A History of Alcoholic Spirits Format: other

An engaging exploration of how spirits like rum, whisky, and vodka shaped global history, culture, and society.

Did you know rum was once the spirit of America? How about tequila being the fuel of a revolution that changed Mexico forever? What about modern drink advertising starting with scotch whisky? These are the kind of timeless cultural links that appear across the history of alcoholic spirits all over the world. To understand these connections is to understand the evolution of society, with spirits like gin, rum, whisky and vodka all shaping politics, marketing and pop culture. 

A History Of Alcoholic Spirits: How Our Favourite Tipples Changed The World is an exploration of how all these themes come together. Discover the hidden histories of Western spirits like mezcal and vodka and the deep roots of Eastern spirits like Chinese baijiu and Korean soju. Meet the eclectic cast of characters responsible for creating the world’s most popular spirit categories and the crusaders who tried to tear them down in the name of decency and political gain.

A History Of Alcoholic Spirits is an ideal introduction to the world of spirits for bartenders looking to improve their knowledge and people looking for new bottles to add to their home bars.

Jamie Ryder is the founder of Yamato Magazine, a publication that celebrates Japanese culture on a worldwide scale. As part of his interest in Japanese culture, Ryder is a qualified sake educator, championing the Japanese drink scene in the UK.

He’s also a horror and fantasy fiction author who published his first short story collection Transmutations in 2022. In addition to his fiction work, Ryder is a copywriter who helps mental health, food and drink and self-development organisations share their stories through multiple content formats. Outside of writing, Ryder has an interest in exploring the connections between philosophy and mental health.