James McHugh completed his PhD in 2008 at Harvard University, where he studied Sanskrit. He is now Associate Professor at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. His previous book, Sandalwood and Carrion: Smell in Indian Religion and Culture, was published by Oxford University Press in 2012.
Although there have been several publications on the use of alcohol in India, An Unholy Brew is the first comprehensive treatment of the topic. McHugh is currently in the process of publishing a few detailed articles on various aspects of alcohol use in India, which were not included in the book. Although treatments of the use of alcohol in other cultures, such as Graeco-Roman, are not uncommon, relatively very little work has been published on its use in India.
In his Introduction, McHugh notes that in popular imagination, social and religious life in India tends to be generally associated more with exotic “drugs”, such as soma, rather than with alcohol. However, a survey of the literature reveals that India has a very long history of alcohol consumption, in various guises, by all strata of society, ranging from the Brahmins who may drink surā in the Vedic Satrāmaṇī ritual, a practice that dates back to the time of the composition of the Ṛgveda, 3,500 years ago, to the fishermen who still tap toddy from coconut trees.
An Unholy Brew is based primarily on texts in Sanskrit and related languages, and provides a detailed survey of the numerous kinds of alcoholic preparations made in India, from the time of the Vedas until the modern era. However, also adduced are observations on various kinds of alcoholic drink currently used in India and the details of their manufacture. Terminology for the names of different drinks and for the various plants employed, and the kinds of apparatus and techniques of manufacture used for the preparation of alcoholic drinks are explored in great detail. Additionally, there are brief discussions of other inebriants commonly used in India, notably betel, cannabis, opium and soma (which is briefly surveyed in an Appendix), which became distinctive features of the culture in different historical periods.
Religious texts by Brahmins, Jains and Buddhists are explored, as are works of Dharmaśāstra, medical texts, inscriptions, plays, poetry and literature, which illustrate a wide range of drinks used for a variety of recreational, ritual and medicinal purposes. But as McHugh notes, these sources are really only the tip of the iceberg: vernacular texts would provide a huge number of further references.
The book consists of nine chapters, amusingly referred to as “Cups” (reflecting the nine “drinks” of the goddess of alcohol, Surā), which are divided into two parts (“Rounds”). In Round One, the material nature of various drinks and the practices of consumption are discussed; while in Round Two theories about drinking are examined, through mythology, law and ritual. Prefacing and ending the book are two short chapters, entitled “Aperitif” and “Digestif”, the first being introductory, the latter a summary.
The first “Cup” focuses on the use of drinks based on cereal grains, usually referred to as surā, which, as noted above, has a role in Vedic ritual, primarily as a counterpart to soma. Cup 2 explores drinks based on sugar and natural fermentation, which are produced using a yeast starter. The use of betel (pān) is also examined. Brewing technology and the role of drinking houses/taverns in society are the main topics of Cup 3, while in Cup 4 there is an exploration of various contexts of drinking, including elite parties, and of the cultural roles of servants and courtesans, and drinking paraphernalia such as drinking vessels. Cup 5 focuses on the use of alcohol in Āyurveda.
Beginning Round 2, the main content of Cup 6 is a presentation of a few well-known stories about drinking from the Vedas and the epics, which have shaped and influenced opinion about aspects of drinking over the centuries. Cup 7 looks mainly at ethical and legal issues surrounding alcoholic drinks, and who may or may not drink, according to the texts. The use of alcohol in Tantric rites is explored in Cup 8, while in Cup 9 there is a brief assessment of what happened to all the drinks analysed in previous chapters.
An Unholy Brew remains interesting throughout; it is abundantly referenced, carefully organized, and very readable both for the specialist and for any curious reader. The material presented in the book draws the reader into the mindset of many social and historical contexts of India, enriching our understanding of the culture through the lens of alcoholic drinks. An Unholy Brew will no doubt remain a standard work in the field for many years to come.
