"Hands down the wine book of the year." -David McIntyre, Washington Post "...paints a glorious picture of Bordeaux as seen through the skittish and mischievously observant eyes of Somerville and Ross - cousins and writing partners." -Victoria Moore, The Telegraph Journeying through the Medoc in the autumn of 1891, Anglo-Irish cousins and travelling companions, Edith Somerville and Martin Ross (aka Violet Florence Martin) bring their distinctive melange of wry wit, acute observation and unabashed horror at the barefoot treading of Cabernet Sauvignon to this delightful account of vendangeurs lofty and low-born as they bring in the harvest in time-honoured fashion. Illustrated using Somerville's equally delightful sketches, this is a story of two feisty ladies for whom anything remotely pretentious is fair game. Better known for their tales of an Irish R. M. (resident magistrate), Somerville and Ross outraged their respective families - who referred to them 'the Shockers' - by combining travel writing with the fight for Women's Suffrage. The contrast between the emancipated pair and the largely unreconstructed characters they encounter on their travels only serves to heighten the charm of an already indelibly charming book. The Classic Editions breathe new life into some of the finest wine-related titles written in the English language over the last 150 years. Although these books are very much products of their time - a time when the world of fine wine was confined mostly to the frontiers of France and the Iberian Peninsula and a First Growth Bordeaux or Grand Cru Burgundy wouldn't be beyond the average purse - together they recapture a world of convivial, enthusiastic amateurs and larger-than-life characters whose love of fine vintages mirrored that of life itself.

A stylish giftbook exploring the traditional origins and modern trends of whiskey, with 25 food and cocktail recipes. The Little Book of Whiskey is a boozy gift book in the vein of The Little Pink Book of Rose, Prosecco Made Me Do It, Gin Made Me Do It, and Tequila Made Me Do It. It's a broad, fun overview of a classic spirit that's experienced renewed popularity-making it a great gift for anyone interested in whiskey. The Little Book of Whiskey includes the drink's origins and history, how it's made, its different variations, how to drink it, contemporary trends, food and drink recipes, and hospitality tips.

New Orleans lays claim to so many things-jazz, Mardi Gras, festivals, and food-so it makes perfect sense that the Big Easy would be the home of the first cocktail. After all, libations are a New Orleans custom. In this brilliantly photographed book, Kit Wohl has compiled more than sixty luscious beverage recipes, both traditional and eccentric, from the city's legendary and quirky establishments. From highfalutin to down home, New Orleans's bartenders take great pride in their art. Included in this compilation are well-crafted concoctions designed for lazy afternoons, for before or after meals, for cocktail parties, or for topping off an evening. Sip and savor a Sazerac, Absinthe Suissesse, Pimm's Cup, Obituary Cocktail, and dozens more with the help of this collection. The latest addition to the Classic Recipes Series, this compilation provides recipes and techniques paired with the inspiration behind each drink. All infusions are home-tested with the nonprofessional mixologist in mind.

"Comprehensive...will enhance your gin appreciation" - The New York Times An A-Z compendium of everything you need to know about gin, from botanicals to the perfect G&T. Includes 20 gin cocktail recipes. Gin is the spirit of the moment, the discerning drinker's tipple of choice. But with a gin revolution currently sweeping the world, it has never been a more fascinating - and complex - subject. The Gin Dictionary is the gin-drinker's guide to this special spirit. With hundreds of entries covering everything from history, ingredients and distilling techniques to flavour notes, cocktails and the many varieties of gin around the world, award-winning gin expert David T. Smith explores the key factors behind your drink.

Fantastic Alcohol Facts, Cocktail Culture, and More "A wealth of knowledge and experiences from virtually every corner of cocktail culture." T.A. Breaux, Author of Breaux Absinthe: The Exquisite Elixir #1 Bestseller in Alcoholic Drinks & Beverages Peruse the interesting histories and lore of alcohol as you fill your cocktail glass and sip a drink hand-made by you using one of the many artisanal yet simple recipes inside. Learn fun alcohol facts and tidbits you'll bring with you everywhere you go. Learn, concoct, and be merry. Are you brand new to alcohol and don't know where to start? Are you more experienced but looking for something that gives context to the art of mixology? Books with nothing but recipes get stale fast, but this bartender bible is a cocktail codex, combining all the facets of alcohol and classic cocktails recipes, traditions, stories, and more so you'll always find something interesting within. Step into yesteryear and peer at the history of classic cocktails through the lens of those who have created and loved mixed drinks throughout time. Alcohol's culture is a storied saga full of lore, anecdotes, and experiences. Author Cheryl Charming gathers information from almost every corner of the drinking world and brings it all together in one fun, easy to read, and informative love letter to the heritage of the drinks we all love today. Inside The Bartender's Ultimate Guide to Cocktails, you'll find: Recipes for basic bar drinks and classic cocktails everyone should know, like the Manhattan Advice from your favorite bartender on everything alcohol facts like what makes the perfect ice cube, bar tool essentials, and the best places to get specialty drinks or artisanal bitters Cultural anecdotes, myths, and stories about drinks, their origins, and their rise to popularity If you liked Liquid Intelligence, The Drunken Botanist, or Death & Co, you'll love The Bartender's Ultimate Guide to Cocktails.

