"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.

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.

Once little more than party fuel, tequila has graduated to the status of fine sipping spirit. How the Gringos Stole Tequila traces the spirit's evolution in America from frat-house firewater to luxury good. But there's more to the story than tequila as upmarket drinking trend. Chantal Martineau spent several years immersing herself in the world of tequila--traveling to visit distillers and agave farmers in Mexico, meeting and tasting with leading experts and mixologists around the United States, and interviewing academics on either side of the border who have studied the spirit. The result is a book that offers readers a glimpse into the social history and ongoing impact of this one-of-a-kind drink. It addresses issues surrounding the sustainability of the limited resource that is agave, the preservation of traditional production methods, and the agave advocacy movement that has grown up alongside the spirit's swelling popularity. In addition to discussing the culture and politics of Mexico's most popular export, the book takes readers on a colorful tour of the country's Tequila Trail, as well as introducing them to the mother of tequila: mezcal.

When George Washington bade farewell to his officers, he did so in New York's Fraunces Tavern. When Andrew Jackson planned his defense of New Orleans against the British in 1815, he met Jean Lafitte in a grog shop. And when John Wilkes Booth plotted with his accomplices to carry out a certain assassination, they gathered in Surratt Tavern. In America Walks into a Bar, Christine Sismondo recounts the rich and fascinating history of an institution often reviled, yet always central to American life. She traces the tavern from England to New England, showing how even the Puritans valued "a good Beere." With fast-paced narration and lively characters, she carries the story through the twentieth century and beyond, from repeated struggles over licensing and Sunday liquor sales, from the Whiskey Rebellion to the temperance movement, from attempts to ban "treating" to Prohibition and repeal. As the cockpit of organized crime, politics, and everyday social life, the bar has remained vital-and controversial-down to the present. In 2006, when the Hurricane Katrina Emergency Tax Relief Act was passed, a rider excluded bars from applying for aid or tax breaks on the grounds that they contributed nothing to the community. Sismondo proves otherwise: the bar has contributed everything to the American story. In this heady cocktail of agile prose and telling anecdotes, Sismondo offers a resounding toast to taprooms, taverns, saloons, speakeasies, and the local hangout where everybody knows your name.

A beautifully packaged look at the world's finest whiskies, with detailed photography of each bottle Rare Whisky is a stylish exploration of the world's finest and rarest whiskies, exquisitely packaged in a hardback book with slipcase. This book looks at the most exceptional whiskies across the world, focusing on key producers such as Scotland, Ireland, the USA and Japan, as well as interesting rarities from the likes of India and Taiwan. This book is beautifully designed to highlight the unique qualities of each and every exceptional whisky featured within. Whether you want to brush up on the classics, hunt down the rarities or find out the rich history of any number of whiskies, this is the book for you. Once you acquire a taste for the vast knowledge included in this book, you will be eager to take a trip around the world of whisky right away! With beautiful photography of extremely rare bottles, from a breathtaking 1920s vintage sold at auction to the best offerings from recent years, Rare Whisky is essential reading for all whisky lovers.

An imaginative natural history survey of the wide world of spirits, from whiskey and gin to grappa and moonshine In this follow-up book to A Natural History of Wine and A Natural History of Beer, authors Rob DeSalle and Ian Tattersall yet again use alcoholic beverages as a lens through which to gain a greater appreciation of natural history. This volume considers highly alcoholic spirits in the context of evolution, ecology, history, primatology, molecular biology, physiology, neurobiology, chemistry, and even astrophysics. With the help of illustrator Patricia Wynne, DeSalle and Tattersall address historical and cultural aspects and ingredients, the distillation process, and spirits and their effects. They also call on an international group of colleagues to contribute chapters on brandy, vodka, tequila, whiskies, gin, rum, eaux-de-vie, schnapps, baiju, grappa, ouzo, and cachaca. Covering beverages from across the globe and including descriptions of the experience of tasting each drink, this book offers an accessible and comprehensive exploration of the scientific dimensions of spirits.