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A Good Drink: In Pursuit of Sustainable Spirits
“Insightful tour de force… Farrell’s writing is as informative as it is intoxicating” -- Publishers Weekly
Shanna Farrell loves a good drink. As a bartender, she not only poured spirits, but learned their stories—who made them and how. Living in San Francisco, surrounded by farm-to-table restaurants and high-end bars, she wondered why the eco-consciousness devoted to food didn’t extend to drinks.
The short answer is that we don’t think of spirits as food. But whether it's rum, brandy, whiskey, or tequila, drinks are distilled from the same crops that end up on our tables. Most are grown with chemicals that cause pesticide resistance and pollute waterways, and distilling itself requires huge volumes of water. Even bars are notorious for generating mountains of trash. The good news is that while the good drink movement is far behind the good food movement, it is emerging.
In A Good Drink , Farrell goes in search of the bars, distillers, and farmers who are driving a transformation to sustainable spirits. She meets mezcaleros in Guadalajara who are working to preserve traditional ways of producing mezcal, for the health of the local land, the wallets of the local farmers, and the culture of the community. She visits distillers in South Carolina who are bringing a rare variety of corn back from near extinction to make one of the most sought-after bourbons in the world. She meets a London bar owner who has eliminated individual bottles and ice, acculturating drinkers to a new definition of luxury.
These individuals are part of a growing trend to recognize spirits for what they are—part of our food system. For readers who have ever wondered who grew the pears that went into their brandy or why their cocktail is an unnatural shade of red, A Good Drink will be an eye-opening tour of the spirits industry. For anyone who cares about the future of the planet, it offers a hopeful vision of change, one pour at a time.
Shanna Farrell loves a good drink. As a bartender, she not only poured spirits, but learned their stories—who made them and how. Living in San Francisco, surrounded by farm-to-table restaurants and high-end bars, she wondered why the eco-consciousness devoted to food didn’t extend to drinks.
The short answer is that we don’t think of spirits as food. But whether it's rum, brandy, whiskey, or tequila, drinks are distilled from the same crops that end up on our tables. Most are grown with chemicals that cause pesticide resistance and pollute waterways, and distilling itself requires huge volumes of water. Even bars are notorious for generating mountains of trash. The good news is that while the good drink movement is far behind the good food movement, it is emerging.
In A Good Drink , Farrell goes in search of the bars, distillers, and farmers who are driving a transformation to sustainable spirits. She meets mezcaleros in Guadalajara who are working to preserve traditional ways of producing mezcal, for the health of the local land, the wallets of the local farmers, and the culture of the community. She visits distillers in South Carolina who are bringing a rare variety of corn back from near extinction to make one of the most sought-after bourbons in the world. She meets a London bar owner who has eliminated individual bottles and ice, acculturating drinkers to a new definition of luxury.
These individuals are part of a growing trend to recognize spirits for what they are—part of our food system. For readers who have ever wondered who grew the pears that went into their brandy or why their cocktail is an unnatural shade of red, A Good Drink will be an eye-opening tour of the spirits industry. For anyone who cares about the future of the planet, it offers a hopeful vision of change, one pour at a time.
- GenresFoodNonfiction
200 pages, Hardcover
Published September 16, 2021
3 people are currently reading
95 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 17, 2022
When most people think about cocktails, spirits, and bartending in general, they probably don’t realize that sustainability is a growing concern for the industry. For example, did you know that 95% of the world’s bourbon comes from Kentucky, and 1.7 million oak barrels were produced there in 2017 alone, according to the Kentucky Distiller’s Association? (For bourbon to be labelled and sold as ‘bourbon’, it must be aged in new charred oak — and each barrel must be freshly made for this purpose.) That’s a LOT of trees in a world bereft of its trees! Additionally, growing the corn and other grains, as well as the other resources and processes used to create spirits are very wasteful, too. Can alcohol and its ingredients be produced without harming the environment? Who are eco-conscious alcohol producers? How can we, as consumers, support these efforts?
