The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World's Great Drinks in Science and Inquiry

Dec 20, 2022 Petra X rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 10-star-books, 2022-reviews, 2022-read, cookery-food-diet, history, reviewed, travel-adventure-countries, house-garden, misc-reference

Review Last 10 star book of the season. My criteria for a 10 star book is really enjoyable, I learn quite a lot and it gives me plenty to think over. When I started the book which is a list of every botanical associated with alcoholic drinks imaginable I didn't imagine it would be this good. There are anecdotes and notes from history, science, gardening and specialist mixologists that enliven it and it is quite an achievement of research. You really don't need to drink alcohol to appreciate this Review Last 10 star book of the season. My criteria for a 10 star book is really enjoyable, I learn quite a lot and it gives me plenty to think over. When I started the book which is a list of every botanical associated with alcoholic drinks imaginable I didn't imagine it would be this good. There are anecdotes and notes from history, science, gardening and specialist mixologists that enliven it and it is quite an achievement of research. You really don't need to drink alcohol to appreciate this book. It would help though if you have an interest in plants and the natural world.

Exceptionally enjoyable and well-written book. I will turn to it time and again for recommendations of what tastes nice with what and how to make drinks. I can't say that I would make them myself as I don't drink at home,and out just the occasional cocktail out and wine with a meal but i would like a barman to make me some of the concoctions and I know now not to order tequila which is simply a 'mixto' of up to 49% nothing-to-do-with-agave sugars and various tequilas, but to order 100% tequila or mezcal (without the marketing ploy of worm+bacteria) as they can be subtle, woodsy or sweet. I have never liked tequila except mixed, but now I know that I have never had the real stuff, I'm quite eager to try it.
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Reading notes Do you like those cherries you get in cocktails, maraschino cherries? You might not like them so much after reading what they actually are. Real maraschino cherries, these days, are made from a dark, sour cherry marinated in maraschino liqueur. They originated in Croatia but are now made in Italy. American maraschino cherries are of a bigger, sweet variety that have ben bleached in sulfur dioxide which removes the colour, then have added calcuium carbonate to harden them. What is left was described in an agricultural report as, 'nothing but bleached cellulose in the shape of a cherry' which is then dyed red with coal tar, flavoured with benzaldehyde and packed in sugar syrup. Should you want to try the real thing, a company called Luxardo makes them or make your own (recipe in the book).
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Aquavit is made in the most incredible, unimaginable way. A Norwegian trading ship in 1805 took Aquavit to Indonesia in sherry casks, but were unable to sell it and returned with it. Whereupon they found it tasted much, much better. They thought it was the sherry casks, but that didn't work. It was the sea voyage in both tropical and cold waters causing the casks to expand and contract that released more flavour from the wood. Unable to reproduce it in any other way, casks of Aquavit now voyage around the world for 4.5 months on cargo ships. They go to 35 countries and cross the equator twice and it's all printed on the label. I don't think I've drunk Aquavit but I want to try it now.
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The origins of 'proof' on alcohol labels. In the 1500s sailors were given beer to drink, but it went bad on long voyages so they were given a pint of rum but that got them drunk, so it was watered down with added lime juice and sugar (to combat scurvy and make it taste better). This was given to the sailors twice a day.

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.
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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.

The first is that century plants have lots of fearsome spikes and the second is that unless someone planted them in their garden, they tend to grow on the sides of cliffs. They are very beautiful - flower spikes up to 20' high that bloom with masses of yellow flowers that the birds love. When the flowers die they are replaced by woody buds. The locals cut them down then and spray them silver or gold and use them for Christmas trees. Kids cut them half a dozen down, remove the branches and buds and lash the stems together for rafts that eventually sink but are good and buoyant for quite a while. Here's a nice picture of one http://www.naturesongs.com/vvplants/c... I would like to try making it though. ...more

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Mar 08, 2013 Shellie (Layers of Thought) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: genre-cooking-health, genre-non-fiction, genre-science-history-travel, fav-non-fiction, read-in-2013, lot-reviews-2013, element-audio-books

Original review posted at Layers of Thought.

A tastefully fun book for anyone interested in knowing the background for the ingredients that go into creating your favorite alcoholic drinks, including chemistry, historical drama, archeology, recipes, and a fun layout with illustrations and intriguing snippets. This is an excellent book for the geeky imbiber and/or gardener.

Shellie’s thoughts: Definitely not dry, this book has been broken down visually and thematically for clarity, so it’s not like Original review posted at Layers of Thought.

A tastefully fun book for anyone interested in knowing the background for the ingredients that go into creating your favorite alcoholic drinks, including chemistry, historical drama, archeology, recipes, and a fun layout with illustrations and intriguing snippets. This is an excellent book for the geeky imbiber and/or gardener.

Shellie’s thoughts: Definitely not dry, this book has been broken down visually and thematically for clarity, so it’s not like reading a text book. With an easy to digest visual style the book’s contents are divided into three major parts. The first is Distillation and Fermentation where the author alphabetically addresses the plants Agave through Wheat (including an end section called Strange Brews). The second part is Suffusions and it tells about the plant flavors which are added to the basic alcohols mentioned. It’s then broken down into Herbs, Flowers, Spices, Trees, Fruits, Nuts, and Seeds. The third part then covers the plants that are added to the drinks after they are mixed in a glass, using the topics Botanical Mixers and Garnishes.

Happily at the end of many of the sections for the book the author includes recipes for cocktail, syrups, infusions, and garnishes. She embeds short informational snippets on various subjects such as “A Field Guide to Tequila and Mezcal”, “Bugs in Booze”, “What’s the Difference between Ale and Lager”, “Know your Gins”, and more. The book also makes recommendation of what brands of liquors to use, which not to bother with, and other suggestions for creating upscale and finely crafted libations. It also has some gardening advice on growing plants for your own personal garden so that you can add them to your drinks.

I listened to the book in audio first then took a look at it in its hardbound format for further in-depth digging - and I loved both. The audio version was well read from a reader with a pleasant voice and featured a little clink of a glasses to designate the reading of each recipe. I did however feel the need to be able to look at the layout of the book’s organization, so the hardbound version may be little more practical.

This is a completely fun book which I would recommend. If you enjoy tasteful and upscale libations, are interested in how and what you are drinking is made, and would like some historical details and drama around the process in their creation then this will be a book for you. It would also make a wonderful gift for gardeners and drinkers alike. 4.5 stars. ...more

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