Empire of Booze

From award-winning 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.



Empire of Booze traces the impact of alcohol on British culture and society, from madeira and India Pale Ale being created to withstand the long, hot journeys to overseas territories to why whisky became the favoured choice for weary empire builders longing for home.





Filled to the brim with fascinating trivia, this colourful history underlines that Britain's alcoholic innovations are some of its greatest, most lasting gifts to the world.



Henry Jeffreys is a contributor to Good Food, the Guardian, Harpers Wine & Spirit, and Spectator, wine columnist for The Critic magazine, and along with Tom Parker Bowles he hosts the 'Intoxicating History' podcast. He was Fortnum & Mason Drink Writer of the Year in 2022 and is the author of four books: Empire of Booze, The Home Bar, The Cocktail Dictionary and Vines in a Cold Climate, which was shortlisted for the James Beard awards, Guild of Food Writers Awards, 67 Pall Mall wine writing awards and won Fortnum & Mason Drink Book of the Year 2024. He lives in Kent with his wife and two daughters.



Really, really brilliant. If you have any interest in drink or history or drink in history, it's absolutely unmissable



Fascinating pub trivia... Henry Jeffreys is a wine columnist and drinks writer who clearly knows his stuff



Well argued and full of fascinating booze-related facts...an ambitious undertaking, but he achieves it with a sharp eye and an understated humorous touch



He clearly knows his booze. Perhaps a second edition might be purchased with a crate of samples



Never mind books about drink - a book you can drink, now that's a Christmas gift



That very rare beast - a non-fiction book written largely about wine (or wine-derived alcoholic drinks) that manages to be witty without being contrived, accessible without talking down to anyone, and educational without being preachy. I'll raise my glass to more of that



Behind the self-mockery and light-hearted banter, there is plenty of information here



An ebulliently-written, fact-stuffed account



If you wanted a project to "drink the empire", this is your handbook