A spirited narrative on the fascinating art and science of alcohol sure to inspire cocktail party chats on making booze, tasting it, and its effects on our bodies and brains.
Drinking gets a lot more interesting when you know what's actually inside your glass of microbrewed ale, single-malt whisky, or Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. All of them begin with fermentation, where a fungus called yeast binges on sugar molecules and poops out ethanol. Humans have been drinking the results for ten thousand years. Distillation is a two-thousand-year-old technology--invented by a woman--that we're still perfecting today. And the molecular codes of alcoholic flavors remain a mystery pursued by scientists with high-tech laboratories and serious funding.
In Proof, Adam Rogers reveals alcohol as a miracle of science, going deep into the pleasures of making and drinking booze--and the effects of the latter. The people who make and sell alcohol may talk about history and tradition, but alcohol production is really powered by physics, molecular biology, organic chemistry, and a bit of metallurgy--and our taste for those products is a melding of psychology and neurobiology.
Proof takes readers from the whisky-making mecca of the Scottish highlands to the oenology labs at UC Davis, from Kentucky bourbon country to the most sophisticated gene-sequencing labs in the world--and to more than one bar--bringing to life the motley characters and evolving science behind the latest developments in boozy technology.
About the Author :
Adam Rogers is articles editor at Wired, where his feature story "The Angels' Share" won the 2011 AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award. Before coming to Wired, he was a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT and a writer covering science and technology for Newsweek.
Sean Runnette, an Earphones Award-winning narrator, has also directed and produced more than two hundred audiobooks, including several Audie Award winners. He is a member of the American Repertory Theater company and has toured the United States and internationally with ART and Mabou Mines. His television and film appearances include Two If by Sea, Cop Land, Sex and the City, Law & Order, the award-winning film Easter, and numerous commercials.
Review :
"A comprehensive, funny look at booze...Like the best of its subject matter Proof''s blend of disparate ingredients goes down smooth, and makes you feel like an expert on the topic."
-- "Discover"
"Follow a single, microscopic yeast cell down a rabbit hole, and Alice, aka Adam, will take you on a fascinating romp through the wonderland of ethyl alcohol, from nature's own fermentation to today's best Scotch whiskies--and worst hangovers. This book is a delightful marriage of scholarship and fun."
-- "Robert L. Wolke, author of What Einstein Kept Under His Hat "
"Impressively reported and entertaining...when enjoyed in leisurely sips, Rogers's cheeky and accessible writing style goes down smoothly, capturing the essence of this enigmatic, ancient social lubricant."
-- "Publishers Weekly"
"Lively...[Rogers's] descriptions of the science behind familiar drinks exert a seductive pull."
-- "New York Times"
"Rogers contends that the perfect alcoholic beverage represents a pinnacle in human achievement...Foodies will likely enjoy Rogers' primer on the science behind alcohol, and other consumers of science journalism will savor his absorbing and enlightening account."
-- "Library Journal"
"Rogers gives booze a thorough going over, complete with good cheer, highbrow humor, and smarts."
-- "Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"
"Rogers' book has much the same effect as a good drink. You get a warm sensation, you want to engage with the wider world, and you feel smarter than you probably are. Above all, it makes you understand how deeply human it is to take a drink."
-- "Wall Street Journal"
