If you were an editor, and you wanted to have someone review two books about drinking in America, you would look for one of the more abstemious writers in captivity, right? Well, whether they knew it or not, that’s what the editors of The American Interest got when they asked me to review America Walks into a Bar, A Spirited History of Taverns and Saloons, Speakeasys and Grog Shops, by Christine Sismondo, and Moonshine, by Jaime Joyce. “No wonder America felt comfortable declaring its independence from the world’s preeminent military and commercial power. Evidently, we were half in the bag.” To read the entire review, called `Drunk History’, click here.
