The bark itself is extremely bitter, and making it palatable required mixology of a sort. Similarly, most of us do not drink gin and tonic to prevent malaria, but that beverage arose from the realization that quinine found in bark from the cinchona tree disrupted the course of the disease. The knowledge that consuming citrus prevented sailors from falling ill with scurvy, a disease arising from a deficiency in vitamin C, led to the provisioning of ships with lemons and limes preserved by various means and mixed with rum or gin, providing early templates for drinks we now order as gimlets or daiquiris. The trajectory of Chartreuse from life-giving elixir to boozy cocktail ingredient is but one example of a story English tells many times in Doctors and Distillers, the subtitle of which promises a “remarkable medicinal history of beer, wine, spirits, and cocktails.” English, a spirits and cocktail journalist known for his experiments making perfectly clear ice at home and for providing science-based guidance to bartenders on potentially toxic drink ingredients, provides a breezy history of how the alcoholic beverages we enjoy for fun and pleasure today often trace their roots to medicinal purposes, real or alleged.įirmly in the real column are drinks that evolved directly from discoveries that certain fruits and plants effectively treat diseases. It’s more approachable in cocktails such as the Last Word, combined with gin, maraschino liqueur, and lime juice, a modern mixologists’ favorite, or in the 1970s concoction known as Swamp Water, a simple mix of Chartreuse, pineapple, and lime. Boldly herbaceous and 110 proof, it’s an intense experience when sipped neat. Americans can purchase the namesake Chartreuse liqueur. Today the full-strength “Elixir Vegetal” is still sold in French pharmacies, though it's not yet exported to the United States due to the monks’ reluctance to divulge details of the recipe to federal regulators. In the 19th century, Chartreuse was advertised as a treatment for everything from apoplexy to indigestion to the difficulties of childbirth. Doctors and Distillers: The Remarkable Medicinal History of Beer, Wine, Spirits, and Cocktails By Camper English Penguin Books 368 pp., $18.00

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