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The Drunken Botanist

The Plants That Create the World's Great Drinks

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
Every great drink starts with a plant. Sake began with a grain of rice. Scotch emerged from barley. Gin was born from a conifer shrub when medieval physicians boiled juniper berries with wine to treat stomach pain. The Drunken Botanist uncovers the surprising botanical history and fascinating science and chemistry of over 150 plants, flowers, trees, and fruits (and even a few fungi).Some of the most extraordinary and obscure plants have been fermented and distilled, and they each represent a unique cultural contribution to global drinking traditions and our history. Molasses was an essential ingredient of American independence when outrage over a mandate to buy British rather than French molasses for New World rum-making helped kindle the American Revolution. Captain James Cook harvested the young, green tips of spruce trees to make a vitamin C-rich beer that cured his crew of scurvy-a recipe that Jane Austen enjoyed so much that she used it as a plot point in Emma.With over fifty drink recipes, growing tips for gardeners, and advice that carries Stewart's trademark wit, this is the perfect listen for gardeners and cocktail aficionados alike.
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    • Library Journal

      August 1, 2013

      Stewart (coauthor, Wicked Plants) provides listeners with an encyclopedic guide to the plants used throughout history to produce alcohol. She reviews those grains for making beers, whiskeys, and spirits; grapes that go into wines and liquors; and the herbs, spices, fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, and fungi that enhance their flavors. The author also covers the many methods employed to distill, brew, and otherwise make alcohol. Recipes for a wide range of cocktails appear throughout. VERDICT All of this makes for informative and enjoyable listening, especially with Collen Marlo's lively reading. However, this work is probably better suited in print as a reference work. That being said, listeners wanting an excellent introduction to cocktails will find this title both enlightening and entertaining. ["This highly entertaining book will please both cocktail enthusiasts and backyard gardeners. The inclusion of rich history throughout will delight armchair historians and the naturally curious," read the starred review of the Algonquin hc, LJ 2/15/13.--Ed.]--Stephen L. Hupp, West Virginia Univ. Parkersburg Lib.

      Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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  • English

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