An Unholy Brew

Abstract

An Unholy Brew is the first book on alcohol in premodern India. Using a wide range of sources from the Vedas to the Kāmasūtra, the book explores the drinks, styles of drinking, and sophisticated theories of abstinence found in South Asia from our earliest Sanskrit written records through the second millennium CE. It begins with the intoxicating drinks people devised over the centuries, made from grains, sugars, fruits, and herbs. Texts describe a number of types of drinking: public drinking at the brewery-tavern, and at festivals and weddings. Poetic texts depict elite drinking, often in an erotic mode. Medical texts explain how a rich man should regulate his drinking correctly, and how to cure drink sickness. Myths and epic stories explain how drink came into being and was assigned the ritual and legal status it has today. The book also explores Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain moral and legal texts on drink and abstinence. Drink is used in some Tantric rituals, and the book presents an account of drink in the work of Kashmiri Abhinavagupta. One later Tantric text contains a detailed description of the goddess Liquor, Surā, translated here in full, along with considerations of cannabis and opium. Finally, what happened to these drinks, stories, and theories in the last few centuries? An Unholy Brew brings to life the overlooked, complex world of brewing, drinking (and abstaining) in premodern India, and includes clear case studies of topics such as law and medicine, along with recipes for drinks.