Bath Gin with The 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

The sole reason I bought Bath gin was for the label; I found it utterly irresistible - and even months later a winking Jane Austen still amuses me. It might be a silly joke, but it makes me laugh. I held on to my bottle for a while though, unsure that the gin could live up to the promise of that label.

Post flood (charming electricians - they really were charming - came and fixed all the lights on Wednesday, it's brilliant being able to see things again) I felt in need of some of the right kind of excitement. The right kind of excitement turned out to be the Bath gin, it didn't disappoint.

The botanical that had put me off opening it was wormwood (I don't care for absinthe) but if it's particularly detectable it's in a dryness on the finish, and maybe something underlying the juniper character (it is another juniper forward gin). I liked it so much I'm planning on visiting Bath - not just to buy more gin, but it's undeniably an extra draw. I see it as everything that's good about modern gin making; it acknowledges the history of both gin itself, and the specific location it's from, it's a high quality product, it's beautifully packaged, and there's a sense of humour to it as well. All of those things make it stand out in an increasingly crowded market, but the quality will ensure repeat purchases.

I think that wink means the obvious book to enjoy with this one is the 1811 dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. I bought this as a student for a module on Georgian art, but have mostly used it to cross reference slang in Georgette Heyer. Underused as its been it's a fascinating book to dip in and out of, and an equally good gin to do the same with.