“Wilson, a natural storyteller, delivers a unique blend of humorous
travelogue, spirits history, and recipe collection.”
—Wine Enthusiast, December 2010
“A smart globe-hopping tour behind the scenes of the current
‘cocktail revolution.’”
—The Week, 11/12/10
“The Washington Post's spirits columnist since 2007, Mr. Wilson has
never been one for 100−point scales and tasting notes. For him the
best drinks are trips down memory lane. . . The wit and judgment that
mark Mr. Wilson's column are evident throughout Boozehound, his
journey through the modern spirits market. He has had the good
fortune to be on the beat as the classic cocktail revival led to the
reappearance of long−missing liquors, drinks, and ingredients. In
nine chapters, covering everything from artisanal bitters from Italy
to how to make a Fizz fizz, he celebrates the new abundance while
remaining skeptical about liquor conglomerates' marketing
schemes. . . . Throughout his bibulous wanderings, Mr. Wilson never
loses sight of the drink in the glass.”
—Wall Street Journal, 10/23/10
“Wilson may just be the best virtual drinking buddy you’ve ever
had, as he mixes his insights with hilarious war
stories. . . .Whether he’s detailing happy hour in Milan, the
annual ‘Tales of the Cocktail’ convention, or Peru’s glass-
sharing tradition, one thing’s for sure: this book will make you
want to drink—and drink something interesting. . . Let’s hope
there’s another round coming soon.”
—Ward Sutton, Drawn to Read, BarnesandNobleReview.com, 10/17/10
“Call him the Sherlock of scotch, the Poirot of pisco or the Marlowe
of malt whiskey.”
—Washington Post Express, 10/13/10
"The book is entertaining, and the info is accompanied by a healthy
chaser of acerbic wit and plenty of personal asides."
—Liquor.com, 10/11/10
"Entertaining, thoroughly engaging, and utterly informative. . . . In
the end, Boozehound is not just a book for drinkers. Rather, it’s an
invaluable volume for curious people everywhere, and its insights
into culture, history, travel, and, yes, spirits, are rewarding on
any number of levels. They’ll also make you seriously thirsty for a
cocktail--with a renewed sense of appreciation for what went into it,
of course."
—Uncork Life!, 10/11/10
“A global travelogue with a buzz.”
—New York Post, 10/3/10
"Wilson got his sea legs as a travel writer so Boozehound dips hard
into travelogue. Here, though, it's a crucial means of moving liquor
beyond recipes to the realm of geography and personality. Recipes are
there, of course. But Wilson's real fodder is the fabric of the
cocktail revolution...he earnestly hunts down some of the world's
more talented distillers, like Austria's eau-de-vie meister Hans
Reisetbauer. And he captures the tension between the ageless
traditions of, say, Cognac, and an industry with newfound cash to
fund endless hype....Plus, he's not afraid of booze's sillier
moments. (Witness his karaoke rendition of "Poker Face" in Ica, Peru)"
—San Francisco Chronicle, 10/3/10
"The Washington Post spirits columnist has just published a breezy,
archly opinionated picaresque from the world of tippling, on the
order of a milder-mannered Anthony Bourdain."
—Dallas Morning News
10/4/10
"[Wilson] does an outstanding job of conjuring the images of time,
place, and sensation that are so vital to the appreciation of any
fine food or drink."
—The A.V. Club. 9/29/10
"Wilson not only has the rare opportunity to write about spirits on
such a frequent basis, but he also has a true enthusiasm and affinity
for the topic, which shows in the vibrancy of his writing. Boozehound
takes Wilson's Post columns several steps further, creating for the
reader a more comprehensive view of today's dynamic world of
drinkables.I've enjoyed reading Wilson's columns for several years
now, and Boozehound is a fantastic read as well."
—Paul Clarke, Serious Eats, 9/29/10
“This high spirited book is sure to quench your thirst for knowledge
and fun.”
—Los Angeles Daily News, 9/21/10
"Wilson's rich descriptions will entice readers to try something new the next time they hop on a bar stool."
—Library Journal, 9/15/10
"Jason Wilson, the spirits columnist for The Washington Post, is funny, smart, and just irreverent and critical enough that you trust every word he writes. And he likes the sauce? Sounds like our kind of writer."
—Eater.com, 8/30/10
“Superbly informative, entertaining, and yet deeply subversive.”
—Anthony Bourdain, author of Medium Raw and Kitchen Confidential
"In his first book, Wilson, the spirits columnist for the Washington Post, has concocted an idiosyncratic exploration of the world of spirits. His primary ingredients include heavy doses of cocktail recipes, travelogues, history lessons, polemics against popular trends (flavored vodka is his primary target), all mixed together with a dash of autobiography. Wilson's bibulous quest takes him across Europe and the Americas, where he quaffs everything from Genever and Calvados to añejo tequilas and a substance called "Peanut Lolita." As he drinks his way around the world, Wilson also examines the myriad ways in which alcohol has shaped culture and his own suburban New Jersey upbringing. Wilson sees the American obsession with flavored vodka as part of the long hangover from Prohibition. Yet he also discerns a growing American interest in more complex spirits, and he makes it his mission to introduce readers to the delights of arcane substances like Chartreuse and Tuaca. Wilson succeeds in his pose as an American everyman abroad...Yet he has done his readers a real service: with cocktail recipes at the end of each chapter, Boozehound serves as a smooth personalized guide to classy mixology. (Oct.)"
—Publishers Weekly, 6/28/10
“There’s nobody I’d rather read on the subject of booze than Jason Wilson. Smart, funny, illuminating, and opinionated, this is a book I’ll return to often—both when I need a good read, and when I need a good drink.”
—Molly Wizenberg, creator of Orangette and author of A Homemade Life
“Boozehound takes you behind the labels and delves deeply—and humorously—into the world of liquors and libations. I’ve had the pleasure to sip, swirl, and savor a cocktail (or two) with Jason Wilson, and with this collection of highly spirited stories and recipes, you can too.”
—David Lebovitz, author of Ready for Dessert and The Sweet Life in Paris
“Jason Wilson’s overworked liver is a national treasure. A deeply entertaining guide to the periodic table of liquors, Boozehound is a serious fount of pleasures, chief among them Wilson himself: doggedly curious, acidly opinionated, refreshingly irreverent, and epically thirsty.”
—Jonathan Miles, author of Dear American Airlines and former cocktail columnist for the New York Times
