Distilled
A Natural History of Spirits
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Narrated by:
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Asa Siegel
About this listen
An imaginative natural history survey of the wide world of spirits, from whiskey and gin to grappa and moonshine
In this follow-up book to A Natural History of Wine and A Natural History of Beer, authors Rob DeSalle and Ian Tattersall yet again use alcoholic beverages as a lens through which to gain a greater appreciation of natural history.
This volume considers highly alcoholic spirits in the context of evolution, ecology, history, primatology, molecular biology, physiology, neurobiology, chemistry, and even astrophysics. DeSalle and Tattersall address historical and cultural aspects and ingredients, the distillation process, and spirits and their effects. They also call on an international group of colleagues to contribute chapters on brandy, vodka, tequila, whiskies, gin, rum, eaux-de-vie, schnapps, baiju, grappa, ouzo, and cachaça.
Covering beverages from across the globe and including descriptions of the experience of tasting each drink, this book offers an accessible and comprehensive exploration of the scientific dimensions of spirits.
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- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,568
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,385
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,378
In Proof, Adam Rogers reveals alcohol as a miracle of science, going deep into the pleasures of making and drinking booze—and the effects of the latter. The people who make and sell alcohol may talk about history and tradition, but alcohol production is really powered by physics, molecular biology, organic chemistry, and a bit of metallurgy—and our taste for those products is a melding of psychology and neurobiology.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Great listening to all about booze
- By Atila on 08-02-14
By: Adam Rogers
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Whiskey Distilled
- A Populist Guide to the Water of Life
- By: Heather Greene
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 175
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 157
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 156
In this lively and authoritative guide, Greene teaches listeners about whiskey and encourages them to make their own evaluations. Peppered with wry anecdotes drawn from her unusual life - and including recipes for delicious cocktails by some of today's most celebrated mixologists - Whiskey Distilled will be enthusiastically greeted by the whiskey curious as well as by journeymen whiskey drinkers thirsty to learn more about their beloved tipple.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Buy the hard copy, skip the audio!
- By P Boz on 08-20-15
By: Heather Greene
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The United States of Beer
- A Freewheeling History of the All-American Drink
- By: Dane Huckelbridge
- Narrated by: Corey Snow
- Length: 6 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 49
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 42
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 42
Huckelbridge shows how beer has evolved along with the country - from a local and regional product (once upon a time, every American city had its own brewery and iconic beer brand) to the rise of global megabrands, like Budweiser and Miller, that are synonymous with US capitalism. We learn of George Washington's failed attempt to brew beer at Mount Vernon with molasses instead of barley and of the 19th-century "beer barons", like Captain Frederick Pabst, Adolphus Busch, and Joseph Schlitz.
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5 out of 5 stars
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History Humanized
- By Dave on 06-25-16
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A Guide to Wine
- By: Julian Curry
- Narrated by: Julian Curry
- Length: 5 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 410
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 283
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Story4 out of 5 stars 281
Actor and wine expert Julian Curry has devised a unique audiobook guide to wine. The whole subject is introduced and explained how wine is made, the different grapes, the different blends, vintages, wine-growing areas and types. In an entertaining and informal style, he also teaches how to taste wine, and how to choose and store it.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Comprehensive overview
- By Laurence on 09-26-03
By: Julian Curry
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The Drunken Botanist
- The Plants That Create the World's Great Drinks
- By: Amy Stewart
- Narrated by: Coleen Marlo
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 943
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 823
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Story4 out of 5 stars 814
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).
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4 out of 5 stars
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No more cheap tequila!
- By Cynthia on 03-23-13
By: Amy Stewart
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Bourbon Empire
- The Past and Future of America's Whiskey
- By: Reid Mitenbuler
- Narrated by: Brian O'Neill
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 543
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 491
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 490
Unraveling the many myths and misconceptions surrounding America's most iconic spirit, Bourbon Empire traces a history that spans frontier rebellion, Gilded Age corruption, and the magic of Madison Avenue. Whiskey has profoundly influenced America's political, economic, and cultural destiny, just as those same factors have inspired the evolution and unique flavor of the whiskey itself.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great whiskey history great American history
- By Larry G. on 06-16-15
By: Reid Mitenbuler
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And a Bottle of Rum
- A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails
- By: Wayne Curtis
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 329
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 288
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 284
And a Bottle of Rum tells the raucously entertaining story of America as seen through the bottom of a drinking glass. With a chapter for each of 10 cocktails, Wayne Curtis reveals that the homely spirit once distilled from the industrial waste of the exploding sugar trade has managed to infiltrate every stratum of New World society. Curtis takes us from the taverns of the American colonies, to the plundering pirate ships off the coast of Central America, to the watering holes of pre-Castro Cuba, and to the kitsch-laden tiki bars of 1950s America.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A nice intersection of history and rum
- By Garshom L. Arkoff on 05-10-23
By: Wayne Curtis
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Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey
- An American Heritage
- By: Michael R. Veach
- Narrated by: Travis
- Length: 2 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 134
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 114
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Story4 out of 5 stars 115
Its history stretches back almost to the founding of the nation and includes many colorful characters, both well known and obscure, from the hatchet-wielding prohibitionist Carry Nation to George Garvin Brown, who in 1872 created Old Forester, the first bourbon to be sold only by the bottle.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Nice review
- By Joseph C Wood on 04-28-23
