Whether you are choosing wine in a restaurant, or buying beer for a barbecue, I hope that this friendly, accessible, sometimes opinionated guide will help you navigate through the huge universe of drink.

The pages of this book contain descriptions of hundreds of different wines, beers, spirits, cocktails, and liqueurs from all over the world. But even a quick glance at the stacked shelves of a liquor store will tell you that this is in no way a complete account of the thousands of different brands and producers that make up today's drinks market. Even in a book of this size, I have had to be very selective. I hope that I have also been fair by including not only those drinks that I find particularly enjoyable or interesting, but also those that I think will enhance your knowledge and understanding of a particular style of drink - that will wake up parts of your senses that you didn't even know you had! I have not forgotten to include the well-known, global brands, which you are very likely to find at your local store, and which make up such an important part of the drinks industry.

FOREWORD

INTRODUCTION

VINE TO WINE

GLOBAL PRODUCTION

CHOOSING AND STORING

TASTING AND APPRECIATING

OPENING AND SERVING

LIGHT, CRISP WHITES

JUICY, AROMATIC WHITES

FULL, OPULENT WHITES

ROSE

FRUITY, LIVELY REDS

RIPE, SMOOTH REDS

RICH, DENSE REDS

SPARKLING

SWEET AND FORTIFIED

WINE-BASED BITTERS

DISTILLED PLEASURE

GLOBAL ORIGINS AND PRODUCTION

CHOOSING AND STORING

TASTING AND APPRECIATING

SERVING

BRANDY

WHISKY

RUM

VODKA

GIN

TEQUILA AND MEZCAL

OTHER SPIRITS

SWEET REWARDS

CHOOSING AND SERVING

TASTING AND ENJOYING

FRUIT

VEGETABLE, HERB, AND SPICE

NUT. BEAN. MILK. AND EGG

MYTH AND MIXOLOGY

THE BASICS

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

IN THE MIX

PRESENTATION

SOUR AND TANOY

SWEET, RICH, AND CREAMY

DRY, FRUITY, AND FRESH

GRAIN TO GLASS

THE WORLD OF BEER

WORLD BEER STYLES

CHOOSlNO, BUYING, AND STORING

TASTINO AND APPRECIATING

SERVING

LIGHT AND REFRESHING

THIRST QUENCHERS

APPETIZERS

BARK AND CREAMY

RICH AND WARMING

SPECIALITY

THE GOLDEN APPLE

WORLD CIDERS

GLOSSARY

INDEX

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS