Vols. for 1898-1968 include a directory of publishers.

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’.

Prompted by a found notebook of illicit booze recipes, here are more than 100 secret and forgotten formulas for cordials, bitters, spirits, and cocktails, gorgeously illustrated and explained. American Prohibition was far from watertight. If you knew the right people, or the right place to be, you could get a drink—most likely a variation of the real thing, made by blending smuggled, industrial alcohol or homemade moonshines with extracts, herbs, and oils to imitate the aroma and taste of familiar spirits. Most of the illegal recipes were written out by hand and secretly shared. The “lost recipes” in this book come from one such compilation, a journal hidden within an antique book of poetry, with 300 entries on making liquors, cordials, absinthe, bitters, and wine. Lost Recipes of Prohibition features more than 70 pages from this notebook, with explanations and descriptions for real and faked spirits. Readers will also find historic and modern cocktails from some of today's leading bartenders, including rum shrubs, DIY summer cups, sugar-frosted "ice" cordials, 19th- and 21st-century cinnamon whiskeys, homemade creme de menthe, absinthe-spiked cocktail onions, caramel lemonade, and more.

'You could not write a more sophisticated book or pack more detail onto each page...it is rocket science impressive' Huffington Post In recent years, gin has shed its old-fashioned image and been reborn as a hot and hip spirit. The number of brands grows every day and bartenders - and consumers - are now beginning to re-examine gin as a quality base spirit for drinks both simple and complex. Now, with more brands available than ever before, it is the time to set out what makes gin special, what its flavours are and how to get the most out of the brands you buy. With this book as your guide, discover: How gin is made What a botanical is and how they impact a gin's flavour What the difference between Dutch, London, Scottish, Spanish and American gins is How you drink them to maximise your pleasure Whether there is life beyond the gin & tonic (yes!) 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 categorised according to an ingenious flavour camp system, which highlights its core properties and allows you to understand how you can best drink it, and therefore enjoy it.