cover image The Book of Gin: 
A Spirited History from Alchemists’ Stills and Colonial Outposts to Gin Palaces, Bathtub Gin, and Artisanal Cocktails

The Book of Gin: A Spirited History from Alchemists’ Stills and Colonial Outposts to Gin Palaces, Bathtub Gin, and Artisanal Cocktails

Richard Barnett. Grove, $24 (288p) ISBN 978-0-8021-2043-4

In the book’s prologue, Barnett captures the essence of his work in one line: “Gin’s proverbial clarity, like a prism of clear glass, refracts a rainbow of historical color.” Not only does this sentence portend the chronological account of “this liquid fire” to come but also gives a glimpse of Barnett’s incisive thought process and distinguished prose. The author of Medical London: City of Diseases, City of Cures, Barnett begins with distilled alcohol’s and juniper oil’s early incarnations as intoxicants and elixirs, and his expertise and passion for the subject is immediately gin-clear. At times, Barnett’s research is so thorough that when he outlines London’s 18th century “gin craze” that led to a host of parliamentary Gin Acts, the reader gets a little drunk of information. But as Barnett explores gin’s role in the creation of the cocktail, and the tale shifts to America, where gin’s bootlegging and pop culture connections are exposed, his story becomes an intoxicating blend of history and entertainment that is sure to stimulate drinkers and teetotalers alike. (Dec.)