Alcohol and Islam

Henry Jeffreys seeks out a snifter in the Middle East

ONE OF THE MOST UNUSUAL travel books of recent years is The Wet and the Dry (published in 2013) in which Lawrence Osborne, an English novelist, travels in the Muslim world in search of a drink. Osborne is something of an expert on the subject, the soi-disant “vodka critic for Vogue magazine” and author of an offbeat wine book, The Accidental Connoisseur. He is also an alcoholic. So on his travels he isn’t just seeking out a cheeky half of lager, he’s looking to get intoxicated. As one Pakistan businessman says to him: “Are you serious? Get drunk in Islamabad?” On this subject, Osborne is deadly serious. While most writers on drink shy away from examining their own less than healthy relationships with booze, the opening of the book sees…

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The Critic (Digital) - 1 Issue, April 2024

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