Bourbon, pronounced “ber-bun” in Kentucky where they ought to know, is the distinctive spirit of the Western world, the fine champagne cognac of the United States. Its place in American culture has long waited for objective treatment. The saga is a lively one, intimately associated with valor and splendor and the grace of life; with villainy, too, and folly and man’s inhumanity to man. And it has dramatic events such as the Whiskey Rebellion, the notorious “whiskey forts” of the fur trade, the fate of the American Indian and the toil of civilizing a continent. Combining happily patient research with an urbane and witty style, Gerald Carson presents in sweeping narrative and apt anecdote the first comprehensive account ever written of drinks and drinking in America from the early settlements to the present day. Not a recipe book or barman’s guide, but a fascinating contribution to Americana, this lusty book reflects an aspect of the American experience that has long been suppressed or disregarded.
