Gin: An Illustrated History by Tina Brown
Not to be mistaken with former Tatler and Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown, this Tina Brown runs guided ghost tours of Hastings and evening classes on everything from the history of gin to tattoos.
One of her favourite topics is Mother’s Ruin, and this potted history charts gins origins from the bubonic plague in the 13th century, when it was used as a medical aid, through to the emergence of sloe gin in the 17th century, how “dazzling” gin palaces rivalled pubs in the early 1800s, and the rise of Bathtub gin in the early 20th century.
With the current gin craze showing no sign of slowing, this fact-filled tome takes readers on a behind the scenes journey spanning hundreds of years, bringing the story of this much-loved spirit up to date.
Brown also profiles a number of the most significant gin distillers to have emerged over the last decade in the UK, including Silent Pool in Albury, Sacred in Highgate, Devon’s Salcombe Gin, Conker Gin from Dorset, Forest Gin from Macclesfield and Sipsmith in Chiswick.
