Malört: The Redemption of a Revered and Reviled Spirit (A Tasting and Discussion with Josh Noel!)

On Saturday, November 2^nd at 3 PM, The Book Stall (811 Elm Street in Winnetka) hosts author and journalist Josh Noel! He'll be discussing and signing copies of his new book, Malört: The Redemption of a Revered and Reviled Spirit.   We'll offer up a taste of the beloved and much-maligned beverage for the brave among you, and some non-alcoholic options as well. Note that your free Malört shot will come "Chicago-handshake" style, with an Old Style chaser, and we'll snap a Polaroid of your Malört face to document the whole experience! Pulitzer Prize winner Jonathan Eig says, "Having tried Malört and having read Josh Noel's book about Malört, I can state with confidence that I prefer the book. This is a wonderful story, told with style, smarts, and good humor." This event is free and open to the public, to register, please CLICK HERE. 

More About the Book: Malört is the story of modern tastes and cultural shifts. The infamous Chicago liqueur has been compared to "a forest fire, if the forest was made of earwax." Yet the truth of Malört is that we keep going back for more. Jeppson's Malört could have died a hundred deaths. Its survival wasn't always a given. It also was no accident. There was one man's dogged persistence. One woman's patience and dedication. There were cultural shifts and fortunate timing that helped transform a drink rooted in centuries-old Swedish tradition into the American sensation it is today. Malört is a story of love, relationships, and how one generation finds meaning where generations before did not. Such transformations happen in art, in history, and in food, and it happened to Jeppson's Malört.

Josh Noel unpacks a uniquely American tale, equal parts culture, business, and personal relationships--involving secret love, federal prison, a David vs. Goliath court battle, and, ultimately, the 2018 sale of Jeppson's Malört, which made Pat Gabelick, a 75-year-old Chicago woman who spent much of her life as a legal secretary, into an unlikely millionaire.

More About the Author: Josh Noel is the author of Barrel-Aged Stout and Selling Out. He wrote about beer and travel for the Chicago Tribune for over a decade; he has also contributed to This American Life and to the New York Times and other publications. He has become one of the nation's most recognizable beer journalists, winning multiple awards from the North American Guild of Beer Writers. He lives in Chicago with his wife and children.