By: Michael R. Veach
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A History of the World in 6 Glasses
- By: Tom Standage
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 4,574
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 3,945
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,957
Throughout human history, certain drinks have done much more than just quench thirst. As Tom Standage relates with authority and charm, six of them have had a surprisingly pervasive influence on the course of history, becoming the defining drink during a pivotal historical period. A History of the World in 6 Glasses tells the story of humanity from the Stone Age to the 21st century through the lens of beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Fun and Informative
- By Stoker on 09-09-11
By: Tom Standage
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The New Wine Rules
- A Genuinely Helpful Guide to Everything You Need to Know
- By: Jon Bonné
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 2 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 71
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 60
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Story4 out of 5 stars 58
There are few greater pleasures in life than enjoying a wonderful glass of wine. So why does finding and choosing one you like seem so stressful? Now, becoming a happier, more confident wine drinker is easy. The first step is to forget all the useless, needlessly complicated stuff the "experts" have been telling you. Acclaimed wine writer Jon Bonné explains everything you need to know in simple, easy-to-digest tidbits. And the news is good! For example: A wine's price rarely reflects its quality. And you can drink rosé any time of year.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Nothing “new”
- By Peter Marks on 11-30-17
By: Jon Bonné
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Coffee
- A Comprehensive Guide to the Bean, the Beverage, and the Industry
- By: Robert W. Thurston, Jonathan Morris, Shawn Steiman
- Narrated by: Dan Kassis
- Length: 18 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 126
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 108
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 106
Leading experts from business and academia consider coffee's history, global spread, cultivation, preparation, marketing, and the environmental and social issues surrounding it today. They discuss, for example, the impact of globalization; the many definitions of organic, direct trade, and fair trade; the health of female farmers; the relationships among shade, birds, and coffee; roasting as an art and a science; and where profits are made in the commodity chain.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Everything you need to know about coffee
- By FW1978 on 11-03-18
By: Robert W. Thurston, and others
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Wine for Normal People
- A Guide for Real People Who Like Wine, But Not the Snobbery That Goes with It
- By: Elizabeth Schneider
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Schneider
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 92
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 71
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 71
This is a fun but respectful (and very comprehensive) guide to everything you ever wanted to know about wine from the creator and host of the popular podcast Wine for Normal People, described by Imbibe magazine as "a wine podcast for the people". More than 60,000 listeners tune in every month to learn a not-snobby wine vocabulary, how and where to buy wine, how to read a wine label, how to smell, swirl, and taste wine, and so much more!
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5 out of 5 stars
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When they want 5 star wine knowledge but ur 22 y/o
- By Alexia L. on 05-06-21
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Imbibe! Updated and Revised Edition
- From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, a Salute in Stories and Drinks to "Professor" Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of the American Bar
- By: David Wondrich
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 163
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 139
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 136
The first edition, published in 2007, won a James Beard Award. Now updated with newly discovered recipes and historical information, this updated edition includes the origins of the first American drink, the mint julep (which Wondrich places before the American Revolution) and those of the cocktail itself. It also provides more detail about 19th-century spirits, many new and colorful anecdotes and details about Thomas' life, and a number of particularly notable, delicious, and influential cocktails not covered in the original edition.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Interesting history, but needs recipies
- By E. Atkinson on 03-02-20
By: David Wondrich
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The Book of Gin
- A Spirited World History from Alchemists' Stills and Colonial Outposts to Gin Palaces, Bathtub Gin, and Artisanal Cocktails
- By: Richard Barnett
- Narrated by: Richard Shelton
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 127
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 109
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Story4 out of 5 stars 108
In The Book of Gin, Richard Barnett traces the life of this beguiling spirit, once believed to cause a new kind of drunkenness. In the 18th century, gin-craze debauchery (and class conflict) inspired Hogarth's satirical masterpieces "Gin Lane" and "Beer Street". In the 19th century, gin was drunk by Napoleonic War naval heroes, at lavish gin palaces, and by homesick colonials, who mixed it with their bitter anti-malarial tonics.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great history on my favorite drink
- By Lucas Samples on 10-18-20
By: Richard Barnett
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The Brewer's Tale
- A History of the World According to Beer
- By: William Bostwick
- Narrated by: Christopher Sutton
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 337
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 295
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 295
The Brewer's Tale is a beer-filled journey into the past: the story of brewers gone by and one brave writer's quest to bring them - and their ancient, forgotten beers - back to life, one taste at a time. This is the story of the world according to beer, a toast to flavors born of necessity and place - in Belgian monasteries, rundown farmhouses, and the basement nanobrewery next door. So pull up a barstool and raise a glass to 5,000 years of fermented magic.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Good insights!
- By Michael on 03-08-16
By: William Bostwick
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Beeronomics
- How Beer Explains the World
- By: Johan Swinnen, Devin Briski
- Narrated by: Liam Gerrard
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 48
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 45
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 44
Beeronomics examines key developments that have moved the brewing industry forward. Its most ubiquitous ingredient, hops, was used by the Hanseatic League to establish the export dominance of Hamburg and Bremen in the 16th century. During the late 19th century, bottom-fermentation led to the spread of industrial lager beer. Industrial innovations in bottling, refrigeration, and TV advertising paved the way for the consolidation and market dominance of major macrobreweries during the 20th century.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Beer is our world.
- By thfiv on 02-04-20
By: Johan Swinnen, and others