Can you give an example of a bit of the history that you particularly like that people might not know about? So there are remnants in today’s London—even though there’s no hawker on the side of the street flinging gin at you as you walk past.

Kew Gardens have amazing books on their role in helping propagate quinine into areas that were closer to where the troops were, as opposed to having to ship it all the way across the world. Please note, all personalisation will appear exactly as provided and personalised books are non-refundable unless faulty. The Sky Wave Distillery, The North Tanker Sheds 105, Bicester Heritage, Bicester, Oxfordshire OX27 8AL. For beginners and experienced producers alike, it offers key insights and practical advice on what you need to get started and how to progress in this fascinating and growing craft.You look at it and it’s been a one-man band that has risked everything and built a micro distillery in the heart of Camden town. Well, premium-ised it, I suppose, is a better way of saying it, because tonic’s been around for a long, long time. Gins from crofts, towns, herb gardens and even an old vet school – we list not just Scotland’s signature gins but all the distilleries that make them.

He gives no explanation of how one might make gin, or drink it, or make cocktails or anything like that until he’s well into the book.

It covers both distilling and cold compounding, providing advice on equipment and detailing step-by-step processes, whilst discussing a wide variety of gin production issues. You’d drink it before battle and it would either numb the pain of what was about to happen or it would numb the senses to the fear of going to what was, essentially, certain death at that point. When you read his whisky books, you are transfixed and taken aback by the poetry and the understanding. There are a lot of boozehounds who talk about history and it can be a little bit cold and un-engaging. The first one on the list is Craze: Gin and Debauchery in an Age of Reason (2002) by Jessica Warner.

I have well over half a dozen books on the history of gin on my bookshelf, and yet there always seems to be more that needs to be said. The difference could be explained like this: imagine painting on a beige canvas as opposed to painting on a white one. The recipient will need to register a Gin Me account and use their code to start receiving monthly gins through their letterbox (so expect a big thank you from them sooner rather than later). To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average.

One shouldn’t forget that Tristan was considered one of the very best bartenders in the world, having won many competitions within the industry. Written by our very own co-founder, Tristan, The Curious Bartender's Gin Palace has sold over 50,000 copies since it was published in 2016. I still think Schweppes is great and a lot of the supermarket home brands are fantastic as well, but they are all fructose syrup.