"And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in 10 Cocktails."

by Wayne Curtis. I just finished reading this book. If you like your rum(s), then you are really going to like this book. It is essentially as the title describes it, the ten cocktails are the most popular, or the drink that most characterizes rum in each of rums "historical phases" for lack of a better term. The thrust of the book is rum's evolution. From it's humble and murky beginnings to the rums you drink today and everything in between. It's a good, entertaining read and well worth the price and your time. It also enjoys endorsements from most of the notable cocktail writers. The author has a blog here: http://www.republicofrum.com/. You can tell the fella is a rum fan straight away. There are also a few dozen rum cocktail recipes, at least a couple of which, I will be trying out this evening. So, go get the book and hunker down with a glass of your favorite rum. You'll find yourself appreciating it even more.

NPR interviewed the author a couple of months back:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5676434

I'd been meaning to get this book for quite some time - I hesitated as I had already read the Tiki Era excerpt in American Heritage magazine. But downtime during the Holidays and the recommendation from this post made it doable.

It's a good read - to quote that great philosopher princess Vanessa Williams, I learned stuff about rum "that I never knew I never knew". I didn't realize how important rum was during the colonial period, and how it's popularity has so drastically risen and ebbed over time. Aside from the historical information, it's also good to see Sven and Jeff Berry cited multiple times.

Recommended if you have an interest in learning more about the history of rum and/or U.S. history.