Liqueur

Liqueurs are among the oldest recreational spirits, with roots in the ancient world. This book follows their global story from the Silk Road and the legend of the Fountain of Youth through the Age of Discovery and into the Industrial Revolution. It traces how a bitter, medicinal elixir distilled by early alchemists became a luxury flavored with sugar and spice, one that for a long time only royalty and the wealthy could afford. Modern liqueurs are made from a wide range of ingredients, from anise and artichokes to rose petals and rhubarb. The book also includes a broad selection of cocktails. It treats liqueur as a product of humanity's age-old pursuit of pleasure and invites the reader along on a tour of its history.