A New Book to Help Gin Up an Answer

Summer is gin’s moment, as the spirit has an essential place in long coolers like Tom Collins and gin and tonic. This new illustrated guide will enhance your gin appreciation, with entries about styles, distilling techniques, the botanicals and spices that go into gin, history, profiles of top brands and 20 basic recipes. But it will not help you know anything about pink gin: As comprehensive as this book is, that entry is missing. — “The Gin Dictionary: An A-Z of All Things Gin, From Juniper Berries to the G & T” by David T. Smith (Mitchell Beazley, $19.99).