The Wet and the Dry: A Drinker's Journey
“Instantly among the best nonfiction volumes about drinking that we have…Mr. Osborne comes across inThe Wet and the Dryas a real human being indeed — a complicated man mixing complicated feelings into fizzy, adult, intoxicating prose.” -New York Times“In this entertaining travel essay/memoir, [Osborne] combines both of his loves with a combination of sparkling prose and insightful observations…Endlessly fascinating.”-Chicago Tribune"Mr. Osborne is a superb travel writer, one who, like Evelyn Waugh, can size up a locale at almost a glance. This intoxicating book has political as well as sensual overtones. It’s about how East and West think about alcohol; quite often it’s about one man’s search for his 6:10 p.m. martini in some very unlikely locations."-Dwight Garner,New York Times“A bracing, brilliant meditation on everything from the universal qualities that make a good bar to the mysteries of vodka…to the pagan worship of Dionysius, an influence still felt in the way we see wine… Relentlessly sharp-minded.”—Boston Globe“Delightfully idiosyncratic.”—LA Times“Entertaining…[Osborne] nimbly parses politics, religion, and the chaotic nature of history itself in relation to drink.”—Men’s Journal,a Best Books for Men 2013 selection"Osborne is a master of the high style."-The Guardian"Captivating...Stylish and engaging."-Financial Times"Osborne elicits some profound and harrowing reflections...From Dubai to Beirut, Islamabad to Brooklyn, Osborne’s meditations on fermentation and distillation induce a host of refreshing, taut, timeless unmoorings." -Publishers Weekly(starred review)“A cosmopolitan and prodigious drinker conducts a tour to selected locales where alcohol flows easily and to others where such spirits are strictly forbidden…Rakish, rich and nicely served.” —Kirkus