The Drunken Botanist- The Plants That Create The World's Great Drinks

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Although there were hundreds of interesting facts regarding the various plant species, I would like to list just a few to give the readers an idea that the book was interesting and did not just discuss making booze. Absinthe doesn't make you drunk [crazy] because of the wormwood being fermented but the fact that it was originally bottles at 70% ABV as opposed to Brandy commonly bottled at 40% ABV. Since it was 75% stronger you got drunk and started acting crazy much sooner than had you been drinking Brandy which was very commonly drunk when people favored absinthe. In this regard think of Henry Miller and Anais Nin. Of all the extraordinary and obscure plants that have been fermented and distilled, a few are dangerous, some are downright bizarre, and one is as ancient as dinosaurs—but each represents a unique cultural contribution to our global drinking traditions and our history. Sake began with a grain of rice. Scotch emerged from barley, tequila from agave, rum from sugarcane, bourbon from corn. Thirsty yet? In The Drunken Botanist , Amy Stewart explores the dizzying array of herbs, flowers, trees, fruits, and fungi that humans have, through ingenuity, inspiration, and sheer desperation, contrived to transform into alcohol over the centuries. This is a great book, very interesting. It all started when Stewart went to a liquor store with her friend.

Despite my love-hate relationship with potted plants (they keep dying), the title of this book immediately caught my attention. Maybe that’s because I have a love-love relationship with liquors and most kinds of alcohol, who knows. While writing this review, I was sipping a good red port and musing over all the great anecdotes in this book. The book is best described as an encyclopaedia of the botanical origins of drinks, and how people came to make alcohol out of every plant they could find, such as the banana. Sometimes I really do admire the inventiveness of humans. So grab a nice drink of your choosing and let me tell you a bit more about this book. This book goes into meticulous detail in listing all the plants, trees, herbs, nuts, flowers, spices and pretty much anything else that has ever been fermented and distilled to make alcohol. Stewart tells how agaves are harvested, what that flavor in Amaretto di Saronno is (nope, not almonds), what kind of bugs find their way into what liquour and gives comparison charts for the multiples of say, violet liqueurs. This isn't just a gathering of dry facts though; when something is badly made Stewart tells you. I have both books, I will read them by myself and wish I had someone with whom I could discuss the contents.Eines meiner Hasswörter in der Welt der Spirituosen ist das von Gin-Hipstern immer gern verwendete Wort “botanicals” geworden, das zusammen mit der Ächtung der im deutschsprachigen Raum bis vor wenigen Jahren üblichen Wortkombination “Gin Tonic” – wer nur ansatzweise etwas auf sich hält, bestellt heutzutage einen britisch-korrekten “Gin and Tonic” – in die Bars Einzug gehalten hat. Was an dem kantig-klobigen Wort “Pflanzenextrakt” die hippe Szene stört, ist klar, es ist nicht cool genug. Nun lasse ich sie das englische Wort im deutschen Satz gern gebrauchen – unter der Voraussetzung, dass sie wenigstens wissen, wovon sie reden. Mit dem Buch von Amy Stewart lässt sich ein gewisser Bildungsbedarf schnell, unterhaltsam und umfassend nachholen. Sake began with a grain of rice. Scotch emerged from barley, tequila from agave, rum from sugarcane, bourbon from corn. Thirsty yet? In The Drunken Botanist, Amy Stewart explores the dizzying array of herbs, flowers, trees, fruits, and fungi that humans have, through ingenuity, inspiration, and sheer desperation, contrived to transform into alcohol over the centuries.

