Makers & Shakers: A Hidden History of Black Americans in Booze

From colorful characters like Cato Alexander, New York’s first celebrity bartender, to sad and disturbing stories about Jack Daniel’s heirs, Makers & Shakers has a little bit of everything for everyone.

Join Washington, D.C.-based author and producer of ardent spirits Troy Hughes on a historical romp through booze-infused tales about Black Americans. Discover the stories of pioneering Montana moonshiner Bertie Brown and the ill-fated partnership of Diddy and Diageo. Find out about Ripple, the national drink of Watts, and learn how cognac became the unofficial drink of Black America.

Troy Hughes, compotator extraordinaire, uses his medieval art history degree to its fullest in his side gig producing award-winning bourbons and ryes under the brand Mt. Pleasant Club Whiskey. By day a corporate attorney, he sometimes leads a weekend whiskey walking tour of his beloved Washington, D.C. neighborhood Mt. Pleasant, except when Arsenal is playing. This is his second book, the first being Whiskey Makers in Washington, D.C.: A Pre-Prohibition History. He’s a veteran and a cat dad and is thankful that his wife, Toni, allows him to continue going down this rabbit hole.