And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World tells the story of the rise, fall, and return of America's most reviled and calumnied spirit. Rum began as a byproduct of the 17th century West Indian sugar industry but soon took on a life of its own – especially in coastal New England, which was home to as many as 150 colonial distilleries.

Demon Rum has long shouldered blame for such dark episodes as the slave trade, the excesses of bloodthirsty pirates, and widespread drinking that led to Prohibition. (Rum's role has generally been overblown in each of these cases.) But rum rarely gets credit for its role in American culture. Distilling was the second most important industry after shipbuilding, and when the British crown meddled it (think: Molasses Act), the colonies learned how to work together to resist.

And a Bottle of Rum examines rum's history by tracking the rise of ten distinctive rum drinks from 1640 to the present. Recipes included.

EXCERPTS/ADAPTATIONS

Excerpts from or adaptations of the book have appeared in:

Atlantic Monthly (October 2005): Old Man and the Daiquiri: A search through Havana to answer the question of why Hemingway drank a girly drink. Link

American Scholar (Summer 2006): Rum and Coca-Cola: The murky derivations of a sweet drink and a sassy World War II song. [no link available]

American Heritage (September 2006): Tiki Time: How sex, rum, World War II and the brand-new state of Hawaii ignited a fad that has never quite ended. Link

INTERVIEWS
And a Bottle of Rum has been mentioned in many articles, including Jonathan Miles's cocktail column in the Sunday New York Times, and Eric Felten's "How's Your Drink" column in the Wall Street Journal.  If you'd like to read or hear more about the book, try these links:

NPR's All Things Considered (Aug. 19. 2006): A five-minute talk with host Debbie Elliott about all things rum. Link 

KCRW's Good Food (Sept. 16. 2006): What makes rum rum? A chat with host Evan Kleiman about the history of rum. Link  for Quicktime audio. Other formats available here. 

Associated Press (July 2006): Reporter Clark Canfield talks with me about rum, rebellion and how the book came to be. Link.

SELECTED REVIEWS
Washington Post: Jonathan Yardley, "The history of the Americas through the foggy lens of alcohol." (July 23, 2006) Link

The Simon: James H. Johnson,  "Yo-ho-ho: Wayne Curtis’s 'And a Bottle of Rum.'" (Sep 14, 2006) Link
 
International Socialist Review: Amy Muldoon, "Rum doings." (March 2007) Link 
 
TALKS/PRESENTATIONS
I'd be happy to tailor a talk about the history of rum for your group! I entertained more than 150 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City in 2006, serving four historic rum cocktails while giving a 90-minute illustrated talk on rum's illustrious past. I've also done more modest rum tastings, signings, and talks at book shops, historical societies, and distilling conferences around the country. Contact me for the particulars.