Cask ale, real ale, bitter...whatever you want to call it, it's thriving and this book is the perfect drinking companion. Written by acclaimed beer expert Adrian Tierney-Jones, this is an accessible and interactive guide to Britain's finest beers with reviews of over 150 ales and 40 perfect pubs in which to try them. The unique journal format will help you record and rate every tasting as you work your way through beers of every hue and flavour from the nine regions of the British Isles; from the malty milds of the Midlands to the sweet, fruity golds of the South-West. With guides to beer tasting and styles, plus top ten lists of essential beers for every region, this is a must-have interactive guide to the greatest pints in Britain.

Why is wine so difficult? It might be because we in the industry have long used ridiculous tasting notes to describe wine, even though these descriptions fail to encapsulate all that a wine offers. "Notes of blackberries, tobacco, and leather." How does this odd list of a few flavors help you decide if you will like a wine? "Wine Hack" offers a new way forward. Learn wine like we in the industry learn wine. Spoiler: lots of tasting! This interactive book asks you to taste along with everyday food, drinks, and widely available wines to learn the four attributes that describe all wines, and even learn a few tricks for pairing wine with food. This is the first book on wine that starts with your mouth, not your head. Teach your mouth wine and you will learn to find wines you love on a regular basis, no matter how snooty that wine shop guy is.

This is a lavishly illustrated exploration and celebration of real cider and its close cousin perry, for both new converts to cider and more traditional cider-drinkers. With a modern, engaging design, a sharp focus and with fascinating detail, this books aims to appeal to the growing number of cider drinkers, and to persuade drinkers of characterless industrial brands of the merits of the real thing. Cider showcases the best of the British craft cider revolution, with features on some of the characters involved in cider - and perry-making and articles on the history of cider and perry, noteworthy cider pubs, making your own cider, cooking with cider, cider's place in British folklore and foreign ciders.

A spirited look at the history of alcohol, from the dawn of civilization to the modern day
Alcohol is a fundamental part of Western culture. We have been drinking as long as we have been human, and for better or worse, alcohol has shaped our civilization. "Drink" investigates the history of this Jekyll and Hyde of fluids, tracing mankind's love/hate relationship with alcohol from ancient Egypt to the present day.
"Drink" further documents the contribution of alcohol to the birth and growth of the United States, taking in the War of Independence, the Pennsylvania Whiskey revolt, the slave trade, and the failed experiment of national Prohibition. Finally, it provides a history of the world's most famous drinks-and the world's most famous drinkers. Packed with trivia and colorful characters, "Drink" amounts to an intoxicating history of the world.

The first part of the book is dedicated to the drink's creation and extraction processes, both traditional and contemporary. The second is a complete history of the beverage, from its origins in medieval alchemy to today's popular renaissance. Further chapters explore the liqueur's botanical profiles and natural properties, followed by a thorough buying guide with descriptions of bottles from Italy, Europe and beyond. Finally, Zed showcases how best to use amaro behind the bar and in the kitchen, with recipes such as The Golden Mai Tai and Bitter Goat Cheese Risotto. A lovingly crafted tribute to a celebrated drink, The Big Book of Amaro is an eye-catching triumph that will delight anyone with a passion for amaro, mixology, food science or all things Italian.

A rich romp through untold American history featuring fabulous characters, "The Wild Vine" is the tale of a little-known American grape that rocked the fine-wine world of the nineteenth century and is poised to do so again today.

Author Todd Kliman sets out on an epic quest to unravel the mystery behind Norton, a grape used to make a Missouri wine that claimed a prestigious gold medal at an international exhibition in Vienna in 1873. At a time when the vineyards of France were being ravaged by phylloxera, this grape seemed to promise a bright future for a truly American brand of wine-making, earthy and wild. And then Norton all but vanished. What happened?
The narrative begins more than a hundred years before California wines were thought to have put America on the map as a wine-making nation and weaves together the lives of a fascinating cast of renegades. We encounter the suicidal Dr. Daniel Norton, tinkering in his experimental garden in 1820s Richmond, Virginia. Half on purpose and half by chance, he creates a hybrid grape that can withstand the harsh New World climate and produce good, drinkable wine, thus succeeding where so many others had failed so fantastically before, from the Jamestown colonists to Thomas Jefferson himself. Thanks to an influential Long Island, New York, seed catalog, the grape moves west, where it is picked up in Missouri by German immigrants who craft the historic 1873 bottling. Prohibition sees these vineyards burned to the ground by government order, but bootleggers keep the grape alive in hidden backwoods plots. Generations later, retired Air Force pilot Dennis Horton, who grew up playing in the abandoned wine caves of the very winery that produced the 1873 Norton, brings cuttings of the grape back home to Virginia. Here, dot-com-millionaire-turned-vintner Jenni McCloud, on an improbable journey of her own, becomes Norton's ultimate champion, deciding, against all odds, to stake her entire reputation on the outsider grape.
Brilliant and provocative, "The Wild Vine" shares with readers a great American secret, resuscitating the Norton grape and its elusive, inky drink and forever changing the way we look at wine, America, and long-cherished notions of identity and reinvention.

