GSN Alert: Cocktail & Spirits Book Preview – Autumn 2018 (October-December)

Summer is almost over, so now it’s time for our quarterly GSN Cocktail & Spirits Guide Roundup. Cheers!

The Martini Field Guide: Martini Culture for the Cocktail Renaissance by Shane Carley Cider Mill Press (October 2, 2018) The Martini Field Guide is as potent as the gin used to make the iconic drink. Both cocktail connoisseurs and Happy Hour newbies will lose themselves in this heavily illustrated book, featuring vintage ads and imagery from some of the world’s top distillers, as they read about the Martini’s muddled origins and how an American concoction became popular worldwide. Whether you prefer it shaken or stirred, dry or dirty, The Martini Field Guide provides plenty of ways to think about, make, and drink this popular cocktail, making for the perfect addition to any cocktail lover’s collection.

Experimental Cocktail Club: London. Paris. New York. Ibiza by Experimental Cocktail Club Mitchell Beazley (October 2, 2018) Over 85 recipes for extraordinary cocktails from the award-winning, internationally renowned Experimental Cocktail Club. Treat your taste buds to this collection of very special cocktail recipes that take inspiration from classic American and French cocktails – served with the unmistakable Experimental Cocktail Club flair and style. Recipes include Stockholm Syndrome (Ketel 1 vodka infused with cumin & dill, Linie aquavit, lemon juice, simple syrup, pink Himalayan salt and Peychauds bitters) and Tete de Mule (or ‘Kind of Stubborn’, a salty cocktail containing Don Fulano Blanco, orange juice, tomato juice, agave syrup and topped with ginger beer) – as well as their take on classic cocktails such as Negroni, Margarita, Moscow Mule and Strawberry Daiquiri.

Cocktail Codex: Fundamentals, Formulas, Evolutions by Alex Day, Nick Fauchald & David Kaplan Ten Speed Press (October 30, 2018) From the authors of the best-selling and genre-defining cocktail book Death & Co, Cocktail Codex is a comprehensive primer on the craft of mixing drinks that employs the authors’ unique “root cocktails” approach to give drink-makers of every level the tools to understand, execute, and improvise both classic and original cocktails. “There are only six cocktails.” So say Alex Day, Nick Fauchald, and David Kaplan, the visionaries behind the seminal craft cocktail bar Death & Co. In Cocktail Codex, these experts reveal for the first time their surprisingly simple approach to mastering cocktails: the “root recipes,” six easily identifiable (and memorizable!) templates that encompass all cocktails: the old-fashioned, martini, daiquiri, sidecar, whisky highball, and flip. Once you understand the hows and whys of each “family,” you’ll understand why some cocktails work and others don’t, when to shake and when to stir, what you can omit and what you can substitute when you’re missing ingredients, why you like the drinks you do, and what sorts of drinks you should turn to–or invent–if you want to try something new.

The Dead Rabbit Mixology & Mayhem by Sean Muldoon, Jack McGarry & Jillian Vose Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (October 30, 2018) A groundbreaking graphic novel-style cocktail book from world-renowned bar The Dead Rabbit in New York City. The Dead Rabbit Grocery & Grog in lower Manhattan has won every cocktail award there is to win, including being named “Best Bar in the World” in 2016. Since their award-winning cocktail book The Dead Rabbit Drinks Manual was published in 2015, founders Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry, along with bar manager Jillian Vose, have completely revamped the bar’s menus in a bold, graphic novel style, now featured in their newest collection The Dead Rabbit Mixology & Mayhem. Based on “Gangs of New York”-era tales retold with modern personalities from the bar world (including the authors) portrayed as the heroes and villains of the story, the menus are highly sought-after works of art. This stunning new book, featuring 100 cocktail recipes, fleshes out the tall tales even further in a collectible hardcover edition—making it a must-have for the bar’s passionate fans who line up every night of the week.

A Drinkable Feast: A Cocktail Companion to 1920s Paris by Philip Greene TarcherPerigee (October 16, 2018) A history of the Lost Generation in 1920s Paris told through the lens of the cocktails they loved. In the Prohibition era, American cocktail enthusiasts flocked to the one place that would have them–Paris. In this sweeping look at the City of Light, cocktail historian Philip Greene follows the notable American ex-pats who made themselves at home in Parisian cafes and bars, from Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Gertrude Stein to Picasso, Coco Chanel, Cole Porter, and many more. A Drinkable Feast reveals the history of more than 50 cocktails: who was imbibing them, where they were made popular, and how to make them yourself from the original recipes of nearly a century ago. Filled with anecdotes and photos of the major players of the day, you’ll feel as if you were there yourself, walking down the boulevards with the Lost Generation.