To answer these questions and much more, Shanna Farrell, an oral historian and interviewer at University of California, Berkeley’s Oral History Center who specializes in cultural and environmental history, went looking for answers. She shares her physical and intellectual journey with us in her informative book, A Good Drink: In Pursuit of Sustainable Spirits (Island Press; 2021), by sharing the stories of some of the people she interviewed who grow the agricultural products for making the spirits, who produce the liquor, and who mix the cocktails.
In addition to being an oral historian, Ms Farrell is also a bartender who lives in San Francisco where she is surrounded by farm-to-table restaurants and high-end bars, so naturally, she wondered why eco-consciousness associated with agricultural products doesn’t also generally apply to alcohol. This is because most people don’t think of spirits as food. But whether we’re sipping rum, brandy, whiskey, or tequila, most liquor is distilled from the same agricultural crops that end up on our dinner plates. Most of these crops are grown with pesticides and other chemicals that pollute nearby watersheds, and the distilling process itself consumes huge volumes of water. And bars are notorious for generating mountains of trash. Although the good drink movement is far behind the good food movement, it is building up steam, and this wonderfully readable book is certain to help.
Ms Farrell spent a lot of time talking with people about their farming practices and how to capture the essence of the ingredients in a bottle. She talks to the people who grow the pears that end up in bottles of brandy and tells us where that unnatural shade of red in our cocktails comes from. On her grand tour of the spirits industry, she investigates the agricultural products they are made from — products that are also an integral part of the food system. We hear from distillers small and large who have introduced sustainability measures into their alcohol production processes, such as the water and energy-saving measures initiated by the mid-sized Leopold Brothers distillers to the forest management practices embraced by the comparatively large Maker’s Mark distillers. On one hand, these distillers know they could be doing much more to lighten their impact on the environment but at the same time, they must balance those issues with the practical responsibility to sell their products at reasonable prices.
The book also includes a lot of history.
“The book tells the story of the people who make, or made, each spirit, and this includes enslaved people”, Ms Farrell said in an online interview. She noted in her book that in the past, many white distillers unjustly claimed credit for enslaved people’s knowledge of making alcohol.
“The spirits industry wouldn’t exist without them”, Ms Farrell continued, “and it is crucial that their contributions be recognized, as well as the systems of power, such as colonialism, that impact their place on the global stage.”
This book is not a comprehensive investigation into sustainability in the spirits industry, but it is an eye-opening collection of case histories that highlight sustainability in the spirits industry from a variety of viewpoints. In one particularly thought-provoking chapter, the author chats with mezcaleros in Guadalajara who are working to preserve their traditional ways of producing mezcal, which is a process that safeguards the health of their land, the incomes of the local farmers, and the culture of their community. In another chapter, the author visits a distiller in South Carolina who helped a nearby farmer resurrect a variety of garnet-red heirloom corn from near extinction to make one of the most sought-after bourbons in the world. (I was very surprised that Ms Farrell repeatedly referred to this corn as ‘Johnny red corn’ whereas a Google search reveals it is known as ‘Jimmy red corn’.)
This approachable and delightfully written book is an informative way to better understand agricultural and environmental issues and how our choices in spirits can have powerful, although often unseen, effects on the ecosystem. And unexpectedly (for me), A Good Drink is an inspirational collection of the many contributions by many thousands of people in this industry who are serious about sustainability and about protecting the future of our planet.
NOTE: Originally published at Forbes.com on 18 November 2021.
To answer these questions and much more, Shanna Farrell, an oral historian and interviewer at University of California, Berkeley’s Oral History Center who specializes in cultural and environmental history, went looking for answers. She shares her physical and intellectual journey with us in her informative book, A Good Drink: In Pursuit of Sustainable Spirits (Island Press; 2021), by sharing the stories of some of the people she interviewed who grow the agricultural products for making the spirits, who produce the liquor, and who mix the cocktails.
In addition to being an oral historian, Ms Farrell is also a bartender who lives in San Francisco where she is surrounded by farm-to-table restaurants and high-end bars, so naturally, she wondered why eco-consciousness associated with agricultural products doesn’t also generally apply to alcohol. This is because most people don’t think of spirits as food. But whether we’re sipping rum, brandy, whiskey, or tequila, most liquor is distilled from the same agricultural crops that end up on our dinner plates. Most of these crops are grown with pesticides and other chemicals that pollute nearby watersheds, and the distilling process itself consumes huge volumes of water. And bars are notorious for generating mountains of trash. Although the good drink movement is far behind the good food movement, it is building up steam, and this wonderfully readable book is certain to help.
