Colonial Spirits

Book excerpt: This tour of early American alcohol shares recipes, “fun facts and anecdotes about our forefathers’ drinking habits with a 21-century sense of humor” (Chicago Tribune). In Colonial Spirits, legendary distiller Steven Grasse presents a historical manifesto on drinking, including 50 colonial era– inspired cocktail recipes. The book features a rousing timeline of colonial imbibing and a cultural overview of all kinds of alcoholic beverages: beer, rum and punch; temperance drinks; liqueurs and cordials; medicinal beverages; cider; wine, whiskey, bourbon and more. The book is spiced with delightful illustrations and liquored-up adages from our founding fathers. Grasse shares expert guidance on DIY home brewing, plus recipes like the Philadelphia Fish House Punch (a crowd pleaser!) and Snakebites (drink alone!). Hot beer cocktails and rattle skulls have never been so irresistible.