
Camper English is a cocktails and spirits writer and speaker who has covered the craft cocktail renaissance for over 15 years, contributing to more than 50 publications around the world including Popular Science, Saveur, Details, Whisky Advocate, and Drinks International. With a focus on the nerdy side of mixology, he has studied everything from the history of carbonation to the science of clear ice cubes. He has been awarded International Cognac Writer of the Year by the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac and Best Cocktail Writer at the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards. His website is Alcademics.com.
by Camper English
Rating: 4.0 ⭐
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"The intertwined histories of booze and medicine, from internationally-renowned cocktail expert Camper English. Alcohol and medicine have an inextricably intertwined history, with innovations in each altering the path of the other. The story stretches back to the ancient world, when beer and wine were used to provide nutrition, hydration, and act as solvents for healing botanicals. Over time, alchemists distilled elixirs designed to cure all diseases, monastic apothecaries developed mystical botanical liqueurs, travelling physicians concocted dubious intoxicating nostrums, and the drinks we're familiar with today began to take form. In turn, scientists studied fermentation and formed the germ theory of disease, and developed an understanding of elemental gasses and anesthetics. Modern cocktails like the Gimlet, Gin & Tonic, and Old Fashioned were born as delicious remedies for diseases and discomforts. In Doctors and Distillers, cocktail expert Camper English reveals how and why the contents of our medicine and liquor cabinets were, until surprisingly recently, one and the same"--