It's hard to squeeze the essence of 315 pages of 400 Years of Drinking in American South narrated Deftly by Robert F. Moss in Southern Spirits (Ten Speed Press, Hardcover, April 12, 2016)
Best thing I could do is give you a taste of it.
Don't expect to find a book full of cocktail recipes between the covers of 'Southern Spirits'.
It is a serious expose on history of '400 years of drinking in the American South' with a sprinkling of recipes.
Book opens with description of failure of beer and wine in colonists early years.
Barley brought from England was worm infested after weeks at sea.
Rum was the savior.
Rest of story is for you to discover