The Cocktail Companion: A Guide to Cocktail History, Culture, Trivia and Favorite Drinks by Cheryl Charming Mango (November 15, 2018) Cheryl Charming aka Miss Charming™ has been heavily steeped in the cocktail culture as a bartender since 1980. She has 15 published bar and cocktail related books. In high school she worked as a pizza waitress then quickly progressed to cocktail waitress, bar back, bartender, and head bartender. With a penchant for travel, Cheryl tended bar many places around America, a cruise ship in the Caribbean, and Walt Disney World. While working at WDW she became the bar trick/bar magic instructor for Disney’s F&B training program, Quest for the Best. Cheryl was also involved with hosting and participating in events for Tales of the Cocktail and teaching “Edutaining” cocktail classes for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line passengers. She is a member of The Bartenders Guild and The Museum of the American Cocktail. Cheryl studied Graphic and Interactive Communication at Ringling College of Art & Design and works as a freelance graphic artist on the side. Currently, she lives in the French Quarter and is the bar director at Bourbon O Bar on the corner of Bourbon and Orleans inside the Bourbon Orleans Hotel in the French Quarter. She was named “Mixologist of the Year” on 2014 by New Orleans Magazine.

Spirit of the North: COCKTAIL RECIPES AND STORIES FROM SCANDINAVIA by Selma Slabiak teNeues Publishing Company (November 15, 2018) What could possibly be better than sharing and enjoying in life’s simpler pleasures with friends and loved ones? This idea is at the heart of the Scandinavian lifestyle trends that many in contemporary culture have come to embrace. In an ever-present, all-encompassing quest to create this “just right” feeling when entertaining guests, star mixologist Selma Slabiak celebrates her Danish heritage by combining her personal and professional ethos for conviviality and togetherness with her expert, innovative knowledge of foraging and farm-to-table practice to present inventive drink and cocktail recipes in one multi-faceted book. Slabiak shares with her readers elevated bartending expertise and finesse, layering familiar and unusual flavors and ingredients, along with Scandinavian traditions and nostalgic stories from her childhood in Denmark, in an inspiring, delicious, and original recipe book of Nordic-based cocktails—so we can all capture the extraordinary in the everyday.

Ciderology: From History and Heritage to the Craft Cider Revolution by Gabe Cook Spruce (October 2, 2018) In Ciderology, Gabe Cook, aka ‘The Ciderologist,’ leading global cider expert, shares his passion for all things cider (and perry!), with an essential history of the drink and production processes, and a round-the-world tour of the most important and exciting cider makers in operation. You’ll find delicious recipes incorporating cider, tasting notes for cider styles that you can try yourself, and a wealth of anecdotes and tales that intermingle fact and myth. A real treat for the drinks enthusiast, inveterate cider lover and cider novice alike, Ciderology contains anything and everything you have ever needed to know about cider.

The Home Bar: A Guide to Designing, Equipping & Stocking Your Own Bar by Henry Jeffreys Gibbs Smith (October 9, 2018) Whether you desire a small, selectively stocked bar cart or are planning a bespoke entertaining space in your home, this book is a beautiful and indispensable guide to enjoying drinks at home, anytime. The Home Bar traces the cultural history of social drinking and bar design, and how this translates into highly desirable and stylish bars in a home setting. You will find advice on everything from the best bar surface to how to make and store ice, from cocktail shakers to stools, from stirrers to selecting the best glassware. For the discerning drinker fascinated by the mystique of soda siphons, cocktail kits, and seriously interesting aperitifs and digestives, there are tips on how to build up an enviable drinks collection. With a comprehensive selection of more than thirty superlative cocktail recipes, this is a fascinating and informative aid to stocking and enjoying your own home bar.

Whiskey America by Dominic Roskrow Mitchell Beazley (October 2, 2018) What can we expect from the best whiskey producers in America today? Whiskey America showcases some of the most exciting new styles of whiskey and why they are so special. Offering fascinating interviews with some of the leading characters in the recent distilling revolution, this absorbing book relates the stories of how successful lawyers, doctors and city slickers made the life-changing decision to turn their backs on conventional careers to pursue the ‘good life’ of making spirits in the most far-flung outreaches of America. And thank goodness they did, because this new generation of distillers not only customized conventional whiskey styles but also invented new ones never seen before. Whiskey America investigates how best to enjoy the new whiskies – in cocktails, with food, mixed or straight – and looks forward to where these exciting American spirits are going next.

Ten Drinks That Changed the World by Seki Lynch & Tom Maryniak Acc Art Books (November 5, 2018) Walk into any bar, in almost any part of the world, and there, on the back shelf you’re likely to see Vodka, Gin, Scotch, Bourbon, Brandy, Rum, Shochu, Tequila, Absinthe, Vermouth. These drinks helped shape our culture; inspired authors and painters, brought both anarchy and harmony and even, in some cases, induced mass hysteria. In 10 Drinks That Changed the World, bartender, poet and writer Seki Lynch tells the stories behind the spirits. Tracing the origins of each drink, he dissects the ingredients and locates the first makers, exploring how perceptions and consumption levels have ebbed and flowed through the centuries. Cocktail recipes, lists of artisan makers and insights from the great, good and notorious drinkers of history help complete the résumé for each drink. London artist Tom Maryniak has created original illustrations of each drink for the book.

Eat, Drink and Be Sherry: The Stylish Renaissance of a Great Wine by Ben Howkins & Hugh Johnson Quiller Publishing (November 1, 2018) Eat Drink and Be Sherry highlights the world’s most underrated fine wine. With over 50 years of experience in the wine industry, Ben Howkins looks outside the box to bring to life this increasingly popular drink. Howkins includes history, geography, and the production process to help position the sherry category in a wider context, with contributions from 50 of the leading sherry influencers. Sherry is a magnificent multi-faceted wine now very much on the “up” as a popular drink and this fascinating and accessible history will be of great interest to all who love good food and wine.

Apéritif: Cocktail Hour the French Way by Rebekah Peppler Clarkson Potter (October 16, 2018) For the French, the fleeting interlude between a long workday and the evening meal to come is not meant to be hectic or crazed. Instead, that time is a much-needed chance to pause, take a breath, and reset with light drinks and snacks. Whether it’s a quick affair before dashing out the door to your favorite Parisian bistro or a lead-up to a more lavish party, Apéritif is about kicking off the night, rousing the appetite, and doing so with the carefree spirit of connection and conviviality. Apéritif celebrates that easygoing lifestyle with simple yet stylish recipes for both classic and modern French apéritif-style cocktails, along with French-inspired bites and hors d’oeuvres. Keeping true to the apéritif tradition, you’ll find cocktail recipes that use lighter, low-alcohol spirits, fortified wines, and bitter liqueurs. The impressive drinks have influences from both Old World and New, but are always low fuss and served barely embellished–an easy feat to pull off for the relaxed host at home. Apéritif also offers recipes for equally breezy bites, such as Radishes with Poppy Butter, Gougères, Ratatouille Dip, and Buckwheat-Sel Gris Crackers. For evenings that are all about ease and approachability without sacrificing style or flavor, Apéritif makes drinking and entertaining at home as effortless, fun, and effervescent as the offerings themselves.

GSN Alert: Cocktail Book Preview – Spring 2016 (April-June)

GSN presents our annual roundup of new books coming onto the market this spring.  Everything from spirits, aperitifs, cocktails both classic and new, tiki drinks and even marijuana tinctures!  It’s all here folks.

Craft Spirits by Eric Grossman (DK) – The first book to combine reference and practical how-to information from the most pioneering distillers around the world, and the first global catalog with photographs of every important craft spirit. Small-batch artisan spirits have arrived in a big way, with micro-distillery start-ups hitting record levels around the world and hand-crafted spirits crowding the top shelf. From vodka to rum to moonshine and more, Craft Spirits is your guide to which spirits to try and which pioneering distillers to watch. Craft Spirits will bring out your inner mixologist with cocktail recipes for each spirit it features, and will inspire you to shake or stir your own unique signature cocktail. Tasting notes, step-by-step advice, and profiles of the key micro-distilleries in every category make this book a must-have for enthusiasts. Highlighting more than 250 of the most important craft spirits, Craft Spirits is the first book of its kind, and author Eric Grossman, a key influencer within the industry, brings his knowledge of craft spirits and international cocktail trends to its pages.

Southern Spirits: Four Hundred Years of Drinking in the American South, with Recipes by Robert F. Moss (Ten Speed Press) –  Ask almost anyone to name a uniquely Southern drink, and bourbon and mint juleps–perhaps moonshine–are about the only beverages that come up. But what about rye whiskey, Madeira wine, and fine imported Cognac? Or peach brandy, applejack, and lager beer? At various times in the past, these drinks were as likely to be found at the Southern bar as barrel-aged bourbon and raw corn likker. The image of genteel planters in white suits sipping mint juleps on the veranda is a myth that never was–the true picture is far more complex and fascinating. Southern Spirits is the first book to tell the full story of liquor, beer, and wine in the American South. This story is deeply intertwined with the region, from the period when British colonists found themselves stranded in a new world without their native beer, to the 21st century, when classic spirits and cocktails of the pre-Prohibition South have come back into vogue. Along the way, the book challenges the stereotypes of Southern drinking culture, including the ubiquity of bourbon and the geographic definition of the South itself, and reveals how that culture has shaped the South and America as a whole.

Aperitivo: The Cocktail Culture of Italy by Marisa Huff (Rizolli) – Kick off the evening as the Italians do, with these recipes for drinks and small dishes from the best bars and restaurants of Venice, Milan, Turin, and beyond. Aperitivo takes the reader on a spirited ride through this cocktail culture, covering variations on all the classics including the Negroni, the Bellini, and the spritz and stopping at the chicest bars that have elevated this ritual to an art form. Many of the drinks are structured around vermouths and other botanical-infused liqueurs, which offer a new world of complex flavors. They yield enticingly simple cocktails that refresh—without stunning the palate (thanks to a lighter alcohol content). But Aperitivo is just as much about the food because in Italy, drinking and eating go hand in hand. Recipes feature fried sage leaves, oven-roasted eggplant, and carbonara tramezzini, as well as many delicious riffs on crostini, frittata, and focaccia. Whether planning a party or just having a friend over for a quick drink, Aperitivo brings a whole new spirit of conviviality and true Italian style to the occasion.

The Manhattan: The Story of the First Modern Cocktail with Recipes by Philip Greene (Sterling Epicure) – When the Manhattan came along, it changed everything. As Gotham’s finest watering holes embraced the new concoction, the original cocktail soon became old hat and known as the Old-Fashioned. Cocktail historian Philip Greene expertly traces the evolution of this new drink from its competing origin stories through its continuing influence and extensive progeny, including the almighty Martini itself. Richly illustrated with vintage ads and artwork and luxe photographs, this definitive, illustrated story of the Manhattan also offers 65 easy-to-follow recipes. Classic variations and contemporary updates range from the Brooklyn and the Vesper to the Little Italy and Red Hook. If you’re thirsty for a good story, you’ve come to the right place.

The Curious Bartender’s Gin Palace by Tristan Stephenson (Ryland Peters & Small) – An innovative, captivating tour of the finest gins and distilleries the world has to offer, brought to you by bestselling author and gin connoisseur Tristan Stephenson. The Curious Bartender’s Gin Palace is the follow-up to master mixologist Tristan Stephenson’s hugely successful books, ‘The Curious Bartender’ and ‘The Curious Bartender: An Odyssey of Malt, Bourbon & Rye Whiskies’. Discover the extraordinary journey that gin has taken, from its origins in the Middle Ages as the herbal medicine ‘genever’ to gin’s commercialization and the dark days of the Gin Craze in mid 18th Century London, through to its partnership with tonic water–creating the most palatable and enjoyable anti malarial medication – to the golden age that it is now experiencing. In the last few years, hundreds of distilleries and micro-distilleries are cropping up all over the world, producing superb craft products infused with remarkable new blends of botanicals. In this book, you’ll be at the cutting-edge of the most exciting developments, uncovering the alchemy of the gin production process and the science of flavor before taking a tour through the most exciting distilleries and gins the world has to offer. Finally, put Tristan’s mixology skills into practice with a dozen spectacular cocktails including a Purl, a Rickey, and a Fruit Cup.

Whiskey: A Spirited Story with 75 Classic and Original Cocktails by Michael Dietsch (Countryman Press) – After decades of being seen as an old man’s drink, whiskey is booming in popularity. Craft distilleries are popping up all over the United States, making whiskeys not just from corn, rye, and malted barley, but also from grains such as quinoa, blue corn, and triticale. Cocktail lovers, moving away from sweet and fruity flavor profiles, have embraced the earthy, bitter, savory notes that come from the “brown” spirits. In this collection, Shrubs author Michael Dietsch reaches out to those cocktail drinkers with recipes both classic and original, in historical order. He begins with colonial-era drinks such as Cherry Bounce and the Stone Fence, moving to early whiskey drinks like the Toddy and Julep, and then into the cocktail explosion of the Jerry Thomas era circa 1880s. This leads to the drinks of pre-Prohibition, Prohibition, and post-Repeal, and then to a section on the cocktail renaissance of the last 15 years. Author Michael Dietsch writes, “Whiskey is a spirit with a story,” and he includes an overview and some history without losing sight of the pleasures in drinking the stuff. His cocktail recipes are also infused with stories, making this book a joy to both read and use.

Brooklyn Bartender: A Modern Guide to Cocktails and Spirits by Carey Jones (Black Dog & Leventhal) – A first-of-its-kind collection, The Brooklyn Bartender gathers 300 of the most innovative, exciting, and authentic cocktail recipes from this booming, destination borough at the height of its international popularity. Brooklyn is one of the top trendsetting places today anywhere. Its neighborhoods, artists, writers, restaurants, and, yes, drinking establishments set the pace for the rest of the nation. Brooklyn Bartender takes us behind the bar to experience 300 of the best and most inventive drinks being served today, plus tips for at-home mixologists. Organized by spirit, the recipes allow readers to replicate bartenders’ signature drinks, including everything from the ornate juleps and cobblers of Maison Premiere to the party-friendly “Frozemonade” at Extra Fancy to the namesake gin cocktail of Clover Club. Additional features include “5 Takes on the Martini” and variations on other classic drinks, as well as bartenders’ recommendation for events, infused spirits, and more.

Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails, and Tonics: The Art of Spirited Drinks and Buzz-Worthy Libations by Warren Bobrow (Fair Winds Press) – Combining cannabis and cocktails is a hot new trend, and Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails, and Tonicsshows you how. Featuring a collection of 75 recipes of cannabis influenced cocktails and drinks; The Cocktail Whisperer Warren Bobrow will show you the essential instructions for de-carbing cannabis to release its full psychoactive effect. Learn the history of cannabis as a social drug and its growing acceptance to becoming a medicinal. Look beyond cocktails and create successful tonics, syrups, shrubs, bitters, compound butter and exotic infused oil to use in any drink. Start your day with coffee, tea, and milk-based cannabis beverages for healing and relaxation. Get your afternoon pick-me-up with gut healing shrubs and mood enhancing syrups. Make cooling lemonades and sparking herbal infusions to soothe the fevered brow. Then, have an after dinner herbal-based cannabis drink for relaxation at the end of a good meal. The options are endless with Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails, and Tonics!

Smuggler’s Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum, and the Cult of Tiki by Martin and Rebecca Cate (Ten Speed Press) – Cast aside your cares and worries. Make yourself a Mai Tai, put your favorite exotica record on the hi-fi, and prepare to lose yourself in the fantastical world of tiki, one of the most alluring—and often misunderstood—movements in American cultural history. Martin and Rebecca Cate, founders and owners of Smuggler’s Cove (the most acclaimed tiki bar of the modern era) take you on a colorful journey into the lore and legend of tiki: its birth as an escapist fantasy for Depression-era Americans; how exotic cocktails were invented, stolen, and re-invented; Hollywood starlets and scandals; and tiki’s modern-day revival. Featuring more than 100 delicious recipes (original and historic), plus a groundbreaking new approach to understanding rum, Smuggler’s Cove is the magnum opus of the contemporary tiki renaissance. Whether you’re looking for a new favorite cocktail, tips on how to trick out your home tiki grotto, help stocking your bar with great rums, or inspiration for your next tiki party, Smuggler’s Cove has everything you need to transform your world into a Polynesian Pop fantasia.

Drink Like a Man: The Only Cocktail Guide Anyone Really Needs by Editors of Esquire (Chronicle Books) – Drink Like a Man distills 83 years of drinking wisdom into this indispensable manual. With more than 125 cocktail recipes and 100 photos, including 13 drinks every man should know how to make, variations on classic cocktails, and drinks batched large enough to satisfy a crowd, it’s an essential guide to cocktail making, but also a manual for how to drink. As a host, at a bar, with a friend, on your own—whatever the situation may be—Esquire offers wisdom, encouragement, and instructions. And also a damn good drink.

 

 

 

GSN Review: Mid-Winter 2013 Cocktail Guides

Another round-up of spirited cocktail and liquor publications that have arrived on the Good Spirits News desk in the last few months.  Cheers!

901 Very Good Cocktails: A Practical Guide by Stew Ellington (901cocktails.com)  Any cocktail guide that calls for Amer Picon, immediately piques my interest.  Out of the 901 recipes included in this oversized spiral-bound tome, sixteen of them include it as an ingredient.  Further examination reveals that cocktail authors such as Dale DeGroff, Ted Haigh, Paul Harrington, Gary Regan and other luminaries have bespoke recipes included.  The recipes make up the bulk of this nearly 250 page volume, but there are also interesting sections on building your liquor cabinet with the author’s brand recommendations; 68 lists of the cocktails by varied themes (including my favorite “Pretentious or otherwise annoying”); and a long list of available resources.  This is a great book to spend time with, and the fact that it stays open on the bar counter makes it helpful when you’re trying to make something for the first time.  GSN Rating: A-

Cocktails: A Global History by Joseph M. Carlin (Reaktion Books)  Surprisingly, even though this slender book is less than 140 pages long, it contains a lot of information about the history of what we call the cocktail.  Starting with distillation, then punches, taverns, the prohibition globalization of cocktails, to home bars in the mid 20th century to current trends of food pairings with drinks, it hits all of the major points.  If you’re fairly familiar with all of this, there is still a reason to purchase this book (one in an ongoing series of volumes about food and beverage), and that is the plethora of rare photographs, lithos and promotional materials from the past few centuries.  It seriously makes me want to pick up the rest of the set.  GSN Rating: B+

The Deans of Drink by Anistatia Miller & Jared Brown (Mixellany Limited)  The fabulous duo have done it again with their latest biographical treatise on two of the greatest bartenders from the golden age of mixology.  Harry Johnson (Harry Johnson’s Bartender’s Manual 1934) and Harry Craddock (The Savoy Cocktail Book 1930) both set the stage for the drinks revolution we have today.  Tracing the personal histories of both men, much of which has been unknown until this publication, takes up the majority of the book; but there are also dozens of one-of-a-kind recipes included by current cocktail luminaries including Ago Perrone, Erik Ellestad, Erik Lorincz, Gary ‘gaz’ Regan, H. Joseph Ehrmann, Jamie Boudreau, Jason Kosmas, Peter Dorelli and even yours truly.  If you want to understand the place and mindset of the men who made mixology an enviable craft, this is one book you’ll want to pick up.  GSN Rating: A

The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create The World’s Great Drinks by Amy Stewart (Algonquin Books)  I had the pleasure of meeting the author a few years ago at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans, and at the time she shared with me the premise of the book on which she was currently writing.  I wasn’t sure how much information she would be able to uncover about the plants and herbs that go into the spirits and liqueurs we drink, seeing as most companies are very tight-lipped about the ingredients they use.  However, even a quick glance through this book is enlightening.  Did you know that sorghum is the world’s most imbibed ingredient?  Or that Benedictine includes saffron (the world’s most expensive spice)?  Fascinating and well written, this book is essential for any bartender who wants to understand the reason why what we drink tastes the way it does.  A healthy dose of cocktail recipes is included along with instructions for making a dozen syrups, infusions and garnishes.  Highly recommended!  GSN Rating: A+

