The Ingenuity of Humanity

It is remarkable the uses to which the creativity of our species is turned. The same cognitive abilities that create the iPhone and The Odyssey summon up sarin gas and cluster bombs. It also turns itself to finding a myriad of ways to make alcohol, and this is on display in Amy Stewart's The Drunken Botanist, a natural history that represents a near-exhaustive catalog of all the plants we use to create the drinks that many of us love. If a plant is palatable and non-toxic, someone, somewhere has tried to ferment it.

While there is little of depth in this work, the sheer breadth is remarkable. Starting with the usual suspects we are accustomed to in our booze, from barley and grapes to rye and potatoes, Stewart proceeds to take us on a whirlwind journey through some of the lesser known plants that make an appearance in some of the alcohol we love--and some we may not even consider trying, like sorghum beer, wine made from the nuts of the monkey puzzle tree, or tobacco-infused brews. There is banana beer, aloe-infused bitters, an assortment of spices and herbs, and plenty of trivia along the way (George Washington was a brewer of sorts, and Mount Vernon still produces a limited number of bottles of rye whiskey to this day). Of course, a book of this sort wouldn't be complete without a number of recipes for cocktails and mixed drinks throughout.

The benefit of this book is the same as its drawback. Those looking for a unified history are likely to be disappointed. That is not the aim of this book. With entries for each plant, this work is more like an encyclopedia of alcoholic botanical knowledge; the reader can just as easily pick out a few plants of interest as read start to finish. Many of the entries left me wanting to know more than was available, and while Stewart has two sections of recommended reading, they are on cultivating the plants involved, and recipes, rather than anything historical. Still, with a dash of wit, Stewart is the perfect guide for this journey, and it is an entertaining, often fascinating one.

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