A Dark History of Gin

A Dark History of Gin written by Mike Rendell and published by Pen &

Sword Books - £20 - Hardback - Pages 208

A Dark History of Gin looks at the origins and development of a drink which seems 

to have a universal and timeless appeal. Historian Mike Rendell explores the origins 

of distilling in the ancient world and considers the how, when, where and why of the 

‘happy marriage’ between distilled spirits and berries from the juniper bush. The book 

traces the link between gin and the Low Countries (Holland and Belgium) and looks at 

how the drink was brought across to England when the Dutch-born William of Orange 

became king.

From the tragic era of the gin craze in eighteenth-century London, through to the emergence of ‘the cocktail’, the book follows the story of gin across the Atlantic to America and the emergence of the mixologist. It also follows the growth of the Temperance Movement and the origins of the Prohibition, before looking at the period between the First and Second World Wars – the cocktail age. From there the book looks at the emergence in the twentieth century of craft gins across the globe, enabling the drink to enjoy a massive increase in popularity.

The book is intended as a light-hearted look-behind-the-scenes at how ‘Mother’s Ruin’ developed into rather more than just a plain old ’G & T’.

I must admit that I came to this book with some preconceived ideas of how the book would run, expecting mainly a book about slavery & crime. But I must admit that I was wrong. What we have a is really comprehensive read through a timeline, that mainly focuses on Britain, but it does have a bit of America and the Scandinavian countries thrown in for good measure. The book begins with the juniper berry and follows through to being a cocktail and more mainstream drink in the modern world. We go through prohibition in America, the influence of the Low Countries, and what I really enjoyed the effect on politics and regulation through a number of acts, and some of the riots and disruptions that occurred.

I also quite enjoyed the appendices at the back of the book which have a number of gin

recipes and also the slang involved in the gin world, these quite interesting. This was

an excellent book with a lot of research and entertaining writing from Mike Rendell.

I must say a big thumbs up for the good amount of cartoons and drawings throughout

the book, these were both amusing and entertaining. I would certainly recommend this

book to any fans of gin.

The Weird & Wonderful World of Gin

The Weird & Wonderful World of Gin written by Angela Youngman and published by Pen & Sword Books - £20.00 - Hardback - Pages 224

Gin is a global alcoholic drink that has polarised opinions like no other, and its history has been a roller coaster, alternating between being immensely popular and utterly unfashionable.

The Weird and Wonderful Story of Gin explores the exciting, interesting and downright curious aspects of the drink, with crime, murder, poisons, fires, dramatic accidents, artists, legends and disasters all playing a part. These dark themes are also frequently used to promote brands and drinks.

Did you know that the Filipinos are the world’s biggest gin drinkers? And even that Jack the Ripper, Al Capone and the Krays all have their place in the history of gin? Not to mention Sir Winston Churchill, Noel Coward, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and James Bond!

I must admit that I was hooked when I saw the front cover as I love the picture on the front. This book looks at and explores Gin, its history, manufacturing, its travel through history, the ups and downs of the drink, and how it is seen and perceived in today’s society. Similar to the books about tea, chocolate and sugar etc a lot has happened in the world gin trade and how it is made. There is often a lot of crime around these staple products, mainly because a lot of money is involved, but I quite enjoy the journey these products go through to what they are today. I do have a few friends who enjoy gin, and it certainly seems to be the fashionable drink at the moment. If you like your history but want something a little different I would certainly recommend this book, a very interesting read.