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The Drunken Botanist

The Plants That Create the World's Great Drinks

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The Drunken Botanist

By: Amy Stewart
Narrated by: Coleen Marlo
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About this listen

Every great drink starts with a plant. Sake began with a grain of rice. Scotch emerged from barley. Gin was born from a conifer shrub when medieval physicians boiled juniper berries with wine to treat stomach pain. The Drunken Botanist uncovers the surprising botanical history and fascinating science and chemistry of over 150 plants, flowers, trees, and fruits (and even a few fungi).

Some of the most extraordinary and obscure plants have been fermented and distilled, and they each represent a unique cultural contribution to global drinking traditions and our history. Molasses was an essential ingredient of American independence when outrage over a mandate to buy British rather than French molasses for New World rum-making helped kindle the American Revolution. Captain James Cook harvested the young, green tips of spruce trees to make a vitamin C-rich beer that cured his crew of scurvy - a recipe that Jane Austen enjoyed so much that she used it as a plot point in Emma.

With over 50 drink recipes, growing tips for gardeners, and advice that carries Stewart's trademark wit, this is the perfect listen for gardeners and cocktail aficionados alike.

©2013 Amy Stewart. Recorded by arrangement with Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, a division of Workman Publishing Company, Inc. (P)2013 HighBridge Company Botany & Plants Gardening & Horticulture Gastronomy Wine & Beverages World

Critic Reviews

"A rich compendium of botanical lore for cocktail lovers." ( Kirkus)

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Fun, informative book for anyone who eats or drink

Loved the Drunken Botanist! Well written and very well voiced. Recommended for drinkers, eaters and gardeners alike.

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