As an experienced drinker, one of the best aspects of cocktail culture revival is discovering (or rediscovering) old-style spirits and mixers. Flip through any pre-Prohibition cocktail book, and you'll come across mystery ingredients that, prior to Google and the massive expansion of bar products over the past decade, you'd never be able to score.

It wasn't long ago that imbibables such as absinthe, orange bitters, allspice dram or even a decent rye could be found behind bars or on store shelves. Below we tell you the story of the Old Tom Gin, which is experiencing a revival. Welcome back, Old Tom -- we've missed you!

Old Tom Gin

In the 1700s, gin was all the rage in England, but not all of it was very well made (in fact, most of it wasn't). One way to make it more palatable was to sweeten it up.

By the 1890s, Old Tom was a mainstay gin category, like London Dry, and was a key component in many cocktails, particularly the Tom Collins (gin, lemon juice, sugar, club soda). With its earthy sweetness, Old Tom was considered a bridge of sorts between funky Dutch Genevers, which feature malted barley, and London Dry gin, which is heavy on the juniper.

As with many elements of classic drinking, Prohibition, the rationing for World War II and a realigning of our national palate in the 1960s and '70s left Old Tom gin in the dust.

Fortunately, the situation is rapidly being corrected. Hayman's and Ransom leapt out of the box first a few years ago and, for a long time, had the field to themselves. Ransom Old Tom Gin, out of Oregon, was created in collaboration with a historian and features a slightly earthy base of corn and malted barley, with a hint of barrel aging (sourced whiskey fans will appreciate its complexity).

In the past two years, a number of contenders have thrown their Tomcat Hat into the ring. Greenhook Ginsmiths' Old Tom, out of Brooklyn, is distilled from corn (the base for most modern gins is wheat or a blend of grains). Besides juniper, the botanicals include spices from the Far East. Everything is thrown into ex-bourbon casks for a year, then finished for a couple of months in Oloroso Sherry casks. The result is lightly sweet, but with the depth of oak and unusual spices, making it an ideal component for a Martinez cocktail (a Martini predecessor). A higher proof (about 50% ABV) lets it stand up to muscular mixers.

Recently, two more labels joined the fray. Anchor Distilling, out of San Francisco, unveiled its Old Tom in September. The third in its series of unusual small-batch gins (Junipero and Genevieve are the others), Anchor Old Tom is pot-distilled and bottled unfiltered. Stevia leaves from Paraguay contribute both sweetness and an additional silkiness, along with emphasizing anice and licorice notes found among the other botanicals.

Meanwhile, Tanqueray launched its Old Tom this summer. Crafted by distiller Tom Nichol and based on an 180-year-old recipe from Charles Tanqueray himself, the Old Tom is richer and more full-bodied than either the brand's London Dry or its recently revived (and also slightly sweet) Tanqueray Malacca. The bottle's label is inspired by an original 1921 version.

Head over to AskMen to check out Robert Haynes-Peterson's full take on vintage alcohols. We also suggest you check out our piece on experimental booze. Cheers!

Photo credit: Tanqueray