The Drunken Botanist

The Plants That Create the World's Great Drinks

By: Amy Stewart

Narrated by: Coleen Marlo

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

Critic reviews

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

A fascinating look at Ingredient and their History

What made the experience of listening to The Drunken Botanist the most enjoyable?

The story behind so many herbs and spices that at various times, drove men to extreme measure. Intriguing and beguiling at every turn. In this book you get something worth toasting.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Drunken Botanist?

Realizing the power many countries derived from the control of many herbs. The Dutch in particular, proved to be quite unscrupulous in their drive to control the trade.

What about Coleen Marlo’s performance did you like?

I enjoyed Coleen Marlo's performance. She's eloquent and energetic in her delivery.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book had lots of surprises and "now way!" moments for me. You see the best and worst in people and the lengths at which they'll go to for the power and wealth that come from botanical gems like nutmeg and vanilla. Things we take for granted today.

Any additional comments?

I loved this book. Its packed with all kinds of interesting and surprising facts what could be a rather mundane subject. Amy Stewart puts a lemon twist on this top-shelf cocktail of a book.

Interesting book, not great for audio

This book is a wealth of interesting information and useful recipes. I think it would serve well as a reference book kept by the bar to read some tidbits from as after you pour some drinks (in fact I bought a hard copy for this purpose). However, it just doesn't translate well to an audiobook for many of the same reasons I wouldn't recommend just sitting down and reading the book cover to cover.

Incredibly thorough tome

If you have ever wondered if a certain herb, vegetable or fruit could go in a drink or what drink they would work with and why, this is your book. This could be a dream for a great entertainer. Myriad drinks could be made from this book that most aficionado have never even tried. Good read.

History thru botony.

I enjoyed the history included in the use of plants for a very important part of social events!

Better to have the physical book as reference

Was The Drunken Botanist worth the listening time?

No, you don't want to listen to this book; you should read it and have the book as a reference book.

So Entertaining

This book won't change your life but it will entertain you and inform you for many rewarding hours. The one downside is that the book must contain lots of great beverage recipes. The recipes are read but it would be a little challenging to remember them all. I'm looking forward to checking out her website. The narration was perfect. I'm sure I got it as a Daily Deal and probably wouldn't have used a credit on it.

Narrator is Cleary Microsoft Sam

good information though, clever book with a fair amount of historic culture techniques. common procedures requiring very little expertise that can result in your own superior blends.

Couldn't finish...

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Coleen Marlo?

Anyone!!

Any additional comments?

The reason I could not finish this book was the narrator Coleen Marlo. Her voice was like nails on a chalkboard to me and I have instead picked up a hardback copy of the book.
I am sure it is just a personal preference but I will make sure in the future not to purchase any more books that she has narrated. Once I have finished reading the book I will give a full review.

Better for the Botany

The narrator's voice is pleasant and clear, but could have made an effort on learning the pronunciation of some of the foreign words (ex Bärenjäger, cachaça, erc), and even a lot of the English words (ex artisinal, anti inflamatory, etc) finding out if she was dealing with a singular or a plural (ex Amaros, triple IPAS) (or was that the author's mistake?), and just a lot of little and not so lottle things which, as the book is meant to inform, should make the disclaimer that the area of the book's expertise here is botany, and not bartending or (in the case of the Audible edition) pronunciation.

Fortunately I also have this book in hardcover and in digital print (as opposed to Audible) so I can hunt down the foreign words and get translate to give me their pronunciations by recorded native speakers.

I do like the book, but as a high end craft bartender, telling anyone who is a stickler for detail anything I've learned here is going to require that I go back and check everything I hear or read.

This is definitely one to buy in person

The performer is great, to me her pronunciation is just like Moira Rose from 'Schitts Creek'; Hilarious, absurd but still understandable. Once I got over the performer and her hilarious speaking patterns, I learned quite a bit.

What I found lacking was I wanted to see the recipes for the drinks they're describing. I would prefer having this in physical form in order to truly appreciate it.