Warm or chilled, fizzy or buzzy, we all have our favorite drinks. I am a zombie in the morning before my coffee, and I adore a ribeye steak with a glass of zinfandel.

Many of our drinks have fascinating histories, from the growing of the ingredients and their journeys here, to the battles for ownership and copyrights of varieties and blends.

I’ve listed some favorite beverages below, and given you a history, a recipe or cookbook, and a fiction book for each one. Cheers!

Tequila

“Tequila Wars: Jose Cuervo and the Bloody Struggle for the Spirit of Mexico” by Ted Genoways (2025).

“Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails with a Literary Twist” by Tim Federle (2023) — also: “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margarita” and “Gone with the Gin.”

“The Lies That Bind” by Emily Giffin (2020).

Scotch/Whiske

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