"From the Hardcover edition."

Presented in a box with a foiled lid, and with 50 recipe cards featuring 1920's and Art Deco-inspired patterns, this is a beautiful gift for you or anyone you know who knows how to host a party. There's nothing like a well-balanced drink to add a bit of pizzazz to your day. Whether you're toasting a recent triumph, bringing together friends and family or just capping off a long day of work, mixing your own cocktails at home is easier than you think. Featuring 50 recipe cards for Prohibition-era classics such as the Southside and the Gimlet, and modern classics such as the Breakfast Martini, and the Bramble, The Cocktail Box is the home bartender's best friend. There are cocktails to suit every taste and occasion from bubbly and sweet fizzy drinks that bring the party spirit, to dark and aromatic blends to help you unwind. The cards are also accompanied by a short guide that includes all the equipment, techniques and tips that you need to succeed. Each card has a clear and easy to follow recipe along with a little bit of cocktail history. Gone are the days of having to prop open a book while measuring ingredients - take the card with you wherever it's easiest to see. You can also bring cocktails you want to try on your next shopping trip as a reminder of which ingredients you need. You can even use the cards to display cocktail choices at a party or announce the cocktail of the day. And when you're not sure which cocktail to try next, just shuffle the cards and pull a recipe at random for a delicious surprise!

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND A NEW YORK TIMES CRITICS' PICK "Thrilling . . . [told] with gonzo elan . . . When the sommelier and blogger Madeline Puckette writes that this book is the Kitchen Confidential of the wine world, she's not wrong, though Bill Buford's Heat is probably a shade closer." -Jennifer Senior, The New York Times Professional journalist and amateur drinker Bianca Bosker didn't know much about wine-until she discovered an alternate universe where taste reigns supreme, a world of elite sommeliers who dedicate their lives to the pursuit of flavor. Astounded by their fervor and seemingly superhuman sensory powers, she set out to uncover what drove their obsession, and whether she, too, could become a "cork dork." With boundless curiosity, humor, and a healthy dose of skepticism, Bosker takes the reader inside underground tasting groups, exclusive New York City restaurants, California mass-market wine factories, and even a neuroscientist's fMRI machine as she attempts to answer the most nagging question of all: what's the big deal about wine? What she learns will change the way you drink wine-and, perhaps, the way you live-forever. "Think: Eat, Pray, Love meets Somm." -theSkimm "As informative as it is, well, intoxicating." -Fortune

In a lively tour around the world and through the millennia, "Uncorking the Past" tells the compelling story of humanity's ingenious, intoxicating quest for the perfect drink. Following a tantalizing trail of archaeological, chemical, artistic, and textual clues, Patrick E. McGovern, the leading authority on ancient alcoholic beverages, brings us up to date on what we now know about how humans created and enjoyed fermented beverages across cultures. Along the way, he explores a provocative hypothesis about the integral role such libations have played in human evolution. We discover, for example, that the cereal staples of the modern world were probably domesticated for their potential in making quantities of alcoholic beverages. These include the delectable rice wines of China and Japan, the corn beers of the Americas, and the millet and sorghum drinks of Africa. Humans also learned how to make mead from honey and wine from exotic fruits of all kinds - even from the sweet pulp of the cacao (chocolate) fruit in the New World. The perfect drink, it turns out - whether it be mind-altering, medicinal, a religious symbol, a social lubricant, or artistic inspiration - has not only been a profound force in history, but may be fundamental to the human condition itself.

"As comprehensive as it gets" THE NEW YORK TIMES A tequila revolution is taking place, with more and more people learning to appreciate the rich culture, craft and flavour to be found in this unique spirit. The Tequila Dictionary is the drinker's guide to this wonderful world. With hundreds of entries on tequila and agave spirits covering everything from history, culture and ingredients to distilling techniques, cocktails and the many varieties of tequila, spirits expert Eric Zandona explores the truth behind this truly captivating drink.

