Dictionary is the gin-drinker's guide to this special spirit. With hundreds of entries covering everything from history, ingredients and distilling techniques to flavour notes, cocktails and the many varieties of gin around the world, award-winning gin expert David T. Smith explores the key factors behind your drink.
Smith, David T. The Gin Dictionary. Mitchell Beazley, April 5, 2018.
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“You could not write a more sophisticated book or pack more detail onto each page...it is rocket science impressive.”-
—Huffington Post
The body of the book covers 120 gins which Dave has tested four ways - with tonic, with lemonade, in a negroni and in a martini - and then scored. In addition, each gin is categorized according to an ingenious flavor camp system, which highlights its core properties and allows you to understand how you can best drink it, and therefore enjoy it.
Broom, Dave. Gin: The Manual. Mitchell Beazley; First Edition, October 6, 2015.
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“The perfect accompaniment to the booming ‘ginterest,’ this new edition includes a section on foodpairing (with new recipes!) with gin, and an overview of the most famous gin bars across the globe.”
This beautifully compiled book is an essential guide for gin lovers in search of their own original take on this wonderfully complex drink. Richly illustrated, it covers the history of gin, the gin families with their distinct characteristics and distilled flavours, and the exciting, more recent developments in the marketing, the bottling and packaging of gin which is increasingly quirky, artistic and original. There is an overview of some of the smartest places to drink and discover a world of gin; hip and very cool.
Du Bois, Frédérique. Gin & Tonic: The Complete Guide for the Perfect Mix. Lannoo Publishers; 2nd Revised ed. edition, November 17, 2015.
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