The Famous Grouse: A Whiskey Companion (Ebury Publishing)  These days, there is a lot of focus on single malt whiskies, but when considering a blended Scotch The Famous Grouse is one that often comes up in conversation.  For those of you interested in knowing more about the distillery itself, recipes (both cocktailian and foodie) and even the story behind their Guinness World record holding distillery cat Towser, this is the book for you.  I only wish they had chosen photographs of the drinks and edibles instead of the mid-century modern illustrations, whimsical as they are.  GSN Rating: B-

Ice Cream Happy Hour: 50 Boozy Treats You Spike, Freeze and Serve by Valerie Lum and Jenise Addison (Ulysses Press)  Oftentimes when a waitress approaches a table to make her penultimate appearance and ask “Are we having dessert?”, I usually say, “I already have my dessert in a glass” and point to my Negroni or Manhattan.  However, there are times when I am in the mood for something a little sweeter and substantial.  This book fills the bill with recipes that will turn classic cocktails into ice creams, sorbets, sherbets, sundaes and floats.  Imagine jasmine and sake ice cream, a Manhattan on a cone, or a Dark & Stormy float and you get the idea.  Pretty cool stuff, and something pretty cooling to look forward to this summer!  GSN Rating: B+

Old Man Drinks: Recipes, Advice, and Barstool Wisdom by Robert Schnakenberg (Quirk)  This is a great little book to gift the old man in your life.  Filled with dozens of all-time classics from the Algonquin to the Ward Eight, each recipe is accompanied by a short history of the drink. Scattered throughout this pocket-sized tome are photographs of retiree-aged bartenders and barflies along with a few pithy quotes.  Overall, this is a perfect introduction to historical cocktails in an easy to read format.  GSN Rating: B+

The Perfect Drink for Every Occasion: 151 Cocktails that will freshen your breath, impress a hot date, cure a hangover, and more! by Duane Swierczynski (Quirk)  If the subtitle to this book is any indication, the advice therein is all you will need for a successful evening out and a painless recovery the next morning.  However, a quick look through the book shows that most of the drinks are simply clever pairings  based on the name of the cocktail (i.e.- You’ve hit a wall in your career – have a Harvey Wallbanger).  There are plenty of new cocktails in here, but most are of the ultra-sweet and uber-simple variety.  More of a gimmick than something you’ll pull out again and again.  GSN Rating: C

Poptails: 60 Boozy Treats Served on a Stick by Erin Nichols (Ulysses Press)  A companion volume to “Ice Cream Happy Hour” (see above), this takes the same premise of turning cocktails into treats (aren’t they already treats?).  This time around, the focus is on ice and pudding pops.  Some of the recipes look amazing due the inclusion of whole pieces of fruit and bright food coloring.  Try some of these recipes at your next pool party, just make sure the kids don’t grab them!  GSN Rating: B-

To Have and Have Another: A Hemingway Cocktail Companion by Philip Greene (Perigee)  Sure, there are some well-known authors who have created cocktails (Ian Fleming’s Vesper, anyone?), but how many have cocktails named after them?  And what if the author was known as an habitual boozer, enthusiastic sportsman and a Nobel prize winner?  Well, then, you’d have Mr. Hemingway.  This book has been a long time coming, and has been expertly handled by Philip Greene, himself a descendent of New Orleans’ Antoine Peychaud.  Interspersed with stories about Hemingway’s life along with pertinent excerpts from his many books, there are plenty of cocktails to try, along with rare photographs to put you in the middle of the action.  There’s also a witty and erudite introduction by Professor David Wondrich.  Recommended for book lovers, cocktail lovers and all lovers of life.  GSN Rating: A+

The World of Spirits and Cocktails by André Dominé (h.f. ullmann)  This book actually came out five years ago, but I was just made aware of it recently.  Honestly, this is probably the best book ever produced on alcohol.  You will learn more from this book about everything from brandies to whiskies to rums to fortified wines than you thought possible.  Six hundred pages are given over to the subject, and every page is beautifully decorated with full-color photographs and reproductions of spirit related art.  An introduction to the history of both alcohol and cocktails takes up the first one hundred pages, and the last one hundred are given over to cocktails and their recipes.  If there was a college level course on liquor and bartending, this would be its textbook.  Perhaps my only criticism is that the recipes are not user-friendly for Americans (it has been translated from German), as many of them call for tablespoons and barspoons of liquor rather than ounces.  That aside, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.  Every bartender who takes the craft seriously should start reading this book as soon as possible!  GSN Rating: A++