“Mr. Barnett’s research if fairly astonishing. With every few turns of the page, he conjures up obscure primary sources to illustrate gin’s genealogy. Drawing from acts of Parliament, temperance tracts, Gordon’s Gin advertisements and Hollywood films, Mr. Barnett punctuates his tale with the language and imagery of the many eras of gin’s history.” —L. Kenna, The Washington Times
“How can you not want to indulge in gin—both the drink and this book—for as author Richard Barnett points out, gin is ‘a seemingly inexhaustible vehicle for myth-making and story-telling’ . . . From medieval alchemy to London’s notorious Gin Lane to glamorous Hollywood cocktail parties, our most able raconteur Barnett provides insight into how gin became an unabashed icon and serves as a metaphor for Western culture.” —Peter Krass, author of Blood & Whiskey: The Life and Times of Jack Daniel’s
“His expertise and passion for the subject is immediately gin-clear. . . . an intoxicating blend of history and entertainment that is sure to stimulate drinkers and teetotalers alike.” —Publishers Weekly
“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.” —Keir Graff, Booklist
“Few drinks have haunted society as starkly as gin . . . In The Book of Gin, Richard Barnett artfully charts the aromatic distillate’s unlikely path from medicine to public menace, blending references as varied as the Archidoxa of Paracelsus and . . . Mad Men to create a nuanced portrait of the drink and its impact on humanity. The titular subject of Barnett’s book may be a distillate, but gin owes its life to the men and women who produced, promoted, consumed and condemned it, from William III to James Bond. The most lyrical of their names and stories . . . pepper Barnett’s story like bursts of poetry.” —Evan Rail, The Times Literary Supplement
“The Book of Gin is full of history that will make you grin. . . . an enchanting read.” —Cooking by the Book
“Mr. Barnett takes the reader on a historic journey from the City States of Italy at the end of the Dark Ages to the gin fueled dance floors of the Stork Club and El Morocco in New York City. We get a peek into the gin revival among growing artisan distillers movement in the new millennium. If you love a classic gin martini pour yourself one and tuck into this fascinating story . . . Oh, and make sure the gin bottle is full.” —Dale Degroff
“From the very beginnings of genever production, Barnett takes us on a colourful journey through gin’s history and its intersection with culture: from the contention in 1310 that spirits might contain the essence of sunshine; distilled by vines into their fruits, through wars, world exploration, and global trade, to the Dutch Golden Age and the Roaring Twenties, to its current renaissance in the cocktail world. . . . The urban, gritty tales are as entertaining as they are informative, involving intriguing characters and delving into the works of Daniel Defoe, William Hogarth, Charles Dickens and—of course—Ian Fleming’s James Bond. It’s rare that a book so catches our attention at Class, but this is a must-read for those who loves gin: it’s not just a geeky companion for nerds, but a truly enjoyable history for anyone who likes to end the working day with a G&T.” —Jonathan Cowley, Class Magazine
Grove Press
