Big Shots: The Men Behind the Booze

Rating:
Summary: Great Gift!
Review: 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??

Rating:
Summary: What really goes on...
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: You've Gotta Have It!
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: Clever Little Book
Review: 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 When the Eighteenth Amendment was finally repealed in 1933, American distillers had to play catch up with their Canadian and European counterparts, who for a decade had quietly grown rich encouraging the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?


Rating:
Summary: Wickedly Funny
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Wickedly Funny
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Gentlemen Jack
Review: This is the best book on booze ever! Fun facts on the guy behind the guy and the booze that we love. AA is for quitters.
Who is Capt. Morgan and why does he like spiced rum?

Rating:
Summary: perfect book for your life
Review: This is the perfect book for any man in your life -- your brother, your father, your boyfriend -- and any woman who wants to learn the ins-and-outs of the world's most famous liquors. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, especially the chapter on champagne (Dom Perignon). There are some great recipes included. Now, I don't feel like such a doofus when I'm reading drink menus - it makes sense. My friend recommended this book highly and she recommended a great new beverage that replaced my morning cup of joe. Caffeine made me too jittery so I switched to a soy-based coffee that taste simply amazing. When I use my percolator it comes out with a rich, full bodied taste. Search under "S oyfee" on google to find it.

Rating:
Summary: Big Shots: The Men Behind the Booze
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting and Quirky!
Review: 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.