Boozehound: On The Trail Of The Rare, The Obscure, And The Overrated In Spirits (2000) - Plot & Excerpts
Eric Felten's "How's Your Drink?" a collection of essays about various spirits and cocktails--weaving stories in about their history and legend in our culture-- was so enchanting that it was a revelation: a sui generis form of literature, a literary series of "amuse-bouches." While "Boozehound" by Jason Wilson falls short of the gold standard set by Felten, it is nearly as entertaining. The front cover has an Anthony Bourdain quote which intrigues:"Superbly informative, entertaining, and yet deeply subversive." Writing by a Washing Post spirits reporter can be subversive? Didn't see that but it does read effortlessly, marvelously covering on spirits we've always wanted to know more about--Norwegian acquavit, Italian grappa, French Calvados, pisco, Italian bitters, and more. An enjoyable, though insubstantial, book on spirits. As a self-professed lover of "old man drinks" I was excited to read this. The author, a spirits critic, has a refreshing lack of pretension while trying to convince Americans to enjoy foreign drinks. Most of the spirits he talks about aren't so much exclusive as they are obscure in the US. I don't share his fondness for such herbal liquors as Grappa and Aquavit, but reading his stories has made me more likely to try them again! Highly recommended to anyone interested in expanding their knowledge of spirits and cocktails.
What do You think about Boozehound: On The Trail Of The Rare, The Obscure, And The Overrated In Spirits (2000)?
So refreshing. His zest for life and fine spirits is palpable. I enjoyed this collection immensely.
—lifelongr
Anyone who works in the service industry and/or likes booze should read this book...
—gatoonballoon
Loved the first half, the second half just kind of petered out for me.
—jaydee50
All this book did was give me a list of new alcohols to try.
—Jesefry
