Category: coffee

  • All the Cocktail and Spirits Books Released in 2018, In Consideration for Gifting or Reading

    It's the annual Alcademics drