If you have watched FX’s “The Bear,” you might have noticed that the character Carmy (played by Jeremy Allen White) has a cookbook collection that eventually goes from a haphazard pile on his apartment floor to neat stacks in the office of a newly remodeled restaurant.
As beverage professionals, we usually allocate space behind our bars for books that inspire us. We often get asked which books are on that shelf, which books are good for beginners, or even which books make great gifts for drinks enthusiasts. Some of our favorites have ties to the Atlanta hospitality community, and others are international in scope. All are gorgeous and useful.
Published in 2017, “The Southern Foodways Alliance Guide to Cocktails” was co-written by Jerry with Sara Camp Milam. We think readers will love the essays and stories by the likes of John T. Edge and Food & Wine’s Kat Kinsman, as well as the beautiful photos by Andrew Thomas Lee. And then there are the cocktail recipes from more than 20 bartenders across the Southeast, with Greg Best and Paul Calvert of Ticonderoga Club, Miles Macquarrie of Kimball House and Navarro Carr of Southern National among the metro Atlanta contributors.
Speaking of Southern National, folks there recently were able to dine and sip with author Toni Tipton-Martin, one of our dear friends, who was on tour promoting her latest book, “Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs & Juice: Cocktails from Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks.” Inspired by Tipton-Martin’s vast collection of cookbooks, it celebrates two centuries of creativity and excellence in Black drinking culture.
“The Connaught Bar: Recipes and Iconic Creations,” by Agostino Perrone with Giorgio Bargiani and Maura Milia, is about the excellent bar located inside the Connaught Hotel in London’s upscale Mayfair district. It’s known for drinks that are creative and whimsical.
“Spirited: Cocktails From Around the World,” by Adrienne Stillman, has 600 cocktail recipes that span 60 countries and five centuries. It has a posh library look on the outside and beautiful photography inside, and the cocktail recipes and writing are just as serious. Fans of our now-defunct Atlanta bar H. Harper Station can find Jerry’s bufala negra cocktail recipe inside.
In “The Maison Premiere Almanac: Cocktails, Oysters, Absinthe and Other Essential Nutrients for the Sensualist, Aesthete and Flaneur,” Joshua Boissy and Krystof Zizka, owners of Brooklyn’s the Maison Premiere, team up with Jordan Mackay and William Elliott to discuss their swanky establishment, inspired by great hotel bars of New York, Paris and New Orleans. This book is heavy on classic cocktails and the proper techniques for making them.
We’re also looking forward to the June 11 publication of “The Bartender’s Pantry: A Beverage Handbook for the Universal Bar” by Jim Meehan and Bart Sasso, with Emma Janzen. Meehan’s work at New York bar PDT, along with his two previous books, set industry standards. This time, he has teamed up with Atlanta designer Bart Sasso, also a partner in the Krog Street Market bar-restaurant Ticonderoga Club, for a handbook on ingredients for cocktails that are not spirit-based.
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