Category Archives: Food and Drink

Reid Mitenbuler’s Bourbon Empire – The Past and Future of America’s Whiskey

I realize that movie Westerns are no longer the cultural touchstone they were for my generation, but I’m sure many of you have no trouble remembering a movie scene in which a cowboy walks into a saloon, orders a whiskey … Continue reading

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Amy Stewart’s The Drunken Botanist

No, it’s not a murder mystery or a light romantic comedy. The Drunken Botanist is a botanical exploration of “The plants that create the world’s great drinks,” as its subtitle says. Now, I’m not particularly interested in plants, per se. … Continue reading

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Tom Parker Bowles, et al., Lonely Planet’s The World’s Best Spicy Food

Regarding the growing popularity of spicy and hot food, I feel rather the way I do when one of my favorite musicians suddenly gets very popular. I’ve been eating hot chiles since the 1960s, long before you could get any … Continue reading

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Brownies and the Several Annies (A Letter to Ingrid)

Greetings Ingrid, It’s been unusually cold and rainy here this week and Iain found that the Several Annies were getting on his nerves so he turned them over to the Kitchen staff and ask them to do something fun with … Continue reading

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A Kinrowan Estate story: Venison Stew (A Letter to Tessa)

A letter from the journal of Alexandra Margaret Quinn, Head Gardener here in the Reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, Empress of India, to her friend who … Continue reading

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Anthony Bourdain’s The Nasty Bits

I’m a huge fan of Anthony Bourdain. Love No Reservations, thouroughly enjoyed (and was eeked out by) Kitchen Confidential . . . heck, I even liked A Cook’s Tour. Those of you who think this is gonna be a puff … Continue reading

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Jessica Warner’s Craze: Gin and Debauchery in an Age of Reason

The consumption of alcoholic beverages is nearly as old as civilization itself.  Alcohol has played a major role in the history and folklore of every society. Jessica Warner makes a persuasive case in Craze that the so-called gin craze in … Continue reading

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David W. Maurer’s Kentucky Moonshine and Col. Joe Nickell’s The Kentucky Mint Julep

Kentucky Moonshine “They call him the king of the mountain A Blue Ridge businessman He’s an independent contractor Doin’ the best that he can.” — King of the Mountain, Southern Culture on the Skids The late David W. Maurer, a … Continue reading

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Patrick Faas’s Around the Roman Table, and Mary Ella Milham’s Platina: On Right Pleasure and Good Health

Faith J. Cormier wrote this review. These two recent books both attempt to make ancient Roman cuisine (and incidentally its culture) accessible to modern readers. They will appeal to lovers of historical fantasy by filling in the background details of … Continue reading

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Jeremy Jackson’s The Cornbread Book

Christine Doiron penned this review. “Lookit, I’m tired of being bullied by those self-absorbed biscuit aficionados, and I don’t care what the Pan-American Pancake Association says: cornbread, and only cornbead, is the American bread.” In spite of the best efforts … Continue reading

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