The Drunken Botanist: The Plants that Create the World’s Great Drinks: 10th Anniversary Edition Hardcover – Illustrated, March 19, 2013

This is a gift for a friend who has a deep interest in what various substances, including plants, can do to a body. I finally found a book not already in the vast collection used for reference in their talks!!

This book turned out to be an excellent reference on plants and their many uses by humans. The author discussed many plant uses beside fermenting plant starches into sugars by the addition of yeasts. One could tell the author loved discussing plants with the occasional witty remark and her extensive knowledge of each of the various species. If one could find a fault with the book, it might be the inclusion of many species of which all but those engaged in botanical research would be familiar. But that aside the book was a fun and informative read. The author chose to list all the various plants by their common names rather than list them by their Latin nomenclature, as is more typical in many botanical references, and this point was greatly appreciated.Although there were hundreds of interesting facts regarding the various plant species, I would like to list just a few to give the readers an idea that the book was interesting and did not just discuss making booze.1. We learn the Barley is the most prolific grain at converting its starches into sugar to make alcohol because it has a high level of enzymes and that it is an easy plant to grow not being much affected by cold, drought, or poor soil conditions.2. Peat is what gives Scotch its particular taste.3. Kentucky produces 90% of all the bourbon in the world. [p47]4. Cork comes from the Portuguese Oak [Quercus Suber. It is stripped annually with each tree yielding about 4k corks, primarily used in wine bottling, yet the trees regenerate new bark each year and live for about 2 centuries before finally dying.5. The real difference between American and Canadian whiskeys is that each batch of American whiskey reguires a new oak barrel, while Canadians can use barrels previously used for making wine or whiskey before. This gives it more flavor than American bourbon, but each batch may taste slightly different depending on what the barrels had previously held.6. Absinthe doesn't make you drunk [crazy] because of the wormwood being fermented but the fact that it was originally bottles at 70% ABV as opposed to Brandy commonly bottled at 40% ABV. Since it was 75% stronger you got drunk and started acting crazy much sooner than had you been drinking Brandy which was very commonly drunk when people favored absinthe. In this regard think of Henry Miller and Anais Nin.7. Vodka became popular in America only after WWII because distillers couldn't get enough grain to use, so begged potato growers to send them all the small and misshapen potatoes they had, since appearance wouldn't matter. Distillers sold 1M gallons of Vodka in 1946 and 30M by 1965. BTW, Vodka uses rye, wheat, and other grains in its manufacture, but most Americans think of it as only made from Potatoes. There is also a big controversy over where Vodka originated, whether Poland or Russia. [p70]8. We also learn that that the agave plant used to make Tequila is not a cactus but a member of the asparagus family, and that each plant yields enough sap to make about 250 gallons of maguay beer, which was drunk some 2K years ago. How do we know that; well it is because some scientist analyzed some 2k year old coprofites. :-09. Although humans have about 25k different genes, an apple tree has 57k.There was also a nice and lengthy section on herbs made from the green or fleshy part of plants and spices made from the bark, root, stem, or seed of plants.As you can see there was a lot more to the book than the simple making of booze. Highly recommended.

Just last night, I went to a booksigning with Amy Stewart for "The Drunken Botanist", the first time I'd heard Stewart speak. Her talk was as infectiously good-spirited (heh heh) as her writing. And, as in her book, there's tons of humor. I laughed when Amy said that when she was researching her previous book, "Wicked Bugs", she had no volunteers to help her. But when she started researching booze for "The Drunken Botanist", "everyone wanted to carry my suitcase".There are all kinds of books out now covering mixology and the new cocktails, etc. What sets Amy's book apart is that she is a horticulturist, and she tells you about the fabulous plants that make or go into all the different kinds of fermented beverages man has come up with.The book is divided into three parts:1. Plants that are fermented to make the alcohol (wheat, potatoes, grapes, etc.)2. Plants that are added to the alcohol (hops, gentian, aloe, etc.)3. Plants that make up mixers and garnishes (spearmint, pomegranate, pepper, etc.)Throughout the book, in the appropriate chapters, are recipes for 50 cocktails, and 13 syrups, infusions and garnishes, such as limoncello and "Brine your own olives".This isn't a staid recitation of facts, but engaging, encompassing and trivia-filled reading. For example, the chapter on sugar cane (in part 1), tells you:- the first and current places sugarcane is cultivated and how it is cultivated- the botany of sugarcane- how to make rum- spirits made from sugar cane- how rum became linked to British sailors- drink recipesDid you know that the British navy had rum rations for it's sailors until 1970! Do you know how to tell "real" tonic water from the cheap imitation? How about why a splash of water actually heightens the flavor of a spirit instead of diluting it?There's a member of the iris family called Orris (part 2) which is used in almost every gin made. Yet is is cultivated on only 173 acres worldwide. Stewart writes, "Its popularity in perfume is due to the fact that it not only holds the fragrance in place but clings to the skin as well. It also happens to be a very common allergen, which explains why allergy sufferers might be sensitive to cosmetics and other fragrances - as well as gin."I could write pages more about the great stories and tidbits of information contained in this book. I really had a fun time reading it.The illustrations in "The Drunken Botanist" are fine, but they're stock illustrations. I miss Briony Morrow-Cribbs' and Jonathan Rosen's incredible drawings and engravings that were such enchanting - and vigorous - enhancements to Stewart's previous books, Wicked Bugs: The Louse That Conquered Napoleon's Army & Other Diabolical Insects and Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities.Visit Stewart's website,drunkenbotanist comfor links to plant and liquor sources. There are some heritage plants that can only be found in a couple places. and check out Redventure, a type of very slender red celery that is perfect for use as a swizzle stick!Happy Reader