Did you know rum was once the spirit of America? How about tequila being the fuel of a revolution that changed Mexico forever? What about modern drink advertising starting with scotch whisky? These are the kind of timeless cultural links that appear across the history of alcoholic spirits all over the world. To understand these connections is to understand the evolution of society, with spirits like gin, rum, whisky and vodka all shaping politics, marketing and pop culture.

A History Of Alcoholic Spirits: How Our Favourite Tipples Changed The World is an exploration of how all these themes come together. Discover the hidden histories of Western spirits like mezcal and vodka and the deep roots of Eastern spirits like Chinese baijiu and Korean soju. Meet the eclectic cast of characters responsible for creating the world’s most popular spirit categories and the crusaders who tried to tear them down in the name of decency and political gain.

A History Of Alcoholic Spirits is an ideal introduction to the world of spirits for bartenders looking to improve their knowledge and people looking for new bottles to add to their home bars.