I like this book. It has a lot of interesting history, going back to ancient Greece and China. It covers more than just whiskey – It talks about the use of herbs, mixed with alcohol, as medicine. It discusses the use of mixers such as tonic water and bitters. It is an excellent book for those people interested in the history of medicine.
Doctors and Distillers: The Remarkable Medicinal History of Beer, Wine, Spirits, and Cocktails, Camper English, Penguin Books, New York, NY, 2022. Contents, index, illustrations, Bibliography, notes, 348pp.
Camper English is a cocktail and spirits writer of some renown. He enjoys the history of spirits and cocktails and has gathered a huge amount of information on the medicinal use of alcohol and wrote about this information in this book. The book is divided into nine chapters. The first chapter is devoted to wine and beer and the uses as medicine dating back to the ancient Greeks. The next chapter deals with alchemy and the beginning of distillation in China and the Islamic world. The third chapter deals with monastic distillation and the creation of Chartreuse and Benedictine. The next chapter deals with science and its influence on distillation. He then moves on to specific spirits such as absinthe, vermouths and aperitifs. The following chapter is about specific distilled spirits such as rum, gin, whiskey and vodka. The last few chapters deal more with history and is titled “Poison.” It discusses patent medicine and the Pure Food and Drug Act, Prohibition and moonshine. This is followed by an interesting chapter about tonic water and malaria. The book ends with a chapter on mixology.
The book is well written and interesting. It has a few black and white images spread throughout the book. English also prints the recipes for many cocktails throughout the book. The recipes are well written and easy to follow. The book is well indexed and includes a very extensive bibliography. He has end notes but does not footnote the chapters. The reader has to read the endnotes after each chapter to get the best use of the endnotes. This is a very good book and a worthy addition to any spirits library.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller