Forget everything you know about whiskey, Prohibition, and the modern liquor industry. The real story is wild ride full of little known tales, plot twists, and unexpected connections that shaped the drink we call aqua vitae - the water of life. We're not kidding about the "crammed" part. We explorethe connections between: * Mesopotamian perfume makers &Alexandrian alchemists * The Jewish female alchemist who invented the still * Baptism by fire in Gnostic traditions * Monastic infirmaries and the origin of gin * Walla Walla onions and champagne * The real story behind anti-Catholic stereotypes ofdrunken priests * The anti-union, anti-immigrant, and anti-black agenda of the Temperance Movement * Myths about alcohol consumption in the 1800s * Why Prohibition caused a spike in rabbinical school enrollments and church attendance * Why the average bootlegger was a woman -- not a mobster - who exploited cultural norms to outsell her male competitors 5 to 1! * How Walgreens became the larg...