Grape wine has been produced for at least 4,000 years, having been aged, stored and transported in every conceivable type of vessel. Its seductiveness has been enhanced by this packaging: primarily three strikingly different containers - amphorae, wooden barrels and glass bottles. Henry H. Work brings extensive wine experience as a cooper, working with wine barrels and living in California's Napa Valley to provide a richly detailed and vivid account of wine containers through the ages. This book delves into the history, evolution, and present use of containers, vessels, and stoppers; from animal skin sacks to barrels, from glass bottles to upstart packaging such as wine casks, and even aluminium cans. It considers the advantages and weaknesses of their construction, designs and labels, methods of shipment and storage, as well as their impact on marketing wine to customers. This is an enlightening and innovative read which draws on the most current archaeological research, scientific data and wine business trends. It is richly peppered throughout with the author's own visits to many of the locations explored in the book, bringing history to life. This book will appeal to individuals within the wine industry, undergraduates in the fields of history, archaeology, food and hospitality, as well as all people interested in wine.

Why drink Bordeaux when you can make your own Buddha's Hand Cherry Bomb wine? Feeling spunky? Try some Ginger Squash Sake! Or maybe you're in the mood for some Strawberry Lemon-Guava, Triple Basil, Pomegranate Citrus-Symphony, or Cherry Black Currant wine. These are just a taste of the 148 unique recipes in this creative guide to small-batch winemaking that goes far beyond specialty grapes for an easier, more forgiving process. Readers learn how to make wines with fruits like lemons, blueberries, cherries, peaches, and pears, as well as flowers like dandelions and roses, and even herbs like rosemary, basil, and even cannabis. And these recipes are just the start; readers will gain the skills they need to branch out, incorporate their favourite ingredients, and create their own unique wine flavours.

"Veteran wine books are by modern standards short on facts." - Decanter Magazine "This is an inspirational book well worth your time." - Eric Asimov on Instagram "If you want to learn about wine, switch off your phone, buy these two books and enjoy them with a nice glass of something." - The Critic "This is a don't-miss book for people who plan their travels around vineyards." - Washington Post In this unique approach to understanding wine, Hugh Johnson, the world's best-loved wine author, weaves the story of his own epic wine journey with an embracing view of everything he has discovered along the way. Almost without realising it, the reader is drawn into a fascinating world; with each page turned, knowledge is gained and wine wisdom absorbed. Hugh takes us from the teetering ledges of the Mosel and majestic chateaux of the Medoc to the sylvan slopes of Windsor Great Park with a spring in his step and a tasting glass at the ready. No one writes so infectiously on every aspect of wine, whether human or cultural, technical or historical. This book is peppered with anecdotes and personal recollections, infused with the sheer delight Hugh finds in his subject. It is a book with a story to tell and a mastery of wine to impart. Previously published as Wine, A Life Uncorked 2005, now updated with new chapters.

The Complete Joy of Homebrewing is the essential guide to understanding and making beer, from stouts, ales, lagers, and bitters, to specialty beers and meads. Everything to get started is here: the basics of building a home brewery, world-class proven recipes, easy-to-follow instruction, and the latest advancements in brewing. Master brewer Charlie Papazian also includes the history and loreof beer, the science behind brewing, and tips on how to create your own original ale. The fully updated edition of the book expands on various styles of beer using easy to follow charts, different varieties of hops and their uses, and tons of new recipes and tips. Paired with the newly revised Homebrewer's Companion Second Edition, this set will transform you from beginner to expert in homebrewing. Charlie is viewed by thousands as a visionary brewmaster and his laid-back style and easy-to-follow instructions have inspired millions to try their hand at homebrewing.

