Jane Peyton – författare

Few if any alcoholic drinks have the dramatic and multi-faceted history of gin. In this fascinating new instalment of the British Library's pocket philosophies, gin is explored through its origins in Holland, where it was popularised by William of Orange; its roots in medicine; its capacity to provide an albeit destructive escapism during the Gin Craze; its influence on language - responsible for the coining of 'dutch courage'; and its current status as a popular social beverage and a pastime for those keen to experiment with flavouring their own gins.The Philosophy of Gin covers the historic transformation of the beverage, ideal flavour pairings for the gin connoisseur, and how a spirit once given a wide berth by the middle and upper classes now attracts such a large proportion of the British public to choose gin as their tipple of choice.

Have you ever wondered about the difference between a lager and an ale? Or marvelled at how, with only four basic ingredients, there are around 150 different styles of beer?In The Philosophy of Beer, Jane Peyton, the UK's first Beer Sommelier of the Year, distils practical advice from the incredible history of the nation's favourite beverage, spanning the earliest evidence of beer 13,000 years ago, its central role in monasteries and on naval ships, its significance in the discovery of cholera, and its enduring popularity today. This fascinating insight into beer's rich history will teach you how to taste like a professional, how best to match beer with food, and even how to brew it yourself! Quench your thirst for knowledge with everything you need to know to be a mastermind in beer.

An early description of a cocktail as ‘a mix of alcoholic drinkswith flavouring ingredients’ does nothing to convey the alchemyand speak-easy glamour of these elaborate drinks. The cocktail’s humble beginnings as a medicinal tonic through the inclusion of botanicals into distilled spirits such as gin and whiskey, accelerates with the ingenuity of bartenders who created the ‘classics’ – the Martini, Manhattan and Old Fashioned – in the nineteenth-century, and in the decadence of the Jazz Age and Roaring Twenties. This book explores the journey that cocktails have made, via China and the Middle East, the Americas and the UK, to arrive at the bespoke menus of today’s stylish clubs and bars, complete with descriptions of the myriad ingredients, glassware and paraphernalia that the mixologist has at their disposal.

Cider is sunshine in a glass! Follow Jane Peyton on a glorious voyage of discovery, from the journey the wild Malus Sieversii apple - ancestor of today's domesticated apple - has made from the foothills of Central Asia's Tien Shan mountains, to the Norman invasion, which introduced new apple varieties and pressing technologies to Britain, to the colonists of America, who took apples with them, planted the seeds and drank cider long before beer brewing was properly established.Today their legacy is sustained in the traditional orchards and processes of craft cider-makers; the folk traditions of the British Wassail and Txotx celebrations of the Basque Country; and the ethos of the Slow Food Movement.In addition to explaining cider's links to champagne and why we are enjoying a renaissance of both cider- and perry-making, Jane provides tasting tips and food pairings to help any aspiring cider drinker. Welcome to Ciderland.