And a Bottle of Rum (2006) - Wayne Curtis

This book caught my eye while looking for something to take on a long plane ride.  As a non-fiction lover, I'm always interested in books that can tie together disparate elements for a greater understanding.  And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails by Wayne Curtis is quite successful in tying together the history of rum with the development of the New World.

Cover image: rumdrinks.wordpress.com

By exploring the development, rise, fall, and steady rise again of the rum spirit, Curtis is able to deftly tell the history of the U.S. and Caribbean (though he says New World, these are really the regions he concentrates on).  The book opens your eyes to the ways in which sugar production (and hence rum production) is so entwined with the early history of the colonies - from international strife in the colonies, to slavery, to the Independence movement - and continues afterwards.  Curtis also includes several recipes at the end of the book.

Through short, at times rambling, chapters, Curtis moves through successive periods of (mostly) American history through the lens of a particular rum drink.  He touches on many different areas, like sailors in the Navy or Hemingway in Cuba, to elucidate the popularity and influence of rum.  There are times when he strains the connection and goes off on tangents (like the later chapter on tiki bars), but overall he does an excellent job in the book.