Brothers’ curiosity leads to book on alcohol

TWO brothers, curious to find out more about alcohol, have penned a book, Drink This In – Uncorking the world of alcohol, which is an extremely informative look at its consumption.

The idea to write the book was first brewed in 2012 when Christopher Muller, (26), was curious to find out more about the substance he was drinking. More specifically, he wanted to know why it sometimes caused his face to flush red. This, he discovered, is known as alcohol flush reaction. After battling to find a comprehensive and unbiased book about alcohol, Chris decided to write one himself.

It was not long before his brother Luke, (31), joined in the writing and research. They followed the advice of famous author Toni Morrison who once said, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”

Alcoholic drinks have an incredible history dating back thousands of years. Humans have have invented a wide variety of ways to produce liquor since the agricultural revolution approximately 12,000 years ago. The brothers found many interesting facts, scientific studies and stories on the subject and pieced them together over two years. Alcohol consumption is widespread and practiced by about 2.7 billion people on earth.

“The book was much harder work than we originally anticipated. Many weekends were spent sitting at home writing about alcohol while our friends were out having a few drinks. It didn’t always feel fun at the time but it is a fascinating topic and was rewarding in the end. The biggest challenge was filtering out the credible and relevant information. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the amount of information out there but we have both worked as researchers and were used to the process,” said Chris.

Fictional characters help readers relate to a range of topics from genetics to hangover cures. Illustrations and interesting anecdotes are also used throughout the book, explaining how your body uses alcohol, why you should eat broccoli, why champagne is sprayed on the podium at sports events, and much more. Chris and Luke both studied their masters in economics at UKZN, so one chapter is dedicated to the economics of alcohol.

“We were pleased with the final book, even the cover photo of Chris! The way the chapters follow each other is like someone having a night out, from the first drink to waking up the next day. Each chapter covers a different aspect of alcohol and we think it is well balanced and unbiased. The book has met with a favourable reception from family, friends and strangers,” said Luke.

Chris and Luke hope that a few of those people will find Drink This In interesting and helpful.

“This is our first book. If we come up with another interesting idea then there might be more. We believe you need a great concept that inspires a book, rather than wanting to write a book before you have any good ideas,” said Chris.

The brothers were born and bred in Glenwood and attended Glenwood High School as well as UKZN. They are very active and enjoy, running, swimming and canoeing, Chris also likes hiking and Luke is a keen surfer.

“Maybe we should write our next book about outdoor sports? When we’re not outdoors we enjoy relaxing with a good book,” said Luke.

Drink This In is now available as an e-book on Amazon.com and paperback through takealot.com or can be ordered through your nearest bookstore. Visit drinkthisin.com for more information about the book. You can also download a free app to track your blood alcohol content (BAC).