Customer Reviews

Big Shots: The Men Behind the Booze

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I picked this book up as a stocking stuffer for my dad... and I ended up reading the whole thing myself! Very funny, very informative and a perfect gift for those who like a bit history, humor and especially spirits... I mean who doesn't??

Take equal parts history, humor, and mixology. Shake well and pour liberally into a slim paperback. The result is "Big Shots: The Men Behind the Booze" by magazine editor A.J. Baime. More than just another bartending book, "Big Shots" details the lives of colorful characters such as Jim Beam, Jack Daniel, and Johnnie Walker, whose 19th-century exploits laid the foundations for today's corporate behemoths.
According to research by Adams Beverage Group, Americans consumed 153 million cases of distilled spirits in 2002. Yet few know the history behind their favorite drinks. Despite barroom legend, the Martini evolved from an 1880s concoction invented in Martinez, California. The French monk Dom Perignon didn't discover bubbly wine, he just made it popular. True tequila never has a worm.
Baime reveals the liquor industry's dirty little secrets (Smirnoff brand vodka is actually as American as apple pie) and answers some practical drinking questions (Just what the heck is vermouth anyway?). He also offers little-known nuggets of knowledge, some of which are surprising (Jack Daniel began making whiskey at the tender age of nine), others less so (Captain Morgan was a murderer and a rapist who drank himself to death). The book's snappy narrative has an irreverent, lighthearted tone that betrays Baime's editorial background with magazines such as "Maxim" and "Playboy."
The impact of Prohibition on the liquor industry is a recurring theme, and stories of moonshiners and rumrunners abound. When the Eighteenth Amendment was finally repealed in 1933, American distillers had to play catch up with their Canadian and European counterparts, who for a decade had quietly grown rich encouraging the smuggling of their products. A British gin maker even used packaging designed to float, so if a few cases "accidentally" fell overboard near the American coastline, they could be easily recovered by thirsty Yanks. Baime explains that thanks in part to this little trick, Tanqueray is still the bestselling gin in the U.S. today.
"Big Shots" is not a comprehensive bartender's guide. Drink ingredients are listed as a sidebar only when relevant to the main text. Differences in related liquors, such as Irish whiskey versus Scotch whiskey, are clarified for the social drinker. The author also gives a crash course on cryptic liquor terminology, such as the strange markings found on cognac bottles.
Even teetotalers will appreciate this clever little book. After all, where else can you find corporate history sharing the page with a recipe for Irish Coffee?

It seems there are really colorful characters behind the beginning of those liquors brands which sit on everybodies shelf.
Nice to know what people are really like versus the image put forth by PR.

This is a wickedly funny book on those men whose names we all know, yet nothing about who they really were. Baime's irreverant yet brilliant biographies on the "men behind the booze" will both entertain and enlighten. I learned that Johnnie Walker really walked with the stick as shown on the label! There's a ton more in there too. This would be a perfect gift for any guy in your family, though women would love it just as much. I bought one for both my roommates and one to keep on our coffee table.

No self-respecting drinker's library should be without this book...I picked up one for a friend and wound up getting two more, one for myself and one for my boyfriend. If nothing else, it's great drunken convo material!

What a great read. Educational, humorus and really informative. Sometimes with the PR, you aren't always sure what's what, but Baime gives you all the good stuff. I ended up purchasing 5 copies for gifts for the holidays.

You'll learn a lot from this collection of biographies about famous name-brand. I enjoyed reading the stories, but also there are some great drink recipes and know-how tips throughout.

I got this book from this author after reading his Ford vs. Ferrari book (on an entirely different subject) and I'm not disappointed because I really liked his writing.

I say this is a nice table top book because it's not an in-depth study on the founders of various hard drinks. Rather, it's a very nice and readable summary and collection of stories on the founders and founding of various drinks such as Jim Beam, Jack Daniel, Seagrams, Smirnoff, etc.

This would make a great gift for drinkers or someone who wants a light read and introduction on booze. Perfect conversation starter to have on a home bar tabletop for parties. I highly recommend it!

Great book if you ever wanted to know how and where the names of some of the most popular booze came from. ie. tanqurey, capn morgans, JD, Vermouth, ect

This is a great book especially for those of us in the industry; i.e. THE BARTENDERS! If you are always looking for trivia to present to your guests at the bar then buy this book and hit them with some fun facts about what they are drinking. I always wondered why BEEFEATER gin got that name and how the character on the label came to be called a "Beefeater".
The book is wriiten in down to earth lingo without a lot of tech talk. It is a thoroughly entertaining addition to a mixologists' reference library.