We've always been soaks and boozers, convinced that a magic elixir would make us taller, charming and just a little less gross. Then we hard wired that bad idea into society.

Drunk as Lords is a hilarious ramble through the What, How and Why of drinking since the beginning. And we really mean the beginning. From drunk monkeys descending out of the trees, the awful wine of the ancients, booze-fueled revolutions, the world's bloodiest cocktail to next week's hangover.

Is wine over priced and why? Why did the ancients vomited with such gusto? The dark side of rum... and what happens in those barrels and why is it so wonderful?

In turns both grim and funny, Richard Murff follows the history, science and lore of spirits from a floating bourbon rickhouse on the Mississippi River, being force fed vodka in the Ukraine, and William Faulkner in Iraq. Drunk as Lords is the story of civilization... and distillation.