Here are seven new books about cocktails that not only will help you pour a better drink, but also will help you understand what you are sipping.
Credit: Courtesy of Abrams Press
Credit: Courtesy of Abrams Press
“Dusty Booze: In Search of Vintage Spirits,” by Aaron Goldfarb (Abrams Press, $27, March 5). Goldfarb’s new book focuses on whiskey collectors — or “dusty hunters,” as he’s named them. The book, written in an easy, conversational style, begins with Prohibition, and then moves to the rise of the secondary market and what the future holds. It’s part history and part adventure.
Credit: Courtesy of Abrams
Credit: Courtesy of Abrams
“A Quick Drink: The Speed Rack Guide to Winning Cocktails for Any Mood,” by Lynnette Marrero and Ivy Mix with Megan Krigbaum (Abrams Books, $27.50, April 30). Founded in 2011 by Marrero and Mix, Speed Rack is a cocktail competition that showcases female bartenders from across the country. This book, featuring competition participants, has recipes for home bartenders as well as professionals, divided by categories. Want a floral, effervescent and low-alcohol cocktail? Regional winner Katie Renshaw offers a recipe that incorporates blanco tequila, vermouth, hibiscus, grenadine and a cava topper.
Credit: Courtesy of Octopus Books
Credit: Courtesy of Octopus Books
“Tequila Cocktails: 60 Tequila & Mezcal Recipes” (Octopus Books, $9.99, April 2). All tequilas are mezcal, but not all mezcal is tequila. But both are made from agave, and as this book demonstrates, both make great cocktails. Brightly designed and compact — just right for a bar shelf — “Tequila Cocktails” is a straightforward guide for the home bartender. The 60 recipes include classics, twists and variations categorized by type of glass.
Credit: Courtesy of Epic Ink
Credit: Courtesy of Epic Ink
“Cowboy Cocktails: 60 Recipes Inspired by the American West,” by André Darlington (Epic Ink, $19.99, April 12). This book celebrates the cowboy lifestyle via cocktails. You can learn how to make a buckaroo while also finding out where its name comes from in one of the clever sidebars. The 60 recipes are grouped by whether they’re shaken, stirred, and so on, with a chapter devoted to chuck wagon favorites. The vivid photography will transport you through the swinging doors of an Old West saloon.
Credit: Courtesy of Rizzoli
Credit: Courtesy of Rizzoli
“The Great Atlas of Italian Wines,” by Alessandro Avataneo and Vittorio Manganelli (Rizzoli, $85, March 25). Italy has the fourth largest vineyard acreage in the world, and this gorgeous volume goes region by region, for a detailed picture of the nation’s wine production. It’s reader-friendly, but also includes geographical, historical and cultural information. There are maps, text, lists and indices for 300 wines, regional producers and a representation of 275 famous labels.
Credit: Courtesy of Abrams Image
Credit: Courtesy of Abrams Image
“The Bourbon Drinker’s Companion: A Guide to American Distilleries with Travel Advice, Folklore and Tasting Notes,” by Colin Spoelman (Abrams Image, $29.99, May 14). Spoelman, co-founder and distiller of Kings County Distillery, takes you on a journey through America’s bourbon landscape and its regional lore. Filled with graphics, tasting notes, pricing and distilling methods, the book is a guide to well-known bottles and weird whiskies that cross boundaries, as well as emerging spirits to seek out.
Credit: Courtesy of Abrams Image
Credit: Courtesy of Abrams Image
“The Curious Cocktail Cabinet: 100 Recipes for Remarkable Gin Cocktails,” by Ally Martin (Abrams Image, $24.99, April 9). A global ambassador for Hendrick’s Gin, Martin highlights the versatility of the liquor in 65 recipes. The book also explores 11 botanicals that are key to the gin’s distillation. Besides learning how to make distinctive gin and tonics and martinis, you’ll find ways to make a cocktail easier to drink, and how to add layers of flavor with such ingredients as Earl Grey tea and oloroso sherry.
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