"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 authors trace the birth of spirits from China, to India, to Persia, through Europe and on to the New World. What did people do with these potent potables long before the cocktail was ever heard of?

An inside look at how craft beer makers and IPA devotees come together to brew, taste, and enjoy fine ale while also building a sense of community in Las Vegas Equally reviled and revered as Sin City, Las Vegas is both exceptional and emblematic of contemporary American cultural practices and tastes. Michael Ian Borer takes us inside the burgeoning Las Vegas craft beer scene to witness how its adherents use beer to create and foster not just a local culture but a locals' culture. Through compelling, detailed first-hand accounts and interviews, Vegas Brews provides an unprecedented look into the ways that brewers, distributors, bartenders, and drinkers fight against the perceived and preconceived norm about what "happens in Vegas" and lay claim to a part of their city that is too often overshadowed by the bright lights of tourist sites. Borer shows how our interactions with the things we care about-and the ways that we care about how they're made, treated, and consumed-can lead to new senses of belonging and connections with and to others and the places where we live. In a world where people and things move around at an extraordinary pace, the folks Borer spent time talking (and drinking) with remind us to slow down and learn how to taste the "good life," or at least a semblance of it, even in a city where style is often valued over substance.

What links Fidel Castro, pirates from the Caribbean and George Washington? Rum. A Rum Tale: Spirit of the New World is a look at the history of one of the Caribbean's most famous and favourite drinks. From its start as a by-product of a mysterious plant called 'sugar cane' to twentieth-century bootlegging, smuggling and prohibition, rum's heritage is as rich as its flavour - so pour yourself a drink and turn the page.

As wine director for the Mina Group, Parr presides over the lists at some of the country's top restaurants. In "Secrets of the Sommeliers," Parr and journalist Mackay present a fascinating portrait of the world's top wine professionals and their trade.

A collection of Irish whiskey recipes from the acclaimed Dead Rabbit in New York CityThe folks behind the world-renowned, award-winning Irish pub, Dead Rabbit, know a thing or two about whiskey, and about making great whiskey cocktails. To start, you need to understand the flavors of whiskey, which means going to the very beginning-at the distillery. With an illustrated guide of the stages of production and the differences between the various styles of whiskey, plus flavor wheels and tasting notes, you'll be well equipped to create your own drinks utilizing various Irish whiskey brands and styles before getting into the Dead Rabbit's ever-creative, innovative cocktail recipes. With a foreword by the authority on cocktails, David Wondrich, Paddy Drinks is as serious about its whiskey as it is a celebration.

Shortlisted for Harper's Bazaar Book of the Year 2019 A Guardian, Spectator and Mail on Sunday Book of the Year 2018 'A lyrical portrait of a fast-vanishing way of life . . . Thompson is a terrific writer'New Statesman Laura Thompson's grandmother Violet was one of the great landladies. Born in a London pub, she became the first woman to be given a publican's licence in her own name and, just as pubs defined her life, she seemed in many ways to embody their essence. Laura spent part of her childhood in Violet's Home Counties establishment, mesmerised by her gift for cultivating the mix of cosiness and glamour that defined the pub's atmosphere, making it a unique reflection of the national character. Her memories of this time are just as intoxicating: beer and ash on the carpets in the morning, the deepening rhythms of mirth at night, the magical brightness of glass behind the bar... Through them Laura traces the story of the English pub, asking why it has occupied such a treasured position in our culture. But even Violet, as she grew older, recognised that places like hers were a dying breed, and Laura also considers the precarious future they face. Part memoir, part social history, part elegy, The Last Landlady pays tribute to an extraordinary woman and the world she epitomised.

This book is a fully updated amalgamation of two previously published titles - Growing Vines (1972) and Wines from your Vines (1974). It is concise, yet detailed, and covers all aspects from planting the vines through cropping and vinification to enjoying the final product. The quality of English wine is constantly improving and this book will help the amateur to produce high-quality wine from home-grown grapes providing the right varieties are used and the simple rules followed.

Holiday Cocktails provides dozens of foolproof ideas for successful entertaining at home, including the basics of cocktail making, choosing the right drink for the right occasion, and serving cocktails for a crowd. It's packed with easy-to-follow recipes for seasonal favourites, from nogs to grogs, as well as classics with a twist that work year-round, such as old-fashioneds and martinis, coffee-based drinks to serve in lieu of dessert, and even nonalcoholic cocktails that are a treat unto themselves. This is the perfect book to pull off the shelf year after year when you want to make any occasion a little more festive. Holiday Cocktails, Holiday Cookies, and Party Food, three new titles in the Artisanal Kitchen series, provide an indispensable arsenal of recipes that cover all the bases for a delicious holiday season.

