The Curious Bartender's Gin Palace

"Tristan Stephenson certainly started as a bartender. He then went on to own his own bars and still does. He’s done an incredibly successful series of books. The Curious Bartender is, I suppose, a series in its own right. He’s done rum, whiskey, gin, and, of course, bartending. The book starts off with a summary of the history of gin and some of the botanicals that go into it. It doesn’t dwell on too many facts but just the key elements that you need to understand the history of it. He glides through it quickly and then goes on to gin brands. He doesn’t approach it as a list book—there are lots of list books out there. What Tristan does really well is he explains the process and the production and the story behind the gins. That’s what’s so engaging about it. You’re not just hearing someone’s opinion on a tasting note—as if you were reading a book on the 100 best wines or whatever it might be. He goes: ‘this is what I think about the taste but here’s a load more information so that you can understand the human aspect of the distillery, the production, the provenance.’ He paints a much wider picture in that way. “ One shouldn’t forget that Tristan was considered one of the very best bartenders in the world” He goes through a lot of different brands all across the world. He gives a really good snapshot of why gin is so popular, without necessarily stating it. A huge part of the resurgence in recent years has been, to be honest with you, about connecting with people, products, and provenance. It’s not just the taste alone. He does do that, towards the end. He explains the Martini and how he would make it or the Red Snapper or the gin and tonic. He combines a bit of history with a bit of how-to. And he does that really successfully. He draws on his experience. One shouldn’t forget that Tristan was considered one of the very best bartenders in the world, having won many competitions within the industry. I say he was considered because he’s not active any more. So he does talk about cocktails but the bulk of the book is the stories of each beverage. You can tell that food and drink, in all of their respects, are absolutely his passion—and have been, from a young age. That comes through in the book. A lot of writers don’t necessarily come from within the heart of the trade and he very much does. And yet, he has an understanding, an ability to cut through bullshit when people are selling it to him."