The story of Cain's, like the story of Liverpool, is one of passion, ambition, and graft. It takes in immigration, global trade, terrible poverty, and vast wealth. In just two generations, the Cain family went from the slums of Irish Liverpool to a seat in the House of Lords. As the city grew, so did the brewery, and as the city struggled, so Cain's fought for survival. At the height of Liverpool's fortunes, Robert Cain owned 200 public houses across Merseyside, including the world famous Philharmonic Dining Rooms -'The Phil' - which he built. City and brewery have shared the highs and lows of recent Liverpool history and the remarkable revival of Cain's by another immigrant family, the Dusanjs, in the twenty-first century is matched by the city's own recovery and reinvention. Here, then, is the story of Liverpool in a pint.

Through a Sparkling Glass will both educate and entertain you on the wonder and joy of wine and its place in our lives and culture. From the importance of ageing (wine and people) to Champagne cork removal the correct way, Epicurus to Ernest Hemingway, Moscato to Rose, and the notion ofauthentic wine happiness. An A-Z of wine stories, information and life lessons. Each essay or entry concludes with a list of key facts about the particular subject. Through a Sparkling Glass firmly places wine and all its wonder at the centre of our enjoyment of life and culture and the way we live our lives. Entries cover aspects of wine production, varieties, history and myth, tradition and custom, modern manners, the philosophy of life and celebrating the mystery of wine. A delight to dip into, Through a Sparkling Glass will inform you in the most entertaining way and introduce you to pleasures found in your wine glass. The book taps into the emerging 'emotional palate' category of wine writers such as Alice Fiering (US) and Terry Thiesse (US). This has been successfully replicated in food writing and literature. A perfect book for those who love wine, food and the finer things in life. As well as those who want to enhance their knowledge of wine but want an entertaining way to attain that information. The book will be a well-designed gift package making it the perfect gift for intelligent men or women whoenjoy wine as part of a sophisticated mix of culinary delights rather than as an academic or technical pursuit. This book lifts wine writing out of the niche market full of technical information and into the domain of human engagement and real life where wine is enjoyed and broadly experienced.

Did you know that coffee was recommended as protection against the bubonic plague in the seventeenth century? Or that tea was believed to make men 'unfit to do their business' and blamed for women becoming unattractive? On the other hand, a cup of chocolate was supposed to have exactly the opposite effect on the drinker's sex life and physical appearance. These three beverages arrived in England in the 1650s from faraway, exotic places: tea from China, coffee from the Middle East and chocolate from Mesoamerica. Physicians, diarists and politicians were quick to comment on their supposed benefits and alleged harmfulness, using newspapers, pamphlets and handbills both to promote and denounce their sudden popularity. Others seized the opportunity to serve the growing appetite for these newly discovered drinks by setting up coffee houses or encouraging one-upmanship in increasingly elaborate tea-drinking rituals. How did the rowdy and often comical initial reception of these drinks form the roots of today's enduring caffeine culture? From the tale of the goatherd whose animals became frisky on coffee berries to a duchess with a goblet of poisoned chocolate, this book, illustrated with eighteenth-century satirical cartoons and early advertisements, tells the extraordinary story of our favourite hot drinks.