Travel Channel's New Series BOOZE TRAVELER Premieres Nov 24

TRAVEL CHANNEL’S ‘BOOZE TRAVELER’ SENDS

HOST JACK MAXWELL ON THE ULTIMATE SPIRIT’UAL JOURNEY

New Original Series Premieres Monday, November 24 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT

CHEVY CHASE, MD (October 1, 2014) – While working in the bars of South Boston, Jack Maxwell learned one thing – sit down with a stranger and a couple of drinks, and the whole world opens up. In Travel Channel’s new original series, “Booze Traveler,” premiering on Monday, November 24 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT, Maxwell sets out across the globe to find the world’s most interesting beverages and the people who drink them. Over the course of 15 one-hour episodes, viewers will follow Maxwell as he travels to various locations around the world including Armenia, Belize, Lithuania, Mongolia and Nepal. At each stop, he connects with locals, immerses himself in regional activities, learns about the country’s unique relationship with liquor and sometimes even participates in the alcohol-making process.

“Booze Traveler provides a unique entry point for the exploration of local cultures through the lens of local drinks,” said Ross Babbit, SVP of Programming and Development, Travel Channel. “Understanding the people, their roots and well-established traditions through the making, toasting and imbibing of their distinctive drinks is highly entertaining and something that connects us all. No matter what part of the world you travel to, you can always find a unique beverage, make new friends and share great stories.”

Whether it’s Tongba, the warm millet brew that powers Sherpas up and down the Himalayas, or the moss schnapps that may – or may not – be made by Iceland’s mythical Hiddenfolk, Maxwell is on an exploration of a lifetime. In the premiere episode, he heads to Turkey to understand the country’s long, colorful and complicated relationship with alcohol. With approximately 99 percent of its population Muslim, Turkey is deeply divided on alcohol – continuously swinging back and forth between tolerance and prohibition. The first stop on Maxwell’s journey is the working-class neighborhood of Besiktas in Istanbul, where revolution is always on the minds of the young, soccer-loving, hard-drinking citizens. He’s invited to a rebel group’s tailgating party and asked by its leader to share a glass of raki, Turkey’s national drink. After game night, Maxwell delights his taste buds with boza, a one-percent, alcohol-infused custard beverage, and then helps his new friends sell the boza throughout the neighborhood. The next day, he has dinner and raki with an elite group of Turkish authors and revolutionaries – absorbing a lesson in history and customs along with the alcohol.

In the neighborhood of Gayrettepe, Maxwell discovers the economic capital is also the hub for Turkish microbrews, where lawmakers are making it almost impossible for breweries to get basic supplies, advertise their alcohol or use social media. At the pub he visits, they use word-of-mouth recommendations and crafty promotions to challenge the government regulations. Over on the island of Bozcaada, rooted in both Turkish and Greek culture, Maxwell has the opportunity to pick grapes with the owner at a local winery and discuss the contradictions of religion, government, and culture of alcohol in Turkey. He then meets up with the women who make poppy cocktails, and joins in their harvest labor. In a country least-expected to be filled with booze culture, Maxwell finds that every glass comes with a very big twist.

“Booze Traveler” is produced by Karga Seven Pictures in association with White Reindeer Productions for Travel Channel. For Karga Seven/White Reindeer Poductions, the executive producers are Kelly McPherson, Sarah Wetherbee, Emre Sahin, Maria Bukhonina and Deborah Von Brod. For Travel Channel, the executive producer is Sean McKnight.

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Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.