Ever since its invention in the late 18th century, the cocktail has been a global traveller. Born in England and raised in America, a cocktail can take influences from all over the world and mix them up into exciting new combinations. This book celebrates this globe-trotting history through 80 cocktails - each with its own story to tell. Bartender and writer Chad Parkhill takes you on a whirlwind global tour, with recipes designed to be made at home. You'll learn about the surprising military history behind the bubbly Venetian Spritz; how the G&T moved from India to England (and why the best in the world are now made in Spain); and how France's Burgundy region turned tragedy into triumph with the Kir. Accompanied by gorgeous vintage-style illustrations, these stories and recipes are an ode to the joys of travel, history, and drinking.

Drinking wine can be traced back 8,000 years, yet the wines we drink today are radically different from those made in earlier eras. While its basic chemistry remains largely the same, wine's social roles have changed fundamentally, being invented and reinvented many times over many centuries.

In Inventing Wine, Paul Lukacs tells the enticing story of wine's transformation from a source of spiritual and bodily nourishment to a foodstuff valued for the wide array of pleasures it can provide. He chronicles how the prototypes of contemporary wines first emerged when people began to have options of what to drink, and he demonstrates that people selected wine for dramatically different reasons than those expressed when doing so was a necessity rather than a choice.

During wine's long history, men and women imbued wine with different cultural meanings and invented different cultural roles for it to play. The power of such invention belonged both to those drinking wine and to those producing it. These included tastemakers like the medieval Cistercian monks of Burgundy who first thought of place as an important aspect of wine's identity; nineteenth-century writers such as Grimod de la Reyniere and Cyrus Redding who strived to give wine a rarefied aesthetic status; scientists like Louis Pasteur and Emile Peynaud who worked to help winemakers take more control over their craft; and a host of visionary vintners who aimed to produce better, more distinctive-tasting wines, eventually bringing high-quality wine to consumers around the globe.

By charting the changes in both wine's appreciation and its production, Lukacs offers a fascinating new way to look at the present as well as the past."

Treat yourself to a tongue-in-cheek-but very practical-glimpse into the world of moonshine, from its history and American heritage to its uses and creation today. These 101 ways to interact with moonshine are wide-ranging and include practical housekeeping hints (glass cleaner, anyone?), medicinal uses, recipes, and more. Coulter & Payne is a farm-to-bottle distillery-that is, it not only makes spirits, but also grows its own ingredients. Dozens of photos offer a glimpse into the daily world of this small craft producer's operations on the farm as they bring moonshine, vodka, and bourbon to America. In these pages you'll enjoy learning about moonshine's benefits and potential applications, and understanding what it means to produce a farm-to-bottle, artisanal distilled spirit. This great resource for adventurous foodies, homesteaders, and home distillers will bring whiskey out of the backwoods for the rest of us to enjoy.

Do you need to have an advanced science degree to understand brewing chemistry? Certainly not! Any brewer, explains author Lee W. Janson, can understand the basic details of the life of a yeast or the careless steps that produce those annoying off-flavors - and learn how to avoid them. Brew Chem 101 features nontechnical language and a highly readable style, explanations of the chemical reactions at each stage of the brewing process and how to avoid potential problems, and a primer on beer tasting and judging.

Because science and technology have opened new avenues for vintners, our taste in wine has grown ever more diverse. Wine is now the subject of careful chemistry and global demand. Paul Lukacs recounts the journey of wine through history how wine acquired its social cachet, how vintners discovered the twin importance of place and grape, and how a basic need evolved into a realm of choice.

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Wine insiders called Andre Tchelistcheff the "winemaker's winemaker," the "wine doctor," and simply "maestro." After Prohibition brought Napa Valley and its wine industry to the brink of catastrophe, Tchelistcheff (1901-94) proved essential in its revitalization. Tchelistcheff's unique background-a sickly child, a Russian emigre forced from his homeland during the Bolshevik Revolution, a White Army lieutenant who fought in the Crimea, a physical laborer in a Bulgarian coal mine, a Czechoslovakian-trained agronomist, and a French-schooled viticulturist and enologist-prepared him for a remarkable winemaking career. He spent thirty-five years in Napa Valley's Beaulieu Vineyard and nearly two "post-retirement" decades doing freelance consulting work for more than thirty wineries. His early struggles forged his principal character traits, which he passed on to an entire generation of winemakers. His students, including some of the most accomplished winemakers of the post-Prohibition period, marveled over their mentor's sense of authority, profound insight, humble presence, and abundant wisdom. This inspiring account of Tchelistcheff's life includes interviews with friends, family, and mentees, which reveal how one man used his passion and knowledge to help save a community on the edge of disaster. In Maestro James O. Gump preserves the memory of a fascinating individual and one of the most influential winemakers of the modern era.

