James McHugh has done it again. After his widely acclaimed book on smell, Sandalwood and Carrion, he has now given us another gem. In An Unholy Brew, McHugh provides a thematically and chronologically comprehensive account of alcohol in Indian history: technologies of production, cultural appropriations and attitudes, and religious uses and censures. A book for both the ale lover and the teetotaler.
James McHugh studies the history and religions of early India, working with texts in Sanskrit and related languages. He completed his Ph.D. at Harvard University in 2008, and is now Associate Professor at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. His book Sandalwood and Carrion: Smell in Indian Religion and Culture explored the significance of odors, perfumes, and aromatics in India.