Customer Reviews

Libation, A Bitter Alchemy

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Sometimes a book is not only good, but its timing is perfect; it may come along when you've been reading other books with which the new tome perfectly integrates and serves as a necessary complement. Such is the case for me with "Libation". I've been on a "foodie" kick in my reading, having read all three of Michael Ruhlman's books chronicling his stint at the Culinary Institute of America for culinary arts training and his subsequent exploration of the rise of celebrity chefs, plus Martha Rose Shulman's book "Culinary Boot Camp: Five Days of Basic Training at The Culinary Institute of America". All are excellent and give a thorough view of the demanding nature of the business and the technical expertise that is instilled and demanded of professional chefs.

"Libation" is the perfect accompaniment to these books.

While the previously mentioned titles are all about the mechanics of superb food preparation and expert techniques, "Libation" is a celebration of the sensuous aspects of food and beverage. While the other books keep us in the heat of the kitchen, "Libation" takes us to the sun-warmed heat of Italy in search of elusive tastes and scents. The frenetic pace of the kitchen characterizes the other titles, whereas "Libation" is a pastoral interlude, best read in a lazy hammock on a slow summer day.

The tidbits of history and fact interspersed in Heekin's account of her searches and travels for obscure and forgotten libations add to the enjoyment. I found myself spending hours online looking up additional information in response to chapters I'd read.

Recipes are interspersed throughout the book, always in keeping with the topic of the chapter in which they are found; most are for, as one would guess, libations of various forms, but there is one recipe for an alkerne-soaked egg white cake with medieval origins.

If you can't wrangle a trip to Italy this summer or a meal at a gourmet restaurant, reading "Libation" is a satisfying substitute; it would also be a wonderful gift for the aspiring chef or gourmand.

In this collection of linked essays, Deirdre Heekin describes her growing appreciation for wine and the land from which it comes. Her musings range from her travels to the small winemaking villages in Italy to her life at home in Vermont where she and her husband own and manage an Italian restaurant that uses locally grown ingredients. In her own words, Heekin describes Libation as a book "about soil, vines, fruit, history, scent, taste, chemistry, and memory."

The breadth of the topics covered--from high-end perfumery in Paris to a casual family meal in Tuscany--ensures something to interest just about any reader. The lack of a central focus, however, renders Libation a bit disjointed. Heekin is knowledgeable and passionate about the subjects she discusses. Her writing is mostly charming but occasionally overloaded with technical detail. Winemakers and restaurateurs will appreciate the rigorous treatment, but armchair tourists will be left wanting more whimsy and less technique.

In Libation, A Bitter Alchemy Deirdre Heekin explores her experiences with wine and spirits through a series of loosely intertwined essays. Half the essays read like a travelogue recounting her experiences in Paris, Italy, the United States and beyond drinking, smelling, and experiencing wine and spirits. These journeys take us inside cloisters in Italy where nuns make wine to New Orleans where she goes in search of a good Sazerac. Her vivid descriptions of these experiences are interwoven with historical background about how these drinks came to be. The other half of the book are her journal entries from her wine making experiences. These are especially facinating becaues she takes you through her process, which given that she does not come from a winemaking family is interesting.

What made this book so likeable for me is that it is very poeticly written. The plots in her individual essays may be simple, but the way she describes the events make them worth reading. She has colorful ways of describing things that feel new and inventive rather than trite. I particularly love the scene when she is in the perfume shop in Paris because it is so easy for me to imagine, as if I'm able to take a sensory vacation just by reading. I could see where someone who is more plot driven and appreciates a matter of fact writing style might find her verbose. However I love descriptive writing so I found it perfect for me and no more verbose than other food writing. The only other nit I could see is that in reading from essay to essay there are some parts that can seem repetative but this doesn't happen often.

The bottom line is that if your are an oenophile or foodie you will enjoy this book. There is so much descriptive food and beverage writing.

This is a clever little book -- while many writers have written books like this about food, you don't often see it covering beverages. Heekin takes the winemaking experiments she and her husband are currently involved in at their vineyard in Vermont and interleaves them with travels (mostly in Europe) to learn more about numerous liqueurs, wines, and other drinks. Heekin's writing has a slightly spacey, stream-of-consciousness air that keeps it from becoming overly flowery or pretentious, yet remains vivid to the reader, covering things like an obscure Italian wine made by cloistered nuns (Heekin's description of a nun riding a John Deere tractor in full habit is both jarring and funny), the resurgence of absinthe in the US after its legalization a couple of years ago, a search for the true Sazerac in post-Katrina New Orleans, and even her first trip to her family's roots in Northern Ireland (a particularly strange trip where even the pronunciation of her name becomes an issue).

