Vodka (2012)

Herlihy traces the contentious political history of vodka, demonstrating how Russian state monopolies and imperial revenues became deeply reliant on spirit production. The book chronicles its migration westward, showing how Cold War diplomacy, international espionage, and savvy marketing propelled clear spirits into twentieth-century cocktail mainstays like the Martini and Moscow Mule. It brilliantly highlights the intersection between autocratic statecraft and mass consumer taste.