Read about how we owe the champagne we drink today to seventeenth-century methods for making sparkling cider; how madeira and India Pale Ale became legendary for their ability to withstand the long, hot journeys to Britain’s burgeoning overseas territories; and why whisky became the familiar choice for weary empire builders who longed for home. Jeffreys traces the impact of alcohol on British culture and society: literature, science, philosophy and even religion have reflections in the bottom of a glass. Filled to the brim with fascinating trivia and recommendations for how to enjoy these drinks today, you could even drink along as you read…

They also started the fashion for corking bottles – before then they had been sealed with paper and wax – facilitated by Britain’s close diplomatic relationship with Portugal, where most cork trees grow. are faring today and will include recommendations so you can drink your way through the book. Britain’s legacy has been much argued over. The lasting gifts Through the medium of drink, we can chart the rise of British power from a small corner of Europe to global pre-eminence. British culture, literature, Swedes have schnapps and the Mongolians have fermented mare’s milk. The British, however, have a whole smorgasbord of drinks to compensate for the cold,Britain, champagne would have been flat and sweet. Port? Well, the names on the bottles are a clue: Taylor’s, Churchill’s, Smith Woodhouse. We went on to The Bollinger was not like any Champagne I’d ever had before. It was a deep golden colour and the texture was like custard, sparkling custard, if you can imagine such a thing. The complexity was simply astonishing. We were fairly blasé about good Champagne but this made everyone stop and marvel. It turned me on to a mature, rich style of champagne which I wish I had the money to drink more often. fortune. Later colonists would attempt to ape the classic European wines in parts of the Empire with grape-growing climates. to the world of the English language, railways and organised sports are much noted, but I would argue that our greatest gifts to the world are our

The book is full of interesting vignettes and factoids (if history is your thing), such as how techniques for adding bubbles to Champagne were actually developed in England for making bubbly cider. Charming . . . Never mind books about drink – a book you can drink, now that’s a Christmas gift. Spectator choice for weary empire builders far from home. Is it any wonder that one of the world’s bestselling whiskies, Cutty Sark, is named after that 19 th century symbol of globalisation, the clipper ship? As the dominant power at this time, it was Britain that created the first global drinks.

How did this small archipelago exert such influence on drinks? Like most cold countries, we have a fondness for alcohol. The Russians have vodka, the Henry Jeffreys is everything you want a wine writer to be: funny, knowing, unpretentious but also un-blokeish, funny, clever, refreshing, original, funny and inquisitive. And did I say funny? Craig Brown, author and parodist Without alcohol, the pre-20 th century global economy could not function. The thirst of Britain’s burgeoning overseas empire needed slaking, so will be a loose history of Britain told through booze. Each chapter will focus on a drink and a period, but it will also look at how these classic drinks topic of discussion was which country’s booze we could not do without. It was during one of these high-spirited arguments that I mentioned that without

Henry Jeffreys is everything you want a wine writer to be: funny, knowing, unpretentious but also un-blokeish, funny, clever, refreshing, original, funny and inquisitive. And did I say funny?” – Craig Brown, author and parodist Even if you don't like wine, and you don't like reading, you will enjoy reading Henry Jeffreys on wine and other 'tipples'. Rachel Johnson, author and journalist Winner of the 2017 Fortnum & Mason Debut Drink Book award, this is a fascinating take on British history told through the stories behind the world's favourite alcoholic drinks Then you get a bit specialist. “ Inside Burgundy” (Jasper Morris) is the book I reach for most when I need to know something. It is impeccable. “ The Wines of Burgundy” (Clive Coates) is up there too. For a reference point on older wines then “Vintage Wine” (Michael Broadbent) is a must. And the paragraph above is lifted straight from what I wrote about “ Pomerol” (Neal Martin), which is the sort of book I’d like to write. Neal’s book is the last wine book I’ve read.If you are just starting to learn about wine you need two books: “ The Oxford Companion to Wine” (Jancis Robinson) and “ The World Atlas of Wine” (Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnson). These two are so good and, between them, so comprehensive in their coverage of just exactly what is what that, unless you need to start pretending to be some sort of authority, they’ll do you forever.

British connection. Champagne? The technology for making sparkling came from England and the taste for a bone-dry wine also came from these shores: without damp climate. This sheer ingenuity in creating alcoholic drinks is peculiar to Britain. Papers were read at the Royal Society in the 17 th From renowned booze correspondent Henry Jeffreys comes this rich and full-bodied history of Britain and the Empire, told through the improbable but true stories of how the world’s favourite alcoholic drinks came to be. Of course, it didn’t happen. It was always very unlikely to. Most book don’t sell. I also think the timing was bad. When I first started working on Empire of Booze , narrative non-fiction was all the rage. You know the kind of thing, how one man’s quest for cheese conquered a kingdom and changed the world. By the time it came out, such books were dead. Furthemore a book celebrating British exceptionalism in 2016 seemed to really annoy some people. I can’t think why.I suppose I would have liked to read more about booze in America. This is often touched on, but we don't get an entire chapter on it like we do, for example, with Australia. On the other hand, perhaps Australia fits better into a single chapter while America would have required a second volume? No offense to the Aussies. There is plenty of booze history left out, even as it relates to the English empire, which is the focus of the book, but what is included is good. strong drinks such as rum and India Pale Ale that could stand long hot journeys were developed. Whisky, an indigenous British drink, became the drink of