Last year, Dr. Edward Slingerland published Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to talk to him. I had so many questions!
It took me a year, but I got him on - and it may be the best interview yet. Dr. Slingerland is a multifaceted researcher, drawing on experience with Warring States-era Ancient China, philosophy, sociology, evolutionary theories, archaeology, and scientific data to come to a breathtaking conclusion: human civilization could not have evolved without alcohol and intoxication.
That's obviously an oversimplification. Dr. Slingerland and I get into the theories behind his argument, the studies he references, and challenges to this work. After all, there's voluminous, even endless literature on alcohol's dangers (and Dr. Slingerland doesn't shy away from those, devoting an entire chapter to those dangers) - but very few have ever written of alcohol in a positive light.
This is, above all, a must-read for anyone truly interested in alcohol and intoxication. Like the best works do, it will make you think about life, where we come from, and how we achieved the civilizations we now take for granted.
And thinking feels best over a nice glass of whiskey.
_________________
Before we jump into the interview just a few quick notes:
If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so!
You can still support for as little as $1 a month if you’d like to stay up to date with these changes and news about what we’ve got coming up.
Finally, please do like and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you’re listening - it really helps the Whiskey Ring Podcast move up the rankings.
If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to the newsletter on the website.
Thanks for reading! Now here’s Dr. Edward Slingerland, author of Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization.
Thanks to our Sponsor, ImpEx Beverages
Thanks to our Sponsor, Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Ep. 143: The Cotswolds Distillery with Founder Dan Szor, Part 1
Ep. 142: Dingle Distillery with Elliot Hughes
Ep. 141: MB Roland Distillery with Founder Paul Tomaszewski
Ep. 140: Casey Jones Distillery with Cody Turner
Ep. 139: Old Line Spirits Update with Mark McLaughlin
Ep. 138: New Riff Distillery with Master Distiller Brian Sprance
Bonus Episode: Old Dominick Distilling with Master Distiller Alex Castle
Ep. 137: Whiskey Jypsi Explorer with Ari Sussman
Ep. 136: Amrut Indian Whisky with Raj Sabharwal aka @whiskyraj
Ep. 135: Filmland Spirits with Founders Troy Bolotnick and Charlie Flint
Ep. 134: Copperworks Distilling with Founder Jason Parker
Ep. 133: Lost Lantern Returns! The Spring 2024 Midwest Collection with Adam and Nora
Ep. 132: Starward Whisky with Founder Dave Vitale
Ep. 131: Hampden Estate with Kate Perry of La Maison & Velier
Ep. 130: Field & Sound Whiskey and Long Island Spirits with Founder Rich Stabile
Ep. 129: Arbikie Highland Distillery with John Stirling
Ep. 128: Kentucky Peerless with Ellie Reed and John Wadell
Ep. 127: Heaven's Door Spirits with Alex Moore
Ep. 126: Hard Truth Distilling with Bryan Smith
Ep. 125: River Roots Barrel Company with Co-Founder Ryan Lintz
Join Podbean Ads Marketplace and connect with engaged listeners.
Advertise Today
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
That Don‘t Sound Right
Adeptus Ridiculous
Gun Talk
Perpetual Chess Podcast
BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Podcast