An Insider's guide to restaurants, wine, spirits and culinary travel
Books by Mark Spivak
Published by Lyons Press (Globe Pequot)
Hardcover, $16.95; Kindle, $9.99
Buy on Amazon
A fascinating portrait of twelve spirits that changed the world and forged the cocktail culture
What's the relationship between moonshine and NASCAR?
Why was absinthe considered to be the most dangerous substance on earth?
How did a pile of juniper berries almost destroy the British Empire?
How did a homeless man become one of the wealthiest people in America?
Writing in an engaging and appealing style, Mark Spivak explore the
untold tales behind the world's greatest spirits. "These are the best
types of stories---the kind a writer could never make up."
What they’re saying:
"It's like sitting in a bar at closing time, listening to a good friend tell stories. You never want it to end."
Louis Marmon, wine and spirits writer, Washington, D.C.
”Even teetotalers might want to learn about what they’re missing."
Scott Eyman, Palm Beach Post
"Mr. Spivak even manages to make a tasting of Canadian Club sound like
he's eating a decadent hot fudge sundae...Packed with interesting
anecdotes, stories and trivia, Iconic Spirits provides a riveting look
at the history behind the hooch."
Renee C. Fountain, Bookfetish.org
"I could not put this book down. It cost me a night's sleep...What a wonderful read for you or a gift for others."
Ken Schechet, Amazon.com
Published by Lyons Press (Globe Pequot)
Paperback, $16.95; Kindle, $9.99
Buy on Amazon
Moonshine is corn whiskey, traditionally made in improvised stills
throughout the Appalachian South. While quality varied from one producer
to another, the whiskey had one thing in common: It was illegal because
the distiller refused to pay taxes to the US government. Many
moonshiners were descendants of Scots-Irish immigrants who had fought in
the original Whiskey Rebellion in the early 1790s. They brought their
knowledge of distilling with them to America along with a profound sense
of independence and a refusal to submit to government authority. Today
many Southern states have relaxed their laws and now allow the legal
production of moonshine—provided that taxes are paid. Yet many modern
moonshiners retain deep links to their bootlegging heritage. Moonshine
Nation is the story of moonshine’s history and origins alongside
profiles of modern moonshiners—and a collection of drink recipes from
each.
What they’re saying:
“Moonshine Nation is the definitive book on the true American spirit.”
South Florida Opulence Magazine
“His book — part history lesson, part profiles of modern moonshiners
(drink recipes included) — reads like source material for Elmore
Leonard.
“He sets the scene of a broke, young America needing to pay its bills to
overseas creditors. Rather than tax the wealthy landowners (the ones
who voted), politicians instead tax the poor farmers producing whiskey.
The battle between the haves and have-nots begins, leading to the
Whiskey Rebellion of the 1790s, and continues through Prohibition and
beyond.
"With a storyteller’s dexterity, Spivak straightens the curving history
of cat-and-mouse between the moonshiners and the Feds trying to find and
destroy their stills — and collect the taxes.”
Carlos Frias, Palm Beach Post
“I’m not much of a history person. I’ve never really cared much about
what happened in the past, and instead focused on the present and the
future. But, when I sat down with a copy of Moonshine Nation: The Art of
Creating Cornbread in a Bottle by Mark Spivak, I immediately became
sucked in to events that happened long before I was born. I have a
feeling once you get the book in your hands, the same will happen.
“Go ahead and pick up a copy…read the pages as you sip on some moonshine
from a mason jar and learn more about an important part of America’s
spirited history.”
Jessica Torres, onemartini.com
Published by Black Opal Books
Paperback $13.49; Kindle $3.99
Buy on Amazon
In 1990 some critics believe that America’s most celebrated chef, Joseph
Soderini di Avenzano, cut a deal with the Devil to achieve fame and
fortune. Whether he is actually Bocuse or Beelzebub, Avenzano is
approaching the 25th anniversary of his glittering Palm Beach
restaurant, Chateau de la Mer, patterned after the Michelin-starred
palaces of Europe.
Journalist David Fox arrives in Palm Beach to interview the chef for a
story on the restaurant’s silver jubilee. He quickly becomes involved
with Chateau de la Mer’s hostess, unwittingly transforming himself into a
romantic rival of Avenzano. The chef invites Fox to winter in Florida
and write his authorized biography. David gradually becomes sucked into
the restaurant’s vortex: shipments of cocaine coming up from the
Caribbean; the Mafia connections and unexplained murder of the chef’s
original partner; the chef’s ravenous ex-wives, swirling in the
background like a hidden coven. As his lover plots the demise of the
chef, Fox tries to sort out hallucination and reality while Avenzano
treats him like a feline’s catnip-stuffed toy.
Friend of The Devil is a riveting story: part mystery and part thriller,
powered by a muscular narrative that reveals the nature of the
characters and their relationships with each other.
Praise for Friend of the Devil:
"The writing is strong and the character development superb."
Taylor Jones, reviewer
"With excellent, well-developed three-dimensional characters, an
intriguing mystery, and dark humor, Spivak has crafted a culinary
thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, turning pages
until the end."
Regan Murphy, reviewer
What they're saying on Amazon:
"A little Kitchen Confidential, a little Real Housewives of Palm Beach, and a little Faust."
"Sex, drugs, and an upscale version of terducken called Bedouin stuffed
poussin ...this fast-paced existential drama has got something for
everyone."
"Unlike anything I have read in the past."
"Caution: Descriptions of culinary masterpieces may cause hunger pangs."