The closely woven relationship between alcohol and the five major social institutions (family, economy, religion, government, and education) has taken me on a journey that has spanned from the early origins of alcohol production in Asia to the lives of nineteenth- and twentieth-century bartenders to the French origins of Cuban rum.

However, over the past five years, my focus has shifted to the economic and social impact of alcohol production and consumption on life in early modern and late modern England.

My main research interests include:

—the history of brewing and distilling, as well as the roles these industries played in the transformation of the sixteenth- through eighteenth-century English economy

—the origins of London dry gin and eighteenth-century gin production outside of the capital, particularly in Bristol

—the history of domestic brewing and distilling in southwest England

Research outputs, to date, have been largely non-academic, intended for a general readership:

—A Most Noble Water: Revisiting the Origins of English Gin (2024)

—'"A most noble water of vertues:" revisiting English gin's origins and its relationship with beer”’, Brewery History 195 (2023). pp. 24-47

—The Distiller of London (2021)

—The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails (2021) (contributor)

—Spirit of the Cane: The Story of Cuban Rum (2017)

—The Deans of Drink: The Amazing Lives & Turbulent Times of Harry Johnson & Harry Craddock As Seen in a New Light (2013)

—Spirituous Journey: A History of Drink, Volume One and Volume Two (2009 and 2010)

As the co-director of Exposition Universelles des Vins et Spiritueux, a private museum of wines and spirits situated in Bandol, France (2006-2009), I managed the archiving of over 8,000 bottles plus alcohol-related ephemera; the establishment of the museum's web site (ww.euvs.org); and founded a free, online library of drink and spirits books (ww.euvslibrary.com).

I served as the historical consultant (2009-2014), for the content and design of the Beefeater Visitor Centre in London. And in 2012,

I was the archivist for the historical records of Plymouth Gin (2010) held at the Black Friars Distillery in Plymouth, Devon.

I have successfully defended my PhD thesis (2025), which examines the early modern British brewing trade with particular focus on its development in Bristol. The discussion reviews the nature of the early modern brewing trade, including the diverse nature of its brewers (private, alehouse, and common), its commercialisation and professionalisation amid national interventions as well as its impact on the inception of transatlantic markets.