I know a bartender who makes strong drinks. Strong, as in, people can’t always down them.
He makes them the way he likes his own, and for a certain portion of the drinking populace, that’s fine and dandy. But for people who appreciate the art of the cocktail, it’s an egregious act.
If you’re ready to move from fraternity-house imbibing to cocktails, here’s a list of gorgeous books that will make you think about drinking — and drink about thinking — differently.
The Coming Soons
Cocktail Italiano: The Definitive Guide to Aperitivo
Apparently, it’s an Italian thing to meet for drinks and small plates in the afternoon — something that, in Ybor City, we like to call “a working lunch” — and here’s the volume to make it classy. Out in time for the first Florida heatwave, Cocktail Italiano’s drinks and recipes should get your taste buds moving. Annette Joseph. 248 pp. $19.99. Skyhorse Publishing, April 2018.
Keto Happy Hour: 50+ Low-Carb Craft Cocktails to Quench Your Thirst
We’re pretty sure this was written for our news editor, Kate Bradshaw, though odds are there’s more than one of you keto fans out there who’ll devour low-carb lit. Kyndra Holley. 128 pp. $19.95. Victory Belt Publishing, February 2018.
The Cocktail Garden: Botanical Cocktails for Every Season
Sure, you cleverly drank G&Ts all last June to make your “June and Tonic” theme work, but what about September? April? Can you down a White Russian after Labor Day? The illustrated guide to drinking in season inspires you to find guidance for your after-work cocktail. Ed Loveday; illustrated by Adriana Picker. 176 pp. $19.99. Hardie Grant, March 2018.
The Cocktail Guy: Infusions, Distillations and Innovative Combinations
The cocktail guy, Rich Woods, leads the “spirit development department” at London’s Duck & Waffle. That sentence right there should be enough to send you to Inkwood or Tombolo or wherever to reserve a copy. Rich Woods. 176 pp. $23.95. Pavilion, April 2018.
Mojito: Drinks, Savories & Sweets with an Island Flavor
Summer will be here soon — and with it, the return of the mojito. Maximize all the minty, boozy fun with this book from a Florida-based food writer. Heather McPherson. 64 pp. $12.95. University Press of Florida, April 2018.
What A Swell Party It Was! Rediscovering Food & Drink from the Golden Age of the American Nightclub
Prohibition is gone, as is the Great Depression. What do you do next? You grab your gal and head to The Cotton Club, or The Blue Room. Go back to the heyday of secret drinking — sans racism, back-alley abortions and misogyny from which we’re still recovering — and get a lesson in the nightclubs of the day’s beverages and bites. Required viewing may be Guys & Dolls. Michael Turback. 212 pp. $19.99. Skyhorse Publishing, February 2018.
The Classics
And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails
If you want to know about a people and their history, food historian Andrew Huse tells his students at USF to study what they ate — and drank. This book takes a look at us, the New World, from the perspective of 10 drinks. Who knew the origin of rum was so hotly debated? Wayne Curtis. 299 pp. $24. Random House, 2006.
The Drunken Botanist
Show of hands, without cheating, where does gin come from? No, you in the front, it’s not the gin stork? How about Curaçao? This is why you need TDB. It’s the least recipe-centric option on our list, but a fascinating foray into how we go from juniper to gin, from Laraha to Curaçao. Amy Stewart. 400 pp. $11.99. Algonquin Books, 2013.
The New York Times Book of Cocktails
If you want to have cocktails — not drinks, cocktails — the NYT can help. A solid bar standard for those of us who want the old-school sipping experience. Steve Reddicliffe. 480 pages. $29.95. Cider Mill Press. 2015.
Tiki Drinks
A classic — and it was almost as soon as Adam Rocke wrote it. The drinks are deceptive in their simplicity (although they all pack a wallop). Aside from learning how to mix the perfect Blue Shark, Bahama Mama or frozen Mudslide, the author goes into detail about tiki bar equipment. Better are the illustrations, making the slim book a volume of the illustrator’s mid-century Technicolor-esque art. Adam Rocke; illustrated by Shag. 64 pp. $1.72. Surrey Books, 2000.
This article appears in Jan 25 – Feb 1, 2018.