The book is sectioned by types of spirits starting with gin. There is more to gin than I thought. There are three basic kinds, London Dry, Plymouth, and Genever. Genever is Dutch and the invention of gin is often attributed to the Dutch – developed for medicinal purposes, of course.
My first taste of gin occurred in college. I believe I found myself at a bar, on the spot to order something, and blurted out “Gin and Tonic!” It turned out to be quite refreshing. Shortly after that, I was visiting with my father during Christmas break and asked him what he thought of gin – that I had just recently tasted it and found it refreshing. His response was “Gin is just poor man’s Jack Daniels.”
I’ve mostly stayed away from gin since then (with the execption of one especially memorable – not in a good way – evening at the old 1201 Club involving no food and lots of gin and tonic).