Wine fluency is critical for a wide variety of professionals and represents an important area of executive refinement. This is not simply an interesting culinary topic. Knowing the essentials is a matter of critical business etiquette. Failing to have such knowledge can also leave you vulnerable to certain etiquette mistakes in various professional contexts.

The good news is that the learning experience can be easy and fun, and there is no need to descend into wine snobbery along the way. Use this book and the FREE VIDEO SUPPLEMENTS to ensure you know the essentials.

THE ESSENTIALS:
-Facts you should know about certain wine regions
-Key characteristics of various grapes and wines
-How to confidently pair wine with food
-Discussion of iconic wines that you should recognize
-Review of wine etiquette essentials

FREE VIDEO SUPPLEMENTS: As you read through this book you will be directed to www.executivewineeducation.com where you will find free supplemental videos and other materials to accompany your reading and enhance your learning experience.

This book, and the related free videos, represents the wine course they should have taught you in business school

"Thoughtfully conceived and very well written, this is essential somm reading."-The Somm Journal "This is the most important wine book of the year, perhaps in many years."-The Seattle Times "Crisply written, impeccably researched, balanced if fundamentally enthusiastic, scholarly but accessible, and full of unexpected details and characters."-The World of Fine Wine No wine category has seen more dramatic growth in recent years than American Rhone-variety wines. Winemakers are devoting more energy, more acreage, and more bottlings to Rhone varieties than ever before. The flagship Rhone red, Syrah, is routinely touted as one of California's most promising varieties, capable of tremendous adaptability as a vine, wonderfully variable in style, and highly expressive of place. There has never been a better time for American Rhone wine producers. American Rhone is the untold history of the American Rhone wine movement. The popularity of these wines has been hard fought; this is a story of fringe players, unknown varieties, and longshot efforts finding their way to the mainstream. It's the story of winemakers gathering sufficient strength in numbers to forge a triumph of the obscure and the brash. But, more than this, it is the story of the maturation of the American palate and a new republic of wine lovers whose restless tastes and curiosity led them to Rhone wines just as those wines were reaching a critical mass in the marketplace. Patrick J. Comiskey's history of the American Rhone wine movement is both a compelling underdog success story and an essential reference for the wine professional.

THE PERFECT GIFT FOR ANYONE WHO ENJOYS A TIPPLE . . . OR TWO . . . OR TEN! Almost every culture on earth has drink, and where there's drink there's drunkenness. But in every age and in every place drunkenness is a little bit different. Tracing humankind's love affair with booze from our primate ancestors through to Prohibition, it answers every possible question: What did people drink? How much? Who did the drinking? Of the many possible reasons, why? On the way, learn about the Neolithic Shamans, who drank to communicate with the spirit world (no pun intended), marvel at how Greeks got giddy and Romans got rat-arsed, and find out how bars in the Wild West were never like the movies. This is a history of the world at its inebriated best. 'This book is a laugh riot. I mean the way the author has presented it is hilarious and to the point' Goodreads Reviewer 'Highly entertaining. Cheers! Bottoms up! Good health!' Goodreads Reviewer 'It can make a good gift for someone with a sense of humour and appreciation for the magical powers of alcohol' Goodreads Reviewer

Originally published in 1937 by the United Kingdom Bartenders Guild, Cafe Royal Cocktail Book compiled by William J Tarling offers a rare glimpse into the wide array of drinks offered in London bars between the two world wars. Tarling, head bartender at the Cafe Royal during had two goals. He wanted to extend thisresource to consumers. He alsowanted to raise funds for the United Kingdom Bartenders Guild Sickness Fund and the Cafe Royal Sports Club Fund. Thus, he drew from the recipes previously compiled for Approved Cocktails, and added more of his own. He also collected many more original recipes from his contemporaries. The result was an outstanding and timely book. It did more than gather recipes, it captured a boom time in the history of cocktails, glass by glass. Sadly, there was only one printing and it became an unobtainable rarity, locking away a time capsule of drinks and knowledge. Reproduced in collaboration with the UKBG, Exposition Universelle des Vins et Spiritueux, and Mixellany Books, this facsimile edition unlocks that knowledge for a new generation of consumers and bartenders around the world. Within these pages are some of the earliest known recipes for drinks made with tequila and vodka as well as memorable concoctions made with absinthe and other recently revived ingredients-an essential addition to every cocktail book library.