Food Beverage

Discover the history, culture, and diversity of tequila, the world's most popular and misunderstood drink.

Food & Wine editor Ray Isle does for wine what Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma did for food—showing listeners how to choose more delicious, interesting, and environmentally friendly wines without breaking the bank.

In this book, Rob Arnold reveals how innovative whiskey producers are recapturing a sense of place to create distinctive, nuanced flavors. He takes listeners on a world tour of whiskey and the science of flavor, stopping along the way at distilleries in Kentucky, New York, Texas, Ireland, and Scotland. Arnold puts the spotlight on a new generation of distillers, plant breeders, and local farmers who are bringing back long-forgotten grain flavors and creating new ones in pursuit of terroir.

Throughout human history, certain drinks have done much more than just quench thirst. As Tom Standage relates with authority and charm, six of them have had a surprisingly pervasive influence on the course of history, becoming the defining drink during a pivotal historical period. A History of the World in 6 Glasses tells the story of humanity from the Stone Age to the 21st century through the lens of beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola.

Since its creation thirteen thousand years ago, our love of beer has shaped everything from religious ceremonies to advertising, and architecture to bioengineering. The people who built the pyramids were paid in ale; the first fridge was built for beer, not food; bacteria was discovered while investigating sour beer; Germany’s beer halls hosted Hitler’s rise to power; and brewer’s yeast may yet be the answer to climate change. In The Meaning of Beer, award-winning beer writer Jonny Garrett tells the stories of these incredible human moments and inventions.

Whether it's a delicate green tea or a bracing Assam black, a cup of tea is a complex brew of art and industry, tradition and revolution, East and West. In this sweeping tour through the world of tea, two veteran tea traders chronicle tea's influence across the globe and provide a complete reference for choosing, drinking, and enjoying this beverage. The Story of Tea begins with a journey along the tea trail, from the lush forests of China, where tea cultivation first flourished, to the Buddhist temples of Japan, to the vast tea gardens of India, and beyond.

The specialty food and beverage business is a thriving industry, and the barriers to entry are low: All you need is a recipe and a kitchen. It sounds simple, but launching a food or beverage company is a maze of choices and consequences. Douglas Raggio has been there: both as a food founder and as a consultant to other successful start-ups, and he's come to learn that every choice a food founder makes has a fairly predictable outcome.

The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History houses, amid its illustrious artifacts, two bottles of wine: a 1973 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon and a 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay. These are the wines that won at the now-famous Paris Tasting in 1976, where a panel of top French wine experts compared some of France's most famous wines with a new generation of California wines. Little did they know the wine industry would be completely transformed as a result....

Are you curious about how to make rum, whiskey, and moonshine at home? Are you a bourbon aficionado? Would you like to learn how to safely and legally make your own home-brewed distilled spirits? What if you could turn this new hobby into a unique craft micro-distillery business? In this book, I will show you how to make your own homemade distilled spirits - safely and legally.

Discover the time-honored secrets of crafting authentic mezcal right in your own kitchen! In this busy world, the special touch of handmade spirits often gets lost among mass-produced drinks. But the unique charm of real mezcal still shines bright for those who love and understand spirits. Many dream of capturing Oaxacan flavors in homemade mezcal. Yet its complex rural art seems out of reach, known only to remote areas of Oaxaca. This leaves eager enthusiasts without the know-how they need to produce this unique beverage.

It began in Ireland in the mid 1700s. The water in Ireland, indeed throughout Europe, was famously undrinkable, and the gin and whiskey that took its place devastated civil society. It was a disease ridden, starvation-plagued, alcoholic age, and Christians like Arthur Guinness—as well as monks and even evangelical churches—brewed beer that provided a healthier alternative to the poisonous waters and liquors of the times. This is where the Guinness tale began.

Love & Whiskey is the true story of Jack Daniel, Nearest Green, the man, and Uncle Nearest, the whiskey company Fawn Weaver founded to honor and amplify Green's legacy. But it’s not the whole story. A bonus chapter in the audiobook edition centers on Weaver's commitment to right the wrongs of history by cementing one man’s legacy for generations to come. It represents a living promise to give a family back the dream that was denied them in a place and time where dreams were not permitted for all.

Entrepreneur’s Guide to Consumer Packaged Goods: The Winning Growth Strategy for a Food & Beverage CPG Startup is a high-level resource for getting started in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry. The book analyzes the strategies needed to scale and grow a CPG business. It covers the strategic blunders to avoid and all other relevant topics needed to launch a CPG company.

Vintage refers to the year grapes are harvested, and that vintage holds meaning. You can look up the weather in any almanac, but some stories are known only to insiders—until now. In this wine book Grant Reynolds, award-winning sommelier, deciphers these signatures to reveal the impact of marketing and mentorship, technology and trends, and influencers old and new.

The world is enamored with Italy: its culture, art, food, and fashion, its beautiful landscapes, and famous cities-and, of course, its wine. If history can sometimes be throat-achingly dry, writer and wine expert Marc Millon serves up a delightfully fresh take on Italy's past, present, and future, best enjoyed with a glass in hand.

The ultimate guide to Guinness and the history, culture, and facts to help you find the perfect pint—from the pub to the pour—wherever you are. Including the all-important elements to look for in a Guinness pour—from exact foam height and storage temperature to the crucial glass shape and settling time—as well as what to run away from when seeking a beautiful pint and a crème de la crème guiding list of pubs in New York and around the world, Ian shares his expertise from many a “pint of plain” sank and enjoyed.

How did the Old-Fashioned get its name, and why has the drink endured? What drinks were invented by Sam Ross? What was the Pegu Club, and who bartended there? In The Encyclopedia of Cocktails, Robert Simonson catalogues all the essential people, places, and drinks that make up our cocktail history in a refreshing take on the conventional reference book. New York Times cocktail and spirits writer Robert Simonson's witty and opinionated presentation of the bar world is a refreshing look at all things cocktail-related.

Winemaking is as old as civilization itself. For thousands of years, from its origins in ancient Mesopotamia to its current status as a global industry, the history of wine has been directly related to major social, cultural, religious and economic changes. Oz Clarke takes a look at over 100 bottles that mark an evolution in the story of wine, capturing the innovations and discoveries that have had the biggest impact along the way.

Thanks to a small but growing number of dedicated farmers, importers, roasters, and baristas, coffee quality is at an all-time high. But for nonprofessionals, achieving cafe quality at home can seem out of reach. With dozens of equipment options, conflicting information on how to use that equipment, and an industry language that, at times, doesn't seem made for the rest of us, it can be difficult to know where to begin. Craft Coffee: A Manual, written by a coffee enthusiast for coffee enthusiasts, is a comprehensive guide to improving your brew at home.

What is the secret process for turning your food product idea into a shelf-stable manufactured item? Having a business plan is one thing, but the magic happens in the food science laboratory! The technical part of the food industry has always been a mystery because most food scientists work directly for food companies and are not allowed to share proprietary methods or know-how.