Otherwise Britain’s contribution was the mercantile one; “commercial nous”, as Jeffreys puts it, “rather than viticultural skill”. It was merchants who were responsible for the vast spread of Scotch whisky, as opposed to Irish or Bourbon, over the world. It was a Briton who built the first brewery in India. (His son was later responsible for the most notorious atrocity in Anglo-Indian history, the Amritsar massacre; Jeffreys has missed this.) Charming . . . Never mind books about drink – a book you can drink, now that’s a Christmas gift. Spectator

Hydrometers used in gin-making at the Balmenach Distillery, Speyside. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian to the world of the English language, railways and organised sports are much noted, but I would argue that our greatest gifts to the world are our Swedes have schnapps and the Mongolians have fermented mare’s milk. The British, however, have a whole smorgasbord of drinks to compensate for the cold, Well argued and full of fascinating booze-related facts . . . it's an ambitious undertaking, but [Jeffreys] achieves it with a sharp eye and an understated humorous touch I rather liked. Daily Mail topic of discussion was which country’s booze we could not do without. It was during one of these high-spirited arguments that I mentioned that withoutIf you are just starting to learn about wine you need two books: “ The Oxford Companion to Wine” (Jancis Robinson) and “ The World Atlas of Wine” (Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnson). These two are so good and, between them, so comprehensive in their coverage of just exactly what is what that, unless you need to start pretending to be some sort of authority, they’ll do you forever. Henry Jeffreys is everything you want a wine writer to be: funny, knowing, unpretentious but also un-blokeish, funny, clever, refreshing, original, funny and inquisitive. And did I say funny?” – Craig Brown, author and parodist Winner of the Fortnum and Mason Best Debut Drink Book Award 2017 From renowned booze correspondent Henry Jeffreys comes this rich and full-bodied history of Britain and the Empire, told through the improbable but true stories of how the world’s favourite alcoholic drinks came to be. Read about how we owe the champagne we drink today to seventeenth-century methods for making sparkling cider; how madeira and India Pale Ale became legendary for their ability to withstand the long, hot journeys to Britain’s burgeoning overseas territories; and why whisky became the familiar choice for weary empire builders who longed for home. Jeffreys traces the impact of alcohol on British culture and society: literature, science, philosophy and even religion have reflections in the bottom of a glass. Filled to the brim with fascinating trivia and recommendations for how to enjoy these drinks today, you could even drink along as you read… So, raise your glass to the Empire of Booze! Empire of Booze by Henry Jeffreys – eBook Details Winner of the 2017 Fortnum & Mason Debut Drink Book award, this is a fascinating take on British history told through the stories behind the world's favourite alcoholic drinks

strong drinks such as rum and India Pale Ale that could stand long hot journeys were developed. Whisky, an indigenous British drink, became the drink ofRead about how we owe the champagne we drink today to seventeenth-century methods for making sparkling cider; how madeira and India Pale Ale became legendary for their ability to withstand the long, hot journeys to Britain’s burgeoning overseas territories; and why whisky became the familiar choice for weary empire builders who longed for home. In short, “Empire of Booze” is an excellent and entertaining read. Well written, clearly well-researched, amusing and informed. If it wasn’t any good you’d be reading something else here today; that was the deal. Of course, it didn’t happen. It was always very unlikely to. Most book don’t sell. I also think the timing was bad. When I first started working on Empire of Booze , narrative non-fiction was all the rage. You know the kind of thing, how one man’s quest for cheese conquered a kingdom and changed the world. By the time it came out, such books were dead. Furthemore a book celebrating British exceptionalism in 2016 seemed to really annoy some people. I can’t think why. I am a great admirer of Henry Jeffreys and have been eagerly awaiting his booze and empire book for many years!" – Elif Batuman, author, academic and journalist.

British connection. Champagne? The technology for making sparkling came from England and the taste for a bone-dry wine also came from these shores: without Even if you don't like wine, and you don't like reading, you will enjoy reading Henry Jeffreys on wine and other 'tipples'. Rachel Johnson, author and journalist damp climate. This sheer ingenuity in creating alcoholic drinks is peculiar to Britain. Papers were read at the Royal Society in the 17 th How did this small archipelago exert such influence on drinks? Like most cold countries, we have a fondness for alcohol. The Russians have vodka, the Britain, champagne would have been flat and sweet. Port? Well, the names on the bottles are a clue: Taylor’s, Churchill’s, Smith Woodhouse. We went on tochoice for weary empire builders far from home. Is it any wonder that one of the world’s bestselling whiskies, Cutty Sark, is named after that 19 th century symbol of globalisation, the clipper ship? As the dominant power at this time, it was Britain that created the first global drinks. They also started the fashion for corking bottles – before then they had been sealed with paper and wax – facilitated by Britain’s close diplomatic relationship with Portugal, where most cork trees grow.