Drinking is synonymous with creative types, such as painter William De Kooning and playwright Tennessee Williams, but gardeners and scientists? Amy Stewart’s new book, The Drunken Botanist – The Plants That Create the World’s Great Drinks, sets the record straight that gardeners and scientists like their booze just as much as artists. And justifiably so, as drinking was ‘research’ for Stewart’s latest book on the interesting subject of liquor’s botany basis.
This an excerpt from the Drunken Botanist website: 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.
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.
This fascinating concoction of biology, chemistry, history, etymology, and mixology–with more than fifty drink recipes and growing tips for gardeners–will make you the most popular guest at any cocktail party.
Watch this hilarious video of the Drunken Botanist book trailer (yes, apparently books have to have trailers, just like movies):
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0kVmATbwRY?hl=en_US]
Kirkus Reviews said, “Gardeners, nature lovers and mixologists will find themselves reaching frequently for this volume . . . A rich compendium of botanical lore for cocktail lovers.”
Grow Your Own Cocktail Plants
And if you’re looking for cocktail-friendly plants to grow yourself, check out Territorial’s Drunken Botanist Plant Collection. You can also find these plants at retail garden centers on the West Coast served by wholesale nursery Log House Plants.
About Amy Stewart
Amy Stewart is the award-winning author of seven books on the perils and pleasures of the natural world, including three New York Times bestsellers, Wicked Bugs, Wicked Plants, and Flower Confidential. She lives in Eureka, California, with her husband Scott Brown. They own Eureka Books, an antiquarian bookstore, and tend a flock of unruly hens in their backyard. And when she’s not writing, you can find her doing ‘research’ at her favorite watering hole: Oberon.
The Drunken Botanist was published in 2013 by Algonquin Books and is available through your local independent bookstore, or head HERE to get a copy on Amazon ($12).