I just finished reading Caribbean Rum: A Social and Economic History by Frederick H. Smith. (Buy it from these links on Bookshop or Amazon and I earn a tiny commission.) The book brought me so much new information, and I strongly recommend it. Most of the time when we study... Read more →
I recently read the book Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History by Sidney W. Mintz [amazon][bookshop]. This book compares sugar production and consumption patterns specifically looking at the place of sugar in England as it grew from a luxury item to an everyday necessity. The book... Read more →
For the Alcademics Book Club, we're reading Sweetness and Power, about sugar. Every time I read about the history of sugar, particularly the heyday of slavery-powered production in the 1700s in the Caribbean, I'm always like, "What happened to Portugal-controlled Brazilian sugar?" The Portuguese were early leaders in sugarcane production... Read more →
I wrote this story, which first appeared here on AlcoholProfessor.com. Reconsidering the Smashing Legacy of Carry Nation in Three Books by Camper English Carry Nation, the anti-alcohol crusader, was a nutjob who heard voices that told her to smash up saloons. She was also a towering hulk of over six... Read more →
I was reading a book for one of my book clubs and accidentally learned something about bar history. The Barbizon is ostensibly about a hotel for women in New York, but really it's about the changing role of women from the 1920s through the 1970s through the lens of the... Read more →
For the past bunch of years, I've done a round-up of all the drink books (mostly cocktails and spirits) that have come out during the year, in consideration for gifting. I'm not doing that this year, as there are too many cocktail books, and if you want to see them... Read more →
Below is the last batch of drink books (mostly spirits/cocktails) coming out this year. As usual, I'll post a list of all the drink books that came out this year in a few weeks, but to give these their fair share of attention they are below. I usually put links... Read more →
I've heard authors saying the "due to supply chain issues" you should buy any books you plan on purchasing as holiday gifts super early this year. You have been notified! Last month I posted 22 books released in October. Well, this month there are 32 more! Mostly I cover cocktails... Read more →