Sometimes dreamlike and sometimes painfully real, occasionally frustrating but always rewarding, Heekin's curious writing style is an interesting experience, but a ride worth taking, especially for a dedicated mixologist who knows there's more to drinks than heavy-duty blenders and loud music.

For me, "Libation, A Bitter Alchemy," by Deirdre Heekin was an intriguing read.

Her story started as a quest with her husband to discover the origins and history of Italian cuisine in its truest form. Simultaneously, Deirdre uncovered her own passion for understanding the development of the craft and art of wine making as well as of other liqueurs, liquor and cocktails.

Through Deirdre's colorful memories, experiences, tales and experiments, this book represents a wonderful history lesson for those interested in the evolution of spirits. Her love of its origins, stories, culture and perseverance transforms you to the time and place as each evolves.

Deirdre's obvious love of and passion for the soil and various environmental factors, along with individuals and cultures is transferred when possible to her home in Vermont. What is not practical for Vermont soil and conditions is brought home in memories.

She and her husband, Caleb Barber, always exhibit a passion for discovering the history, traditions and customs behind various food and libations. This combination results in a rewarding story filled with love.

As someone who appreciates and enjoys the history of food, Libation is intoxicating as a journey into wine and spirits. I personally always go by my own palate, which is less developed as much with liquor or liqueur than with food or wine. However, I'm always willing to taste. Since reading Libation, I'll taste and appreciate more the story behind the drink.

In this set of linked essays, Deirdre Henkin describes scenes from her life in Italy, her life as a restauranteur, and her quest to understand and create things that smell good (wine, spirits, and perfumes - though to be fair she doesn't create perfumes). She has an enviable life in Italy which she clearly loves. She is passionate and well-informed about food and wine.

But the essays just did not jell. Perhaps it was the lack of humor and lack of that slightly offsides perspective that makes memoirs interesting. Ms. Henkin is pretty solemn - and, to be fair, she knows how enviable her life is. She is not smug, and perhaps that is an achievement in itself. But it's more of a personal achievement than one that rewards a reader.

If you want to know more about how to make certain wines and spirits, read this book. If you want to read every oenological memoir on earth, include this one. But there are far more interesting books that cover similar ground and get further below the surface.

"Libation, A Bitter Alchemy" is a delicious book to savor and loose yourself while letting Ms. Heekin take you to places you have never been and perhaps will never go both travel and taste-wise in your lifetime.

Deidre Heekin has a way with words and she describes her passions of wine, food, traveling, life in Vermont, traveling to Italy and a host of other rich tales in essay form in this book. She is preaching to the choir for me because I grew up in New Orleans a place her family also hails from where passion for all things food and drink resides in her DNA.

Ms. Heekin has a way of making everything she writes about even her shopping trips in Italy to little out of the way apothecary's interesting and educational. She leaves no stone unturned when educating her reader but she does it with such flair that you feel transported to Italy with her on those expeditions, into the vineyard to learn about grapes and wine making, into the kitchen of her restaurant to make a dessert (recipe included) or to meet wine making Nuns at a cloistered convent! She is a true alchemist combining her passions and her life into something tangible while educating herself and others along the way.

I think it's fair to say, if you are fan of "Under the Tuscan Sun" or any of Michael Pollans books you will enjoy "Libation, A Bitter Alchemy" as well.

I loved this book. Diedre writes this book in such an evocative manner that I want to go to Italy and experience the gastronomic delights, the wine, the liquers and other hidden jewels she and her husband found there.

When she spoke about a liquer I wanted to seek it out and try it. When she spoke about her first efforts making wine I wanted to try it myself.

I haven't done any of the things she spoke of nor have I traveled to Italy but sometimes I stop and think about her life and her travels and wish that I might experience what she found. Perhaps some day I will but until then I can re-read this book and enjoy what she experienced vicariously.

This is a charming, if uneven, book of linked essays on food, earth, drink, memories, Italy, the restaurant business, history, even love. . .it feels as if Heekin has let us in on her personal diary. This is not a book to be read in a linear fashion.

I found myself enchanted at times, bored at others. I did not need the long definitions of the rocks on Heekin's Vermont property. But no matter, I skipped them, and became transfixed by her description of making rose liqueur. Caught up in her enthusiasm, I wanted to try it, too.

I have already recommended this book to a friend who has a small plot of land and loves to cook with what's at hand, another who collects perfume, and one who likes memoirs. This book holds small delights; it feels right to open it and dip in, find what one likes, and savor.

This is a vicarious joy-ride for a foodie. The author not only details her experience with growing grapes in New England but also reminisces about pairing foods with various wines during her travels in Italy. It is a pleasurable read for the armchair gourmet.