"To mark the start of the holiday season, Ian Williams talks about his new book on the history of rum. He writes about how rum and revolution have been associated together for centuries. Rum is “the global spirit with its warm beating heart in the Caribbean,” the one factor that is shared by all the cultures of the region, and drunk by the descendants of those who were enslaved to produce it. [includes rush transcript]

Ian Williams, UN correspondent for The Nation and author of several books including "Rum: A Social and Sociable History of the Real Spirit of 1776.""

AMY GOODMAN: What most surprised you about writing Rum, since you knew a lot about it before you started?

IAN WILLIAMS: I think it was just to see how it had grown and just how big the rum and sugar trade was. You know, it’s these things that you take for granted. You take for granted that New England is industrialized or that, you know, Britain was ruling the world.

JUAN GONZALEZ: This was the oil of the --

IAN WILLIAMS: This was the oil of the 18th century, yes. It was liquidity, in every sense.

Interesting interview. More at link.

Democracy Now!