And a Bottle of Rum

A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails

By: Wayne Curtis

Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain

And a Bottle of Rum tells the raucously entertaining story of America as seen through the bottom of a drinking glass. With a chapter for each of 10 cocktails, Wayne Curtis reveals that the homely spirit once distilled from the industrial waste of the exploding sugar trade has managed to infiltrate every stratum of New World society.

Curtis takes us from the taverns of the American colonies - where rum delivered both a cheap wallop and cash for the Revolution - to the plundering pirate ships off the coast of Central America, to the watering holes of pre-Castro Cuba, and to the kitsch-laden tiki bars of 1950s America. Here are sugar barons and their armies conquering the Caribbean, Paul Revere stopping for a nip during his famous ride, Prohibitionists marching against "demon rum", Hemingway fattening his liver with Havana daiquiris, and today's bartenders reviving old favorites like Planter's Punch.

Awash with local color and wry humor, And a Bottle of Rum is an affectionate toast to this most American of liquors, a chameleon spirit that has been constantly reinvented over the centuries by tavern keepers, bootleggers, lounge lizards, and marketing gurus.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2007 Wayne Curtis (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"[A] charming barhop through cultural history." ( Publishers Weekly)

Fantastic book, not just about rum, but regarding history and the intermarriage of rum, slavery, and a developing new world.

Great concept of looking at the history of the Americas (mainly the United States) and how the production of rum and slavery affected how the nation evolved.

Informative, but lots of tangents

"*AND* a Bottle of Rum" is an apt title, as the book contains a lot of general history that to me seemed to drag on at times. That being said, there's a lot of great insight to be gained from this book, and it's definitely worth a listen.

a Light and Enjoyable flow

Does a wonderful job of personalizing Rum through the years and it's relation to history

Beautifully written book about rum

This book will take you across the adventure of rum. It felt like I was at the places described in the book. Highly recommend, even if you’re not a rum connoisseur.

So much information I listened to it twice already

I really enjoyed this book. There truly is so much information. I find myself going back and referring to it often. It has given me multiple places to start my own research. I'm sure it won't be long before I listen to it again.