Ms Farrell spent a lot of time talking with people about their farming practices and how to capture the essence of the ingredients in a bottle. She talks to the people who grow the pears that end up in bottles of brandy and tells us where that unnatural shade of red in our cocktails comes from. On her grand tour of the spirits industry, she investigates the agricultural products they are made from — products that are also an integral part of the food system. We hear from distillers small and large who have introduced sustainability measures into their alcohol production processes, such as the water and energy-saving measures initiated by the mid-sized Leopold Brothers distillers to the forest management practices embraced by the comparatively large Maker’s Mark distillers. On one hand, these distillers know they could be doing much more to lighten their impact on the environment but at the same time, they must balance those issues with the practical responsibility to sell their products at reasonable prices.
The book also includes a lot of history.
“The book tells the story of the people who make, or made, each spirit, and this includes enslaved people”, Ms Farrell said in an online interview. She noted in her book that in the past, many white distillers unjustly claimed credit for enslaved people’s knowledge of making alcohol.
“The spirits industry wouldn’t exist without them”, Ms Farrell continued, “and it is crucial that their contributions be recognized, as well as the systems of power, such as colonialism, that impact their place on the global stage.”
This book is not a comprehensive investigation into sustainability in the spirits industry, but it is an eye-opening collection of case histories that highlight sustainability in the spirits industry from a variety of viewpoints. In one particularly thought-provoking chapter, the author chats with mezcaleros in Guadalajara who are working to preserve their traditional ways of producing mezcal, which is a process that safeguards the health of their land, the incomes of the local farmers, and the culture of their community. In another chapter, the author visits a distiller in South Carolina who helped a nearby farmer resurrect a variety of garnet-red heirloom corn from near extinction to make one of the most sought-after bourbons in the world. (I was very surprised that Ms Farrell repeatedly referred to this corn as ‘Johnny red corn’ whereas a Google search reveals it is known as ‘Jimmy red corn’.)
This approachable and delightfully written book is an informative way to better understand agricultural and environmental issues and how our choices in spirits can have powerful, although often unseen, effects on the ecosystem. And unexpectedly (for me), A Good Drink is an inspirational collection of the many contributions by many thousands of people in this industry who are serious about sustainability and about protecting the future of our planet.
NOTE: Originally published at Forbes.com on 18 November 2021.
September 7, 2021
A very insightful read! I didn’t have an expectations when I picked up the book, but couldn’t put it down. Such great info into the spirits world.
September 18, 2022
As someone who has been working in the spirits industry for 12 years, I'm happy to say I learned a pretty fair bit from this book by Shanna Farrell. Probably because I'm lesser versed in tequila and mezcal, I found that chapter especially educational. And though I agree with pretty much everything the author says, I think it overlooks some crucial factors.
For example, I think the book is way too focused on American / North American spirits with this book. Europe has been making spirits far longer than America has (hell, far longer than we've even existed as a country). I wonder why the book doesn't talk about any of the ways Europe is trying to be environmentally friendly. Now, keep in mind my focus is single malt scotch, and I wish the author had talked about how the Orkneys (an island chain north of mainland Scotland) used hydroelectric methods to generate a surplus of energy. Enough to power two distilleries even (Scapa and Highland Park). One of my favorite single malts, Glengoyne, uses wetlands to help filter their wastewater which saves money and supports the local flora and fauna. Bowmore, an Islay distillery, uses the excess heat generated by their still to warm the town swimming pool. I could go on.
Toward the very end of the book the author talks about how American whiskey distilleries are making efforts to maintain a steady supply of white oak, an often overlooked but in my mind quintessential element in the color (contributing 100%) and flavor (contributing 75-85%) of whiskey/bourbon. But one of the legal requirements to make bourbon is that it must be aged in NEW white oak barrels. And the best oak barrels are made from trees approximately 100+ years old. Why new oak barrels you ask? In a word... lobbying. Those barrels can be used again, in fact, most of them are shipped overseas where they are re-used a few more times by Irish and Scottish whisky distilleries. No mention is made of Europe's role in that. No mention is made that in America the production of corn is subsidized by the government (though not called so, it's basically welfare for farmers). Follow the money and you'll learn some sad truths about a lot of things.
