I miss going out for a drink with my godmother and her family in Kuala Lumpur. A good Long Island Tea or a Mint Julep, nothing can be more refreshing than a cocktail in the tropical climes of Malaysia. Alas, I can only relieve it in my imagination by armchair travelling through the history of drinks. This book definitely worked up a thirst for alcoholic beverages.
What role did Scotch whisky play in the development of the steam engine (and yes, I did mean the steam engine!)? Who first coined the word "alcohol"? These questions and more will be answered by the authors as they have been on a spirituous (pun intended) journey since they first launched their website Shaken Not Stirred: A Celebration of the Martini and the book by the same name.
15 years of travel around the world, a few worn out library cards, and thousands of pages of undiscovered research later, they have amassed their findings in the 2-volume work, Spirituous Journey: A History of Drink.
This first volume opens with the surprising discovery that ancient Arabic term "al kol" had 2 appropriate definitions long before Europeans learnt to distill alcohol. From there, the authors trace the birth of spirits from China, to India, to Persia, through Europe and on to the New World.
This book is the winner of the 2009 World Gourmand Cookbook awards for Drink History, and the writing is what sets this book apart from the rest, earning its place in the Food (and now Drink) Lover's literary canon. Full of humorous anecdotes, recipes, and a brilliant foreword by Gary Regan, this is a drink historian's bible that is fun to read as well.
I found this book very intriguing as the history of drinks was very comprehensive. There was even a part of the book commemorated solely for the discussion of how commercial ice transformed from a luxurious commodity to a household necessity, then to bars, pubs and taverns all over the world. Get this book for your friends or family who enjoy the occassional tipple or two.
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