Exmo Book Recommendation: “Empire of Booze” is a fun history and crash course in wines & spirits.
I’ve been out for about four years. I drink socially, plus the occasional beer when I’m sitting at home watching TV on a Friday night. I enjoy whiskey and I’ve learned a little about it, but the language and culture of alcohol is still pretty confusing and intimidating to me - wine in particular.
before reading this book, I knew to order white with fish and red with steak, and learned pretty quickly that “dry“ meant cotton mouth, lol. but beyond that I was clueless.
Henry Jeffries gives a super interesting history of the British empire through the lens of the drinks they loved and how they evolved over time. It’s a really fun read and a very approachable crash course on booze - especially wines.
he also provides some helpful, but not snobby tips for how to approach wine appreciation and also gives some great recommendations on drinks to try if you want to get an idea of what past generations would’ve imbibed - from the “sacks” (sherries) that shakespeare’s characters crooned over, to what cognac Napoleon would’ve been downing in exile, to the rum tastes that fueled the American revolutionaries.
recommend it if you’re looking for an approachable history on drink and are tired of sitting in silence when wine talk comes up at dinner or professional events.
(audiobook is great and available on Spotify.)