基本説明
メキシコ産で有名な蒸留酒テキーラの原料はサボテン(←間違い)、テキーラに芋虫やサソリの抜け殻を入れて売るのは、酒ではなく薬として売って酒税を逃れるため（←これも間違い)、同じ蒸留酒の仲間であるメスカル酒を飲むと幻覚が見える(←半分ほんとう)など、植物と酒にまつわる薀蓄をいっぱい集めた一冊。著者のエイミー・スチュアートには、他にも毒をもった植物や昆虫についての著作があります。
Full Description
The Essential, New York Times-Bestselling Guide to Botany and Booze "A book that makes familiar drinks seem new again . . . Through this horticultural lens, a mixed drink becomes a cornucopia of plants."—NPR's Morning Edition "Amy Stewart has a way of making gardening seem exciting, even a little dangerous." —The New York Times Sake began with a grain of rice. Scotch emerged from barley, tequila from agave, rum from sugarcane, bourbon from corn. Thirsty yet? In The Drunken Botanist, Amy Stewart explores the dizzying array of herbs, flowers, trees, fruits, and fungi that humans have, through ingenuity, inspiration, and sheer desperation, contrived to transform into alcohol over the centuries.Of all the extraordinary and obscure plants that have been fermented and distilled, a few are dangerous, some are downright bizarre, and one is as ancient as dinosaurs—but each represents a unique cultural contribution to our global drinking traditions and our history.This fascinating concoction of biology, chemistry, history, etymology, and mixology—with more than fifty drink recipes and a new section on how to grow your very own cocktail garden—will make you the most popular guest at any cocktail party.
