author
A. (Ambrose) Cooper
An 18th-century distiller whose surviving reputation rests on a detailed practical guide to making spirits, waters, and cordials. The work offers a lively window into the craft knowledge and tastes of its time.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Very little biographical information about this author could be confirmed from the sources available. He is identified in library and catalog records as A. (Ambrose) Cooper, and his known work is The Complete Distiller, first published in 1757.
That book is a wide-ranging manual on distillation and fermentation. It explains how spirits were made and refined, how simple waters and compound cordials were prepared, and which plants, fruits, and other ingredients distillers were expected to know how to use.
Because so few personal details are readily documented, Cooper is best understood through the book itself: as a working distiller writing for both professionals and private households, and as a guide to the practical food and drink culture of the mid-18th century.