Gibson (cocktail) bartenders' guides sometimes gave the recipe as 50/50 gin and vermouth, Gibsons in the early days were much drier than other martinis. A third version, supported by Kazuo Uyeda in "Cocktail Techniques", states that Gibsons started as very dry martinis garnished with a cocktail onion to distinguish them from traditional martinis, but as the fondness for drier martinis became popular the onion became the only difference. There is no direct evidence that Charles Dana, or any other Gibson, created the drink. But, Charles Dana Gibson was certainly the artist who created the Gibson Girl illustrations—popular from the 1890s through about
Old Tom gin Malt; The Dorchester Hotel and The London Distillery Company Ltd. An Old Tom Gin made by J. Wray and Nephew Ltd. of Jamaica is also commonly found on the market, although the island is better known for rum. Old Tom Gin is specified for Jerry Thomas' 'Martinez Cocktail' in his 1887 "Bartender's Guide, How to Mix All Kinds of Plain and Fancy Drinks". The first record of it being used in the Tom Collins cocktail was the 1891 book, "The Flowing Bowl: When and What to Drink." Old Tom gin Old Tom Gin (or Tom Gin or Old Tom) is