About this podcast
From the rise and fall of empires to the birth of modern diplomacy, civilization's greatest moments have been shaped by an unlikely force: what filled our glasses.
Join award-winning author Henry Jeffreys and renowned food writer Tom Parker-Bowles as they pour through history's most intoxicating stories. From Charles Dickens's beloved punch to the royal family's legendary drinks trolley, discover how alcohol has shaped civilizations, sparked wars, and sealed peace treaties.
Each episode finds our convivial hosts uncorking a different chapter of human history through the unique lens of alcohol. Whether they're recreating Dickens's beloved punch recipes, infiltrating the closely-guarded royal wine cellars, proving that the English invented champagne or discovering how Portuguese port sparked an international alliance, Henry and Tom blend scholarly insight with irreverent wit and a shared passion for historical peculiarities.
Authoritative yet wonderfully entertaining, Intoxicating History serves up serious history with a generous measure of irreverent humour. Through revolutions and peace treaties, cultural upheavals and technological breakthroughs, your hosts reveal how the contents of the glass have steered the course of history – usually while sampling the evidence, (purely for research purposes, of course!)
Whether you're a history buff, food and drink enthusiast, or simply love a well-told tale, raise a glass with us as we explore civilization's most intoxicating moments.
Pour yourself something suitable and join us for a journey through time, one drink at a time.
New episodes served weekly.
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Episodes
The newest 20 of 26 episodes
- An Apple a Day Kept Britain Going · 54 min · Season 2 Episode 4Cider once mattered as much as beer or wine — so how did it lose its place in British life? In this episode of Intoxicating History, Henry Jeffreys and Tom Parker Bowles explore…
- Churchill Drank What? Champagne, myths and the Making of a Wartime Legend · 47 min · Season 2 Episode 3Winston Churchill is remembered as the man who drank the British through the Second World War. But how much of that is legend, how much is exaggeration, and how much is actually…
- American Presidents: What they drank and why it mattered · 58 min · Season 2 Episode 2On this episode of Intoxicating History we trace American history through what presidents chose to pour. From George Washington’s Madeira-fuelled formality to Thomas Jefferson’s…
- French 75s, Granny Sherry & the Night Eggnog Exploded: A Christmas Day in Drinks · 1 h 4 min · Season 2 Episode 1After a bit of a break, Intoxicating History is back. Tom Parker Bowles and Henry Jeffreys return with a full day’s worth of Christmas drinking, from breakfast bubbles to…
- History's Most Intoxicating Revelations: Season 1 Top 12 · 17 min · Season 1 Episode 21We're back with something special - our top 12 most intoxicating moments from Season 1! Join us as we revisit the wildest boozy tales that shaped history, from Roman drinking…
- The Angel's Share: 300 Years of Port's Forbidden Sips · 47 min · Season 1 Episode 20Tom and Henry have escaped our London bunker for the season finale and found themselves in glorious Porto, surrounded by the world's finest ports! Join us as Adrian Bridge, the…
- Mad Men, Sad Wine with Rory Sutherland · 1 h 3 min · Season 1 Episode 19We’re thrilled to welcome marketing maverick Rory Sutherland to Intoxicating History. In this somewhat rambunctious episode, Henry Jeffreys and Tom Parker Bowles share a glass of…
- Grape Pretenders, Part 2 · 42 min · Season 1 Episode 18In this second part of a two-part special, Tom and Henry delve into the scandalous world of wine fraud that shook the fine wine establishment to its core. We unveil the…
- The Grape Pretenders: A history of Wine Fraud · 44 min · Season 1 Episode 17We are back to escort you on a rollicking journey through the world of wine fraud in “The Grape Pretenders.” In this episode, Henry Jeffreys and Tom Parker Bowlesinvite you to…
- The Burton Snatch: Jamie Allsopp & The Ipa Revolution · 50 min · Season 1 Episode 16In this episode of Intoxicating History, we take you on a spirited journey through the wild world of British beer. Henry Jeffreys and Tom Parker Bowles, recount how a bold 1718…
- From Bibles to Capone: Prohibition in the USA · 41 min · Season 1 Episode 15Welcome to another unruly chapter of Intoxicating History with hosts, Henry Jeffreys and Tom Parker Bowles. In this episode, we’re unraveling the wild, head-spinning days of…
- Rome Part 2: The Empire Strikes Bacchus · 37 min · Season 1 Episode 14In this episode of Intoxicating History Tom Parker Bowles and Henry Jeffreys get together for another round of wine-fuelled storytellin, delving deeper into the indulgent…
- Rome Part 1: What did the Romans Ever Do for Us? · 39 min · Season 1 Episode 13In this episode of Intoxicating History, Henry, Jeffreys and Tom Parker Bowles travel back 2,000 years to ancient Rome to ask the big question: What did the Romans ever do for…
- The Martini Files: The history of the perfect cocktail · 42 min · Season 1 Episode 12In this episode of Intoxicating History, we get up close and personal with everything Martini as we chat with our brilliant guest, author, FT Columnist and Martini Queen, Alice…
- Chartreuse To ‘wreck-The-Hoose’ Juice: Monks And The Art Of Distillation · 40 min · Season 1 Episode 11In this episode, Tom Parker Bowles and Henry Jeffreys unravel the enigmatic legacy of monastic mixology. They explore how medieval monks, driven by both spiritual devotion and…
- Johnnie Walker: The Spirit That Ruled The World · 44 min · Season 1 Episode 10In this episode of Intoxicating History, hosts Henry Jeffreys and Tom Parker Bowles unscrew and pour a liberal measure of the scandalous saga of Johnnie Walker—a Scotch that…
- Wine and Wimples: How Blue Nun sparked a Global Wine Revolution · 48 min · Season 1 Episode 9It was the wine that took the world by storm—then became a punchline. But behind the once brown and now blue bottle’s retro reputation lies a fascinating story of global wine…
- WW2 Part 2: From Vines to Victory · 28 min · Season 1 Episode 8The Nazis are retreating, the Allies are advancing, and the fate of France’s most prized vineyards hangs in the balance. What happens when a desperate army turns to scorched…
- WW2 Part 1: Wine, War and the Battle for France’s Vineyards · 37 min · Season 1 Episode 7When the Nazis stormed into France, they weren’t just after land—they had their eyes on the ultimate spoils of war: France’s legendary vineyards became battlegrounds, not just…
- The Admiral, The Navy, and the Wine That Won the Day · 39 min · Season 1 Episode 6In this episode of Intoxicating History, Henry Jeffreys and Tom Parker Bowles tell the remarkable story of how Admiral Nelson, fresh from beating the French at the Battle of the…