Sought after by European aristocrats and a favorite of Napoleon Bonaparte, the sweet wines of Constantia in the Cape Colony were considered to be among the world's best during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. During the first democratic elections in 1994, South Africa began to re-emerge onto the international wine scene. Tim James, an expert on South African wines, takes the reader on an information-packed tour of the region, showing us how and why the unique combination of terroir and climate, together with dramatic improvements in winemaking techniques, result in wines that are once again winning accolades. James describes important grape varieties and wine styles - from delicate sparkling, to rich fortified, and everything in between - including the varietal blends that produce some of the finest Cape wines. Anchoring his narrative in a rich historical context, James discusses all the major wine regions, from Cederberg to Walker Bay, complete with profiles of more than 150 of the country's finest producers.

This book has given Richard Olney a long-awaited opportunity to indulge his dual passion for wine and food in a way that reflects his own culinary habits. The result is a very personal collection of French provincial dishes combined with professional guidance on the wines to serve them with. Writing with all the authority and infectious pleasure of a man whose work is his hobby, Richard Olney takes us on a tour of Burgundy, Bordeaux, the Cotes du Rhones and other regions of France. Each of his menus reflects the traditional cuisine of the area and is perfectly complemented by his selection of local wines.

Behind the Bar shines a light on 50 signature cocktails from the most iconic hotel bars across the world, appealing to tried-and-true cocktail lovers and design aficionados alike. Recipes from some of these storied properties will inspire enthusiasts to re-create timeless cocktails at home. Plus, anecdotes supplied by barkeeps and hotel and design personalities will enliven the recipes and reveal why so many hotel bars have endured through the years or have made an impact on the modern world. The clandestine speakeasy has been glorified countless times for its mix of sex appeal and transporting decor but the hotel bar should also be recognised for its sophistication, grandeur, or showmanship. Behind the Bar does exactly that but also transcends the cocktail crowd niche. It is just as much a book for the traveller with a strong appreciation for design as well as the fantasy-filled armchair traveller charmed by illustrations and nuggets of history.

The complete guide for beginner and intermediate distillers. Make your own brew at home! "If you're going to invest the $100 or so to get a basic equipment and recipe kit, then you'll want to take care in ensuring that your first batch is brewed correctly." -Rick Morris, HowBrewBeer The Joy of Home Distilling covers nearly every facet of distilling: Step-by-step instructions for the different processes, from bucket to bottle The difference between spirit types and how to produce each What yeast is, what it does, and how to ensure that you get a strong, complete fermentation What distillation is and common misconceptions about the process Legalities surrounding distilling alcohol at home Carbon filtering-when it's necessary, when to filter, and why you filter Flavoring and aging your spirits Keeping safety first when working with flammable materials, such as ethanol Yeast styles and nutritional requirements Different methods of distillation and equipment Post-distillation process And of course, fun drink recipes! (Try the Mudslide or the Cherry Bomb!) Author Rick Morris, who has been selling distillation equipment for over 25 years, even includes his own recipes for different types of spirits and drink recipes. By learning not just how to distill, but also what is happening at each step and why it is needed, readers will be armed with the information they need to experiment with their own spirits and concoct their own recipes. Easy to understand even for a first-time distiller, The Joy of Home Distilling is sure to become your number one distilling resource.

In the recent years, Cava has taken the stage as Spain's star sparkling wine, not only thanks to its remarkable quality to price ratio, but also because more and more connoisseurs are recognizing its richness and complexity. This book offers a great overview of the Cava's origins, its elaboration, and its variety of tastes. You will learn all you need to know about the grapes, the traditional methods, as well as established and emerging premium Cava producers. Recipes of traditional Catalonian dishes that perfectly accompany a Cava dinner round off this concise, but very informative book.

The wines of Bordeaux are universally recognized as being among the finest in the world and in this fully revised and updated edition of his classic text, renowned wine expert Stephen Brook provides an unrivalled survey of the region and its wines. The Complete Bordeaux offers detailed information on the many communes and appellations of Bordeaux along with descriptions and assessments of all its major properties. As well as incisive portraits of the leading properties and their produce, Stephen Brook provides a detailed look at Bordeaux's lesser-known areas and chateaux. There is also an invaluable vintage guide to the last four decades. Bordeaux encapsulates an incredible 13,000 wineries throughout 54 appellations and this book includes a thorough explanation of Bordeaux's history, terroir and winemaking styles. Praise for the third edition: "A fresh and authoritative addition to the Bordeaux library." Eric Asimov, The New York Times "This new edition is the ultimate guide to perhaps the greatest wine area in the world. Whether you use the book in your local wine store or tote it on a journey to Bordeaux itself, this book is definitive. And magnificent." Huffington Post