E10: Henry Jeffreys: Empire of Booze

We sat with Henry Jeffreys’ to discuss his book, Empire of Booze: British History through the Bottom of a Glass.

Henry is a renowned drinks correspondent, and features editor at the Master of Malt blog. He worked in the wine trade and publishing before becoming a freelance writer and broadcaster. His work has appeared in the Spectator, the Guardian, the BBC Radio, and the Oldie and Food & Wine magazine.

The book is fantastic. It looks at the source of modern drinks starting from the XVII century, presenting a case for British influence and its contributions to virtually every major alcoholic drink we have come to love. Booze is deeply ingrained in our society and a common part of our social conventions. But its history is more complicated and richer than you think, as it is also the byproduct of human ingenuity and imperial infl ...