Book Release: OR: Portland: Local writer Niki Ganong releases "A Traveler’s Handbook to State Liquor Laws", April 21st

Press Release

A Traveler’s Handbook to State Liquor Laws

By Niki Ganong

“This book is the puzzle piece that has long been missing from drinking in America. A joy to read and an impressive mountain of knowledge to unearth.” – Jeffrey Morgenthaler, author of The Beer Book: Elements of Cocktail Technique

“How anyone could take such a dry subject as state-to-state liquor laws, and write a book on the subject that’s not just informative, but also really fun to read, is completely beyond me. Niki Ganong has pulled it off in grand style, though. This is a fabulous, and very useful, book for boozers in the USA.”

– Gary “gaz” Regan, author of The Joy of Mixology

Inspired by a relentless pursuit to understand America’s confusing liquor laws, Niki Ganong spent the last three years researching each state’s history with alcohol along with the current laws of the land. The result is a different type of guidebook -- one that keeps thirsty travelers informed about how to buy alcohol on the road. With colorful illustrations and arranged in a state-by-state regional format from east to west, THE FIELD GUIDE TO DRINKING IN AMERICA (Overcup Press, April 21, 2105, $19.99) tells the story of America through alcohol in a narrative filled with interesting people, places, conflicts, and values all connected by the thread of alcohol.

“I had a nagging curiosity about America’s history with alcohol,” said Ganong. “After Prohibition was repealed, each state and county was on its own to regulate how liquor was bought and sold and this lead to confusion once outside the state’s borders. Alcohol is an intricate part of human culture, so I kept asking what have the people in this place historically done to make, sell or consume alcohol. Then we followed that line of thinking to modern times.”

THE FIELD GUIDE keeps thirsty travelers informed when they cross state lines and armchair travelers entertained as they consider the complexity and variety of state laws enacted since the repeal of Prohibition:

Find out when bars make last call.

Know how packaged liquor, beer and wine are sold in all 50 states and Washington, DC. 

Plan ahead for the Sunday "blue laws" that can throw off your tailgate party.

Use easy to follow icons to identify control states, growler refill laws, corkage/re-corkage rules and more.

Get tips from local bartenders, brewers, and distillers about drinking in each state.

About the author:

Niki Ganong is a food and drink writer from Portland, Oregon. She is a frequent contributor to epicurean publications and is a frequent beer judge. The Field Guide to Drinking is her first book.

THE FIELD GUIDE TO DRINKING IN AMERICA

By Niki Ganong; Art Direction & Design by Cole Gerst/option-g

978-0983491729; April 21, 2015; Paperback; $19.99; 224 pgs; 220 color illustrations, 52 maps, 52 color photos