Moonshine
A Global History
Distributed for Reaktion Books
176 pages
|
40 color plates, 20 halftones
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5 x 7 3/4
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© 2017
- Contents
- Review Quotes
Table of Contents

Contents
Introduction: Moonshine, Moonshine Everywhere
1 The Basics
2 Making Moonshine
3 Moonshine and Politics: Enmity from the Start
4 Moonshine Goes Pop (Twice)
5 Moonshine and Very Bads Things
6 Moonshine Goes Legit
Conclusion: Moonshine and Us
Recipes
Recommended Brands of Licit Moonshine
Select Bibliography
Websites and Associations
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index
1 The Basics
2 Making Moonshine
3 Moonshine and Politics: Enmity from the Start
4 Moonshine Goes Pop (Twice)
5 Moonshine and Very Bads Things
6 Moonshine Goes Legit
Conclusion: Moonshine and Us
Recipes
Recommended Brands of Licit Moonshine
Select Bibliography
Websites and Associations
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index
Review Quotes
Forbes
“As Kosar documents in his excellent book, Moonshine: A Global History, governments from Ancient China to Ancient Mesopotamia have been defining which types of alcoholic drinks are legal, and therefore acceptable for people to drink, and which types of alcoholic drinks are illegal, and therefore unacceptable for people to drink . . . The book has much to offer to spirit enthusiasts. And, while I can’t imagine enjoying spirits made from carrots or horse milk, Kosar’s documentation of all sorts of exotic spirits is certainly interesting . . . An understanding of the history of moonshine has a great deal to teach modern political leaders.”
Irish Times
“A vibrant and entertaining new study of moonshine’s 600-year history . . . Kosar, an authority on booze and a director of alcohol policy at the R Street Institute in Washington, DC, discusses this aspect of his subject with pace, learning, insight, and good sense. He is convincing when he argues that ‘the more a government’s policies reduce access to affordable, safe, licit alcoholic drinks, the more it encourages the production of cheap, dangerous, illicit booze.’ And he is arresting when he links the production of moonshine to moments of political resistance. . . . But the book is at its most grimly arresting when Koshar describes the pernicious effects of the drink, and the extremes to which people will go to create and consume it.”
Spectator
“For spirits aficionados, history buffs, cooks, and fans of great writing, Moonshine is a must buy. It should be on everyone’s Father’s Day gift list.”
Jeff Cioletti | Drinkable Globe
"Moonshine really is a worldwide phenomenon."
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