I hope the book raises awareness about the environmental cost of their spirits, because it is important, and this book is doing a great service. But I think it could have been more, it's only 160 pages of actual writing, the rest being notes and acknowledgments. It only focuses on a few distilleries, and the bars it talks about have (I'm guessing) drinks that most blue-collar workers probably couldn't afford to go after a long day at their labor-intensive jobs. And though I completely understand why, shouldn't we talk about accessibility? I don't have all the answers either, far from it. But I do think a lot more questions need to be raised, and hopefully answered, that one finds in this brief book.
For example, I think the book is way too focused on American / North American spirits with this book. Europe has been making spirits far longer than America has (hell, far longer than we've even existed as a country). I wonder why the book doesn't talk about any of the ways Europe is trying to be environmentally friendly. Now, keep in mind my focus is single malt scotch, and I wish the author had talked about how the Orkneys (an island chain north of mainland Scotland) used hydroelectric methods to generate a surplus of energy. Enough to power two distilleries even (Scapa and Highland Park). One of my favorite single malts, Glengoyne, uses wetlands to help filter their wastewater which saves money and supports the local flora and fauna. Bowmore, an Islay distillery, uses the excess heat generated by their still to warm the town swimming pool. I could go on.
Toward the very end of the book the author talks about how American whiskey distilleries are making efforts to maintain a steady supply of white oak, an often overlooked but in my mind quintessential element in the color (contributing 100%) and flavor (contributing 75-85%) of whiskey/bourbon. But one of the legal requirements to make bourbon is that it must be aged in NEW white oak barrels. And the best oak barrels are made from trees approximately 100+ years old. Why new oak barrels you ask? In a word... lobbying. Those barrels can be used again, in fact, most of them are shipped overseas where they are re-used a few more times by Irish and Scottish whisky distilleries. No mention is made of Europe's role in that. No mention is made that in America the production of corn is subsidized by the government (though not called so, it's basically welfare for farmers). Follow the money and you'll learn some sad truths about a lot of things.
I hope the book raises awareness about the environmental cost of their spirits, because it is important, and this book is doing a great service. But I think it could have been more, it's only 160 pages of actual writing, the rest being notes and acknowledgments. It only focuses on a few distilleries, and the bars it talks about have (I'm guessing) drinks that most blue-collar workers probably couldn't afford to go after a long day at their labor-intensive jobs. And though I completely understand why, shouldn't we talk about accessibility? I don't have all the answers either, far from it. But I do think a lot more questions need to be raised, and hopefully answered, that one finds in this brief book.
February 12, 2022
Más allá de simple beber
Este libro lo vi en un aeropuerto y al hojearlo me interesó. Va más allá del mundo de los espíritus y los bares. Investiga las maneras de sustentabilidad de esta industria y cómo persigue ser más ecológica y verde.
Este libro lo vi en un aeropuerto y al hojearlo me interesó. Va más allá del mundo de los espíritus y los bares. Investiga las maneras de sustentabilidad de esta industria y cómo persigue ser más ecológica y verde.
June 10, 2022
Building my own still after reading this.
January 25, 2022
I have never given a thought to ingredients in alcohol! It was a very enlightening read about locally sourced alcohol ingredients, cutting down on waste water, and energy in producing whisky, gin, rum and others. Ms. Farrell also traveled to various places to meet with the farmers who grew agave, sugar cane, etc.., to learn how the crops used in the alcohols were grown sustainably without chemicals and the issues they were having within their countries both with their governments and other producers of their alcohols. I thought the agave chapter was a real eye opener. I never would have thought distilling was so political. Interesting read for both consumers of the various liquors discussed, but also for anyone interested in how the drinks are produced.
I received an advance copy from the publisher and author in exchange for a fair review (thank you!).
I received an advance copy from the publisher and author in exchange for a fair review (thank you!).
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews