A guide to the cultural history of liqueurs from a celebrated spirits journalist.

The original recreational spirit, liqueurs traveled the Silk Road, awaited travelers at the Fountain of Youth, and traversed the globe from ancient times through the industrial revolution and beyond. In this thrilling exploration of liqueur's global history, Lesley Jacobs Solmonson describes how a bitter, medicinal elixir distilled by early alchemists developed into a sugar- and spice-fueled luxury for the rich before garnishing a variety of cocktails the world over. The book invites readers on a multi-faceted journey through culinary history, driven by humanity's ages-long desire for pleasure.

Lesley Jacobs Solmonson is a spirits and cocktail journalist and curatorial consultant at the Center for Culinary Culture in Los Angeles. Her two books--including Gin: A Global History, also published by Reaktion Books--were finalists at the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards.