Books About Booze

Just as wine is to the French or beer is to the Germans, whiskey--especially bourbon and rye--is an integral part of the history and culture of the United States. The Art of American Whiskey traces the arc of this beloved, renowned spirit--from its earliest days in the Colonial era, through the Civil War, Prohibition, Great Depression, and up to the current craft-distilling boom. Illustrated with 100 full-color modern and historic labels from the most iconic bottles ever made, The Art of American Whiskey is an instant collectible and a fantastic gift for any whiskey enthusiast or design lover. Captions, sidebars, profiles and short histories tell the story of the pioneers and places behind the labels, and each chapter features era-appropriate recipes from all-star bartenders and cocktail experts that will tickle any tippler's fancy.

The Art of Whisky is a breathtaking and unusual gift book for whisky connoisseurs, celebrating the spirit from an unexpectedly beautiful angle. By chance, award-winning photographer Ernie Button noticed the intricate patterns formed in the residue at the bottoms of (almost) empty whisky glasses--each as different as a snowflake--and began photographing them with inventive lighting techniques.

The resulting images are exquisitely gorgeous, evoking earthly landscapes and extraterrestrial visions. This book collects nearly 100 of those photos--each one more amazing than the last--and features delightful touches such as tasting notes, information on the science of what we're seeing, and writing about single malt Scotch by Scotland's leading whisky expert Charles MacLean, commissioned exclusively for this book.

UNUSUAL GIFT FOR THE WHISKY CONNOISSEUR: Surprise the spirit-lover in your life with this gorgeous photography book that highlights the uniqueness of whisky from an unexpected and beautiful angle.

ART, SCIENCE, AND WHISKY--A DELICIOUS COMBINATION: The captivating photographs begin with the qualities that make single malt scotch so exquisite, get an assist from the natural wonder of fluid dynamics, and a finish of artful production that makes each unique and surprising.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Princeton University Professor Howard A. Stone, who has studied and published on the science behind Button's Vanishing Spirits photographs, contributes a text on the science of what we see.

Renowned whisky expert and author Charles MacLean writes here on the unique qualities of single malt scotch and contributes notes about the special aspects of Scotland's whisky-producing regions.

Perfect for: The perfect gift for whisky enthusiasts and connoisseurs, as well as fans of unusual, captivating photography

Barrel Strength Bourbon provides an in-depth examination of the bourbon industry in Kentucky, the creation of an American spirit, its resurrection following Prohibition, its astronomical growth in the past decade, and its potential for the future.
Readers will meet the colorful family of characters who craft bourbon by hand, visit the picturesque distilleries along rural backroads and urban centers, and learn the secrets of an American original.

The author, Carla Harris Carlton, gives readers:

Readers will learn how to nose, taste, and appreciate a spirit that, while created from time-tested recipes, is evolving so quickly that new varieties and brands appear weekly on liquor store shelves.

The author, a leading bourbon journalist who routinely helps select barrels for special edition bottlings and tastes new products before most bartenders do, takes readers on a behind-the-scenes tour of distilleries and rickhouses, shares anecdotes from her chats with bourbon legends, and provides insight on what to expect next from one of the fastest growing spirits on Earth.

Also available are two companion ebooks:

Spirited Perfection: Building Your Bourbon Bar (ASIN: B07333YXMM)
In the past 10 years, choosing a bourbon has gone from underwhelming to overwhelming and author Carla Carlton is here to help you navigate this boom. In this book, she offers tasting notes on various bourbons and rye whiskies so you know what to stock at home. Carlton also helps you choose the appropriate bar tools, glassware and mixers to have on hand.

Still Life: The Resurgence of Craft Bourbon (ASIN: B07335HMMM)
The art of creating and consuming bourbon is exploding. Today you will find craft bourbon distilleries in all 50 states. As mixologists and distillers find the space, market and financial success to fully explore their trade, the world is taking notice. It's in the middle of this expanding industry that author Carla Carlton takes the time to connect all the dots for you, the bourbon enthusiast. She concisely maps out the seeds of the newest trends and shows why certain classic bourbon brands and bottles have grown while others have been washed away.

These special edition e-only books are a wonderful and informative read on their own, but are also the perfect chaser to Carlton's Barrel Strength Bourbon, now out in bookstores and online everywhere.

Together, craft cocktails and vinyl music create sonic imbibing adventures that are both deeply personal and fun to share with others. Saddle up and let Booze & Vinyl Country take you on a journey through the harmonies, heartbreaks, and highs of country music. Covering a range of favorite movements and styles, this is your guide to more than sixty of the most beloved country albums from the 1950s to the present. Each entry features "liner notes" on the album and two accompanying boozy beverage recipes that complement the music or mood, or connect the drink to the artist. Select food recipes and full-color photography throughout complete the experience. ​

Among the albums featured: Moanin' the Blues (Hank Williams), Coal Miner's Daughter (Loretta Lynn), Give It Up (Bonnie Raitt), Jolene (Dolly Parton), Come on Over (Shania Twain), Fearless (Taylor Swift), Cowboy Carter (Beyoncé), D-I-V-O-R-C-E (Tammy Wynette), Charley Pride's 10th Album (Charley Pride), Stardust (Willie Nelson), Why Not Me (The Judds), No Fences (Garth Brooks), Everywhere (Tim McGraw), Golden Hour (Kacey Musgraves), One Thing at a Time (Morgan Wallen), John Prine (John Prine), The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy (David Allen Coe), American IV: The Man Comes Around (Johnny Cash), Weight of These Wings (Miranda Lambert).

**USA TODAY BESTSELLER**

"This book ain't just about whiskey. It's about heart, healing, and finding meaning in the most unexpected places." --Terry Bradshaw, NFL Hall of Fame quarterback

A forgotten bottle. A buried legacy. And one man determined to uncover the truth about his favorite bourbon.

Before he became one of the most influential voices in American whiskey, Fred Minnick was a combat veteran wrestling with the invisible wounds of war. What started as a quiet exploration of taste and ritual soon became something more--a way to calm his mind, reconnect with his senses, and slowly rebuild a life.

Today, Fred's palate shapes the industry. His reviews move markets, his instincts set trends. So when he casually named a dusty 1969 bottle of Old Crow as his all-time favorite in an interview, the response was seismic: prices soared from $40 to $3,000 almost overnight. But behind the buzz was a deeper mystery. Once revered by presidents, poets, and distillers alike, Old Crow had been stripped of its legacy and banished to the bottom shelf. Why was one of bourbon's most iconic brands abandoned--and what really happened to the whiskey itself?

Part memoir, part whiskey-world investigation, Bottom Shelf unearths the forgotten history of America's most misunderstood bourbon--and reveals how one man's search for flavor became a fight to rediscover meaning, purpose, and truth in a world full of half-truths and tall tales.

"From the first page, this is an honest, fascinating, and moving discovery not just of the great American spirit that is bourbon, but of the great American spirit within Fred himself."--Graham McTavish, actor and #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of Clanlands

The oceans are burning. The deserts are flooding. UFOs are real, according to Congress. There's also the threat of nuclear war, regular war, and we're in the midst of the sixth mass extinction. What better moment than now to take a big, long celebratory drink? We did it! We ruined everything! Don't stress--Cocktails for the Apocalypse contains the secrets to survival in unprecedented times. These new (and classic) cocktails from best-selling author Jennifer McCartney will help readers remember to enjoy what we've got and laugh when we need to. Recipes include the Martian Martini, to welcome our new overlords; the Virtual Cosmo, since remote work is the new hell reality; and the Nuclear Sunrise, so you get plenty of tequila to enjoy while soaking up the radiation poisoning. No matter the occasion, there's an easy-to-make cocktail here for you and yours.

Whether you're looking for a coffee table conversation piece or a coloring companion at the bar, Color Me Drunk possesses the kind of wry humor and stylish design that will make you look smart and creative (even if your friends don't have their beer goggles on yet).