Food and history are two great interests of mine. Put them together, especially in a book and I am very interested. This is what first led me to Southern Spirits by Robert F. Moss, a book about the history of alcohol and alcoholic beverages in the south.

Southern Spirits is an engaging look at the history of the south and the drinks that were shaped and helped to shape the history and culture of the US south. Moss creates a fascinating journey through the past of the American south. He starts in the 1600s and  goes all the way to the present.

Throughout the history Moss sprinkles, humor, and mixed drink recipes. As he states in the beginning of the book, each chapter includes a recipe from that time or a recreation of one. The point being to mix up a drink and read the chapter while enjoying the taste of that era.

It is such a fun and engaging way to travel through history. As someone who lives in the south but didn’t always I found it especially interesting to discover the fascinating stories behind classic southern drinks. It is also just as fascinating to see how closely the history of the south ties in with the drinks and how well they go together. Southern Spirits is a very well written and enjoyable history of drinks in the south.

I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review.