Gin, by Shonna Milliken Humphrey, reviewed

Published: 12-11-2020, Gin, by Shonna Milliken Humphrey, reviewed

Available from Bloomsbury here.

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.

Gin tastes like Christmas to some and rotten pine chips to others, but nearly everyone familiar with the spirit holds immediate gin nostalgia.

Although early medical textbooks treated it as a healing agent, early alchemists (as well as their critics) claimed gin’s base was a path to immortality-and also Satan’s tool. In more recent times, the gin trade consolidated the commercial and political power of nations and prompted a social campaign against women. Gin has been used successfully as a defense for murder; blamed for massive unrest in 18th-century England; and advertised for as an abortifacient.

From its harshest proto-gin distillation days to the current smooth craft models, gin plays a powerful cultural role in film, music, and literature-one that is arguably older, broader, and more complex than any other spirit.

Gin, by Shonna Milliken Humphrey, reviewed

Gin is, and has been, back in fashion for a while. Even the mixers to go with it have gone through the roof too, as witnessed by the success of Fever Tree too. This book is written in a light and fun way. Humphrey does a good job of giving you a quick overview to the history of gin, it’s origins, and evolution, both tawdry, sordid, sad and recently more positive. Who knew for example that the Philippines is the world’s largest consumer of gin!?

The funny thing about gin is that it can be made from any type of alcohol and has no specific criteria about what is, and is not gin, apart from perhaps it is good to have some juniper in it. Humphrey checks out the various literary references where gin is mentioned, from the iconic African Queen – bottles of Gordons poured away, to Casablanca, ‘of all the gin joints…’ and on to many more. She acknowledges the longer and weightier books she has referred to in writing this book, but as a quick intro, and potential stocking filler this book works well.

Oh, y'know, that moment when your little gin book is plugged just below @BarackObama. No big deal. 🙂 @objectsobjects @airplanereading @ibogost @HouseOfNaqvi #gin https://t.co/xwzDM9SGVX

— Shonna Milliken Humphrey (@shonnaleigh) November 17, 2020

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