Lesley Jacobs Solomonson joins Bart’s Books for a double feature on her two books: Gin and Liqueur on Saturday, July 20th at 6:00. After the talk, enjoy curated cocktails designed by Lesley using Ventura Spirits!
Publishing in July, Liqueur: A Global History looks at liqueurs travelling the Silk Road, awaiting travelers at the Fountain of Youth, and traversing the globe from ancient times through the industrial revolution and beyond. In this thrilling exploration of liqueur’s global history, Solmonson describes how a bitter, medicinal elixir distilled by early alchemists developed into a sugar- and spice-fueled luxury for the rich before garnishing a variety of cocktails the world over. The book invites readers on a multi-faceted journey through culinary history, driven by humanity’s ages-long desire for pleasure.
In her previous book, Gin: A Global History, Solomonson takes us back to gin’s origins as a medicine derived from the aromatic juniper berry, describing how the Dutch recognized the berry’s alcoholic possibilities and distilled it into the whiskey-like genever. Mother’s Milk, Mother’s Ruin, and Ladies’ Delight. Dutch Courage and Cuckold’s Comfort. These evocative nicknames for gin hint that it has a far livelier history than the simple and classic martini would lead you to believe. In this book, Lesley Jacobs Solmonson journeys into gin’s past, revealing that this spirit has played the role of both hero and villain throughout history.
Lesley Jacobs Solmonson is a spirits and cocktail journalist and curatorial consultant at the Center for Culinary Culture in Los Angeles. She has written for the Los Angeles Times, Gourmet, and the International Sommeliers Guild. Her two books were finalists at the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards.
Ventura Spirits has been using the natural and agricultural bounty of California's central coast to hand-craft novel and delicious spirits since 2011. Their tasting room in Ventura offers the opportunity to try their six most popular spirits, including their famous Wilder Gin made of wild-harvested California purple sage, bay, yerba santa, pixie mandarin peel and chuchupate.