At the center of this engrossing tale of murder, mayhem and civil war in Mexico entitled "Tequila Wars: The Bloody Struggle for the Spirit of Mexico," written by Ted Genoways and published by WW Norton, is the enigmatic figure of Jose Cuervo and the traumatic decades of sweeping social and economic change which followed the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz. I thank the folks at Norton for allowing me access to an ARC of the text, and I am pleased to report that it is a fascinating book for anyone with even the slightest interest in Mexican history. In many ways, the author places Cuervo and his iconic product as a kind of marker for the kind of change which swept Mexico following the collapse of the abortive Hapsburg monarchy and the ensuing years of fast paced change in Mexico. The text traces the growth of the tequila industry and the leading figures in its development and uses them to introduce and expand upon the nature of social and economic change in Mexico as Diaz toppled and Mexico descended into civil war. The story has a bit of everything, almost Shakespearean in this retelling. I have never read a finer description of the circumstances and pressures that forged the emerging nation of Mexico in the late nineteenth century and through the troubled first few decades of the twentieth. The choice of Jose Cuervo as a nexus for all of this is inspired. Family, religion, wealth and the titanic military struggle that ultimately laid the foundations for the modern Mexican state are all carefully set forth as a sort of window into the world of the ascendant middle class in Mexico as it began to define and assert itself. Reading this book would be of benefit to scholars already focused on Mexican history and to new or aspiring students trying to make sense of Mexico's place in the modern world.

Ted Genoways is a two-time James Beard Award winner and the author of Tequila Wars really did detailed research in the historical documents. An amazing story of the tequila empire built during a pivotal period in Mexican history. I am proud to be a tequila drinker who can now recount this unbelevable history.

Did you know that tequila is named after a volcano? I didn’t! I also had no idea that José Cuervo was a real person until I picked up this book. The Tequila Wars dives deep into the rivalry between Cenobio Sauza, José Cuervo, and the Mexican government in the 1800s, revealing the corruption, power struggles, and intrigue behind Mexico’s most famous spirit.

This was such an interesting read. I’m not usually a big nonfiction person, but I love learning about the history of food and alcohol. When I travel, I make it a point to explore local cuisine and beverages, and Mexico is one of my favorite destinations. The food, the culture, the people—I love it all. I’ve also been on a streak of reading Mexican fiction set in the 1800s and early 1900s, so this book felt like the perfect fit, and I was right.

Alongside its rich history, I really appreciated the old photographs, maps, and documents woven throughout the book. They helped bring the story to life. Also, I was fascinated to learn that agave plants take 12 years to mature—talk about patience! It’s clear that The Tequila Wars was thoroughly researched, and if this is a topic that interests you, it will absolutely scratch that itch. However, if history books aren’t your thing, even when they cover engaging subjects, this might not be for you.

After finishing, I have an overwhelming urge to book another trip to Mexico, visit Tequila, and see where all of this history unfolded. Salud! And muchas gracias to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for the eARC—I learned so much!