I am amazed by this book. The book is organized, alphabetically, by the alcoholic beverage being discussed. In the course of discussing a wine or other potent potable, one learns European and US History, the history of the Church. One learns about Saints, about economics, about conspiracies, about theology. All done in a delightful way.

There is nothing a good Catholic need wince at here.

Each article is just about the right length for a short reading, perhaps after dinner, or perhaps by yourself while waiting for a ride to the ABC store.

It is difficult to say anything about this book that has not been said already. Be sure to check out the 1st book in the series too: The Bad Catholic's Guide to Good Living

1) It is irreverent... but FULL OF LOVE for the Church and Her history.

2) It is funny and campy, but proclaims the truth.

3) It has great drinking songs that gently poke fun at protestants...

4) And best of all, great drink recipes and party ideas.

All in all... AWESOME BOOK.

My perfect book finally sees print. This has it all: booze making monks, good food, good music, excellent history, harmless fun, politically incorrect ideologue smashing humour, and (mostly) orthodox Catholicism.

One of the most underrated books of all time, and the exact gift to give to joyless Puritans or the frozen-chosen.

And presents the best case ever I've seen for FEAST DAYS being FEAST DAYS!

Deserves to be AMAZON's No. 1 Best Seller.

Having marinated in a WASP stew for a few hundred years, too many English-speaking Catholics, especially Catholics who really believe in their wild and wonderful Church, have adopted many of the Puritan excesses and general love-of-drudgery that manna-lovers since at least Webber have credited with economic efficiency and well-being.

To that, these authors provide a well-deserved razzberry, accompanied by two-handed ear-wagging. A celebration of culture, history, and faith, all delivered with good humor and all of which involve spirited feasting, drinking, and dancing - some of which (as the Baptists often warn) could lead to slow dancing!!

John Zmirak and Denise Matychowiak's "The Bad Catholic's Guide to Wine, Whiskey & Song" is a hoot. If you look up "snarky" in the Catholic dictionary, you'll find a picture of this book. You'll find the answers to questions like:

* Why do Kentucky whiskeys bear the name of the famous French royal house of Bourbon?

* How did pisco become the national drink of Peru? (See answer below)

* Is vodka Russian or Polish in origin?

It's a random walk through the history of Christendom, viewed from an epicure/enophile perspective. Thoroughly Catholic in its attitude and orthodoxy, chock full of recipes (Matychowiak is a chef), The Bad Catholic's Guide to Wine, Whiskey & Song takes the givenness and goodness of creation and physicality seriously. They explain historical events like the Quietist heresy in France using references to things like Bobby McFerrin's hit, "Don't Worry, Be Happy." It's a funny celebration and will leave you chuckling and gabbing with friends. Highly recommended.

Oh, and about that pisco:
"[Catholic clergy] march[ed] through the country on foot[,] learning a dozen languages to preach the Gospel without the benefit of gunpowder. . . . When the priests saw the conquistadors robbing the country of everything not nailed down, and enslaving the natives to work in silver mines, they started defending the Indians' rights and organizing them on farms. Jesuits taught the Indians to grow grapes and ferment them. . . . Enraged Iberian vintners -- don't cross these people, trust us -- rioted for their right to soak the colonials, and in 1614, the ever-meddling Spanish Crown outlawed the sale of Peruvian wine.

The ever-crafty Jesuits applied their scientific training to invent a new drink which fit neatly through a loophole in the law -- a brandy that was soon named for the earthenware containers which held it, piskos. . . . '[P]isco' soon caught on throughout New Spain, and gave the long-suffering Indians an industry they could count on . . . ."

After describing the German Kaiser's reconquest of Alsace-Loraine from France in the Franco-Prussian War and his persecution of the region's Catholics, which occurred while the forces of the Kingdom of Italy kept the Pope a prisoner in the Vatican, and which was followed by the Paris Commune's murder of dozens of French clergy and religious, author John Zmirnak writes, "All in all, the 1870s may have been even worse for the Church than the 1970s ... hard as that might be to believe." (From the entry "Gewurztraminer: The Alsacians Need Better Neighbors.") If the idea of combining libations, cuisine, history, orthodoxy, humor, and political incorrectness appeals to you, then this is your book. Highly recommended.