Good Spirits: A New Look at Ol' Demon Alcohol

Good Spirits by Gene Logsdon is a light, easy read, suitable for reading on rainy summer days while swinging on the front porch swing. Best served with cold wine coolers, inexpensive California Chablis, home-made beer and/or gin- & -lemonade.Gene Logsdon writes, "On the subject of alcohol, hypocrisy is the standard-bearer of public opinion in America.....More evil is done in the name of good than in any other fashion, because the goal of persuading people to act morally invites the idea that the end justifies the means." Lest there be any doubt, Gene Logsdon is strongly against the stigma attached to the (moderate) consumption and production of alcohol. Logsdon is a good story teller. The first chapter is an unsanitized version of American history that illustrates the origins of our schizophrenic policy on alcohol. The remaining 11 chapters are a mix of three fictionalized "true-life" stories and eight how-to manuals. Finally, this is not a hard core how-to book. Reading this book will not prepare you to run Seagram's out of business. However, it might give you the gumption to sneak a few jugs of cider into the garage when your wife isn't looking....for scientific experimentation, that is.

I found this a fascinating read. If you love a. bourbon and b. farming, like me, this is right up your alley. Great for a winter day before the fireplace.