Starting the year with a Gin book that I heard about on the Food Programme podcast, The Gin Tasting Course by Anthony Gladman.
Two big reasons why I liked this book. One – it was British and world-centric. The U.S. gets a couple mentions but this book took me around Europe to Australia and South America too. Second – the book is centered on flavors. So instead of a section on Scottish gins or Spanish gins, you got classic gins, umami gins, citrus gins. Much easier way into the spirit in my opinion.
I also like the illustrations used. Bright and colorful without losing helpfulness in the mix. The cocktail list was tightly curated and actually seem doable for a gin enthusiast. On the downside, some font size choices made the book a little hard to read.
Gladman also accomplishes the feat of being opinionated while not being off putting about it or pedantic. To borrow the I would like to have a drink with him construct, I would like to have a G&T with him.
Books like these invariably rise or fall on the featured gins chosen. Here is where Gladman shines. His descriptions have repetition but it is due to the main required ingredients and less to adjectives used. I came away with a goodly long list of gins to be on the lookout for.