The Drunken Botanist was a very interesting and informative book. I wanted to put something light and a bit different on my list, and this one fit that bill quite nicely... In summary, this is a great book to add to your book collection. It's not what I consider to be a must read but it will serve you well as a an excellent reference piece. The book is well researched and well arranged for easy access of topics. The one thing clear I got out of this book is never underestimate human's ingenuity in producing great drinks from practically every plant on this one globe we live on. If you are a biologist, gardener or a bartender, this is a must read, for everyone else this is a must have. I recommend it! The writing here covers the many various plants, herbs, and spices involved in the production of alcoholic drinks. Stewart's writing proceeds through the various different plants in an alphabetical fashion, while splicing in many different associated drink recipies along the way. This book is about how plants are used in the making of alcoholic beverages from vegetative matter that serves as the primary ingredient in fermentation to obscure herbs and berries used to lend subtle flavoring. The book covers a lot of ground, being at once a guide to the chemistry of fermentation and distillation, a mixologist’s recipe book, and a guide to growing the plants used to make booze. I just had an arresting moment when feces, two thousand years old, were discovered in the 1950s and analyzed. It did not go off well.I had never heard of chartreuse, but must tell you, this post has enriched my life and that of my friends. Our first batch was made collectively in early June, about gallon-size and containing 32 herbs. Before the month was out, a few of us gathered to make another bigger batch, so there would be some left after sharing. We benefited from one of our group, an excellent herb gardener, and did a little foraging and came up with about 62 herbs and spices that round! Absent the drought, I know we could have done better, but 130 seems out of reach! Supplies are dwindling again as we head into the holidays, so we are contemplating trying it with dried herbs, but the fresh were so lovely! I have yet to invest in a bottle of the real thing for comparison, but we have noticed that those who taste will either love it or be quite immune to its charms. Perhaps a cilantro effect. For the non-drinkers among us, we also made an equivalent vinegar version.

Amy Stewart has a way of making gardening seem exciting, even a little dangerous.” — The New York Times A great gin or a fine French liqueur is flavored with innumerable herbs, seeds, and fruit, some of them added during distillation and some just before bottling. And once a bottle gets to the bar, a third round of plants are called into service: mixers like mint, lemon, and—if the party’s at my house—fresh jalapeño. I structured the book around this journey from mash tub and still, to bottle, to glass. Do yourself a favor and watch it! Even the worms have a happy moment! Believe me, those hangovers are REAL! But they were very unahppy and demanded proof that they were getting all the alcohol they were entitled to so a quantity of gunpowder was mixed with rum, if it was too watery it wouldn't ignite, if it was 57% alcohol it would catch on fire. The ship's purser would mix the rum and gunpowder before the crew and light it on fire, 'proof' of it's strength. So a bottle of UK rum saying 100 proof is 57% alcohol. In the US 100 proof is 50% alcohol. I loved this book. While the format is something like an encyclopedia, I read it cover-to-cover, and was sad when i reached the end; the entries were that informative and well-written that it was more engaging than some novels I've read recently.

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The first plant featured is an agave, a century plant, they grow around here, so I was interested to know how to make pulque because it is ferments in a day. First you have to wait for the flower spike which is about every 8-10 years, not 100. You lop it off. The stem swells. After a while you cut inside, the centre rots. You scoop out the centre and it fills daily with sap. 250 gallons is possible before the agave dies. The pulque which is an 'acquired taste' but can be flavoured with fruits is ready a day or so later. Two things stop me from doing this. When Coca-Cola made its ill-fated switch to New Coke, the Wall Street Journal reported that the economy of Madagascar nearly collapsed because of the sudden drop in demand for vanilla. The company refused, as always, to comment on its secret formula, but the inference was that the original Coke recipe called for vanilla and the new version did not.' The bread is not only delicious, but also extremely healthy. As children, we had our fill of both bread, nuts and non-fermented fruit. We knew which fruits to avoid and which were safe. I miss it every day! Humans and animals rejoice together in Marula season :-)

A book that makes familiar drinks seem new again . . . Through this horticultural lens, a mixed drink becomes a cornucopia of plants.”—NPR's Morning Edition Stewart creates an adventure for the readers regarding plants ranging from agave to wheat. One humorous story is about pear cider. It is smooth going down, then your stomach sounds like thunder, and it exits your body like lightening. Despite that memorable description, she highly recommends trying pear cider. The second part delves into the plants that are added for flavoring or the like, and these are organized by: 1.) herbs and spices, 2.) flowers, 3.) trees, 4.) fruit, and 5.) nuts and seeds. I really thought I was going to enjoy this book more than I did. It's well-researched, it has some funny anecdotes and it's a great book to have but it's not necessarily what I consider a must read. A must have, but not a must read.A well-balanced book..some history, some horticulture, and recipes too. The book is structured around the journey from the desired plant to still, to bottle, to glass.