Ray, Cyril (1908–1991), was one of the most influential wine and spirits writers of the late twentieth century, with a direct and wry style that rendered the musty, mandarin pretensions prevailing in the field instantly obsolete. The son of a Jewish optician from Lancashire, Ray worked a number of improbable jobs, including a brief stint in the Royal Air Force’s Balloon Corps, before ending up in 1939 as a war correspondent for the Manchester Guardian and then the BBC. In 1943, while covering the brutal battle of Ortona in Italy, Ray (a noncombatant) was forced to assume command of a leaderless Canadian platoon and lead them to safety, earning a coveted mention in dispatches.
In 1956, Ray became the editor of the Compleat Imbiber, an annual hardcover anthology of the best in drink writing published by the Gilbey’s gin company. Ray’s years as a foreign correspondent, including postings in Rome and Moscow, equipped him to appreciate a broad spectrum of drinks, without snobbishness. While he was primarily a wine writer, he also wrote knowledgably and well about spirits (including a book on cognac and a concise but accurate guide to the world’s distillates), cocktails, and beer. His 1967 drink memoir, In a Glass Lightly, displays both his knowledge and his pugnacious wit (Ray was a committed socialist and an expert on the good things in life).
See also spirits writing.
Knightley, Phillip. The First Casualty. 1975; repr., New York: Harvest, 1976.
Ray, Cyril. The Complete Book of Spirits and Liqueurs. New York: Macmillan, 1977.
Ray, Cyril. In a Glass Lightly. London: Methuen, 1967.
By: David Wondrich