Amy Stewart: Booze and Botany

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As a gentleman, you might occasionally appreciate a well-crafted cocktail. But how often to do you actually think about the ingredients? I mean, really think about where that booze came from and how it was made?

On today’s episode, Amy Stewart and I talk about her fascinating book The Drunken Botanist, and how every alcohol known to man has one common origin: plants. Amy shares how throughout history man has tried to ferment nearly everything, why you need a “cocktail garden,” and why the stories behind some drinks are often just as intoxicating as the liquors themselves.

Amy Stewart

Hey gents, I’ve got a great episode for you. Once again, my guest is Amy Stewart. She is the New York Times best-selling author of nine books, including The Drunken Botanist, Wicked Plants, Flower Confidential, and a series of novels. Amy’s books have been translated into 16 different languages, and she has won numerous awards. You might have heard Amy on NPR’s Morning Edition or Fresh Air, and she’s been featured in the New York Times, Good Morning America, PBS, Cake Boss, and many more places.

Amy travels the country as a public speaker and has presented at Cornell, Harvard, and even corporate offices like Google, where it was rumored that she served tequila and nearly broke the internet. I’d heard about her book The Drunken Botanist from a mixologist in Miami a few years ago, so it was an honor to get to chat with Amy on the podcast.

Episode Highlights

Why the earliest alcohol (accidentally) served as a survival mechanism
Why corn was so popular for making alcohol in the early years of the US
The “Monkey Puzzle Tree” and other bizarre plants that are fermented around the world
Why we are currently living in the golden age of alcohol
How Amy first became interested in the connection between botany and booze
The swashbuckling nature of botanical history: adventures on the high sea, murder, and mayhem
The truth about Benjamin Franklin and the origin of spruce beer
Why Amy created a “poison garden” and the later replaced it with a “cocktail garden”
The genuine health benefits of a common ingredient in your Negroni
How Amy ended up on the reality show Cake Boss