Three different spellings (rum, rhum, ron) for just one spirit: the one which comes from the Caribbean and the first American colonies of the seventeenth century. This book will lead you to discover this extraordinary spirit obtained from the distillation of cane sugar (agricultural) or molasses (industrial), introducing you to the history, production methods, and different styles (Spanish, British, Jamaican, French) existing today. In fact, there are very many types of rum, which differ in fermentation times, distillation equipment used, and aging: it is a varied world that this guide will help you to know and to understand. The most recognized rums sold today will be illustrated in 40 profiles, tracing their characteristics and describing their taste and colour. For each of them, a cocktail recipe will be proposed showing its ideal use. Furthermore, the final section will suggest a selection of classical or innovative cocktails based on rum and will give you all the information necessary to prepare them easily. This is also thanks to splendid photographs by Fabio Petroni, a master of the still-life genre.

It was Rachel Signer's dream to be that girl: the one smoking hand-rolled cigarettes out the windows of her 19th-century Parisian studio apartment, wearing second-hand Isabel Marant jeans and sipping a glass of Beaujolais redolent of crushed roses with a touch of horse mane. Instead she was an under-appreciated freelance journalist and waitress in New York City, frustrated at always being broke and completely miserable in love. When she tastes her first petillant-naturel (pet-nat for short), a type of natural wine made with no additives or chemicals, it sets her on a journey of self-discovery, both deeply personal and professional, that leads her to Paris, Italy, Spain, Georgia, and finally deep into the wilds of South Australia and which forces her, in the face of her "Wildman," to ask herself the hard question: can she really handle the unconventional life she claims she wants? Have you ever been sidetracked by something that turned into a career path? Did you ever think you were looking for a certain kind of romantic partner, but fell in love with someone wild, passionate and with a completely different life? For Signer, the discovery of natural wine became an introduction to a larger ethos and philosophy that she had long craved: one rooted in egalitarianism, diversity, organics, environmental concerns, and ancient traditions. In You Had Me at Pet-Nat, as Signer begins to truly understand these revolutionary wine producers upending the industry, their deep commitment to making their wine with integrity and with as little intervention as possible, she is smacked with the realization that unless she faces, head-on, her own issues with commitment, she will not be able to live a life that is as freewheeling, unpredictable, and singular as the wine she loves.

There's a basic cocktail formula for building a bar that is anything but ordinary. Spirit + Sugar + Acidity/Bitterness = Tasty Cocktail Instead of drawing on esoteric bottles of liquor, complicated syrups, and obscure sodas, this book takes readers through the home bar bottle by bottle, ensuring that every ingredient is versatile enough to be used to the last drop. Building on a very basic cocktail pantry (of Angostura bitters, sugar, citrus), each chapter thoughtfully introduces a new bottle and explains how it opens new possibilities for cocktails. Each chapter builds on the one before, so readers never encounter recipes calling for unfamiliar spirits or ingredients. RAISING THE BAR allows readers to set their own pace and maximize the usefulness of the spirits they bring home. This book will be a go-to reference for the home bartender that is practical enough for the day-to-day and special enough for a party. With handsome graphics and a smart focus on what's already in stock, it's what home mixologists can turn to when they want creative and delightful drinks without a bar cart full of single-use bottles.

Hard cider helped build North America, and this ode to the fermented drink sometimes referred to as scrumpy begins with a snapshot of that forgotten history and then goes on to present the most comprehensive guide to tasting and appreciating the diversity of today's rapidly growing cider movement. An overview of how cider is made and a tasting tutorial prepare readers for the heart of the book: Profiles of 100 ciders -- from dessert ciders, spiced ciders, and hopped ciders to perry -- along with 30 recipes for pairing and cooking with cider, plus 30 cider-based cocktails. More than two dozen stories bring to life the men and women who produce some of the hottest craft ciders around -- including 2 Towns Ciderhouse in Oregon, Blackbird Cider Works in New York, and Cidrerie Michel Jodoin in Quebec.

In 1300, women brewed and sold most of the ale drunk in England, but by 1600 the industry was largely controlled by men. Ale, Beer and Brewsters investigates this change, asking how, when, and why brewing ceased to be a woman's trade and became a trade of men. In doing so, Bennett sheds new light on a central problem in women's history: the effects of early capitalism on the status of women's work.

Take a journey through Hollywood's lifelong love affair with cocktails, celebrating the greatest characters and their iconic drinks through original illustrations and easy-to-follow recipes. From Marilyn Monroe's Manhattan in Some Like It Hot to The Dude's White Russian in The Big Lebowski to New Orleans' staple Hand Grenade in Girls Trip, there's something for everyone. Each cocktail is accompanied by the recipe, method, a history of the drink and a synopsis of its scene in the movie alongside full-colour original artwork.

Cheers to Michigan is a toast to cocktail culture in the Mitten and the state's flourishing craft cocktail and distillery movements. Based on Cheers!, Lester Graham and Tammy Coxen's popular cocktail segment on Michigan Radio (NPR), this book gathers forty-five of the authors' favorite cocktail recipes celebrating the Great Lakes State-its history, its people, its culture, even its weather! Throughout, the authors mix in dashes of Michigan's fascinating drinking history, entertaining profiles of award-winning cocktail bars, distilleries, and individual spirits from the region, as well as helpful tidbits for preparing top-shelf cocktails on your own. Learn how to mix a Bullshot, the Detroit-born cocktail containing Campbell's Beef Broth-Marilyn Monroe famously called the drink 'a horrible thing to do to vodka.' Or try out the authors' Whiskey Sour recipe honoring the true story of Valentine Goesaert, a Dearborn woman who challenged the constitutionality of a Michigan law prohibiting female bartenders and in 1948 took her case before the U.S. Supreme Court. Whether you're a fan of whiskey, gin, or vodka-of the latest cocktail trends or all-time classic drinks-there's something in this book for all tastes. What's constant is that each drink showcases a uniquely Michigan twist, making this book perfect for anyone who loves the state, its history and culture, or simply the delicious, delightful, and distinctive cocktails it has inspired.

It's a quandary shared by adventurous and indecisive drinkers alike: What should I drink tonight? Here to answer that question is Be Your Own Bartender. Through more than a dozen flowcharts, the book poses a series of questions designed to lead readers to their ideal drink. With more than 151 original recipes, there's a cocktail for every mood, taste and occasion. Are you after something tequila-based or gin-based? Do you like gin or really like gin? Are you ready to break out the muddler? And is your night winding down or just getting started? Whatever the answers, Be Your Own Bartender leads you to your destination-a cocktail effectively designed just for you. With some drinks that are truly adventurous and others that are friendlier to the cocktail novice, every recipe is created with the home bartender in mind. Divided into chapters by spirit-with bonus flowcharts for brunch drinks, holiday parties and true cocktail nerds-Be Your Own Bartender is the best way to discover the perfect cocktail for you, in a journey as user-friendly as it is fun.

In the space of a few short years, English and Welsh sparkling wines have become recognised as some of the best in the world. Improvements in viniculture, a changing climate and terroir that often mimics the conditions found in the Champagne region of France have combined with the care and attention of predominantly artisanal makers to make fantastic wine. Travelling around more than 50 vineyards, Sparkling Wine celebrates this revolution. The expert author provides tasting notes, visiting information, and details on the terroir for each vineyard, along with engaging insight into the makers and their craft. This book provides an effervescent accompaniment to any country holiday. It collates directions, maps and opening times, making for an informative and accessible guide. You are rarely as far from a vineyard as you might think, and with Sparkling Wine in your pocket, with its pictures of rambling hills and grape-laden vines, Britain's vineyards seem even closer still.

Interest in wine and mead making is on the rise as hobbyists discover that you don't need expensive equipment or elaborate calculations to make your own "bottled sunshine."

This revised and updated edition of Storey's 1992 title Country Wines offers concise instructions, a glossary of terms, and 125 recipes -- forty of which are brand-new! Even beginners can create delicious wines using common kitchen equipment and ingredients, and experienced winemakers will love the unique recipes!

"Making Wild Wines & Meads" includes offbeat but absolutely delectable recipes for fruit, flower, and herb wines; wine coolers and punches; and meads, a fermented beverage made from honey.

A horror movie inspired cocktail book with gross-looking but delicious party drinks, all wrapped up in an awesome '80s VHS package. There are 55 recipes spread across 5 chapters (shots, gelatin, punches, special fx, and non-alcoholic) inspired by classic pulp horror movies of the '80s and '90s, complete with viewing recommendations. The movies may be weird, the drinks may look gross, but the elevated drink making techniques and unusually tasty recipes keep readers and their guests interested and coming back for more. Great for theme parties, Halloween festivals, movie fans, and retro enthusiasts.

The moment he was handed a glass of Cockburn 1908 vintage port by his grandfather at 13 years old, Steven Spurrier knew he would make wine his career. He travelled Europe in his red sports car (fitted with a compact wine fridge in the boot), working the vintage in Burgundy, Bordeaux and Champagne, before his first extraordinary move was to set up shop and sell wine to the French. As an Englishman in the heart of Paris, this seemed a remarkably bold (if not foolish) project, but the plan worked. Steven's adventures in wine did not stop there. In 1976, he went on to mastermind the 'Judgement of Paris', the France v California blind tasting that changed the wine world forever. This memoir looks back on Steven's life charting the incidents, adventures, ideas and discoveries that formed his wine journey. With tributes from Hugh Johnson, Miguel Torres, Oz Clarke, Jancis Robinson MW, Warren Winiarski and many more...

Many wine drinkers would like to be more adventurous but are reluctant to experiment by choosing an unknown wine that may disappoint. There are literally tens of thousands of wines and scores of countries around the globe producing them - and shelf after shelf of different Merlots or Pinot Grigio can be a little intimidating. How to choose the right wine is one problem, deciding on what to serve it with is another. Why do some wines taste better with some foods and why do other wines taste dreadful when paired with certain dishes? This comprehensive review of wine and food offers the information needed so that people will feel empowered and ready to experiment with their wine selections and then be able to pair them with the right foods for a memorable taste experience. Every major wine producing country in the world is covered, the wine producing regions within those countries, grapes used, and the styles of wines made. Every major cuisine of the world is covered including many of the most popular dishes. The reader is then shown how to marry the right wine with the right food. Easy and accessible, this reference belongs on the shelves of any true oenophile as well as the novice wine lover.