Virginia Distilled: Four Centuries of Drinking in the Old Dominion

Book excerpt: Colonist George Thorpe first crafted "corn beere," an ancestor to bourbon, in 1620 at Berkeley Plantation, and George Washington once operated one of the nation's largest distilleries. Icy mint juleps were first served in Virginia until the state was one of the first to enact Prohibition. That dark period gave rise to bootlegging, moonshining and even NASCAR. Through well-documented research, interviews with key stakeholders and plenty of cocktail recipes for the reader to shake and stir at home, author Patrick Evans-Hylton showcases the rich history of four hundred years of drinking in the Commonwealth. Raise a glass to Virginia, birthplace of American spirits, and its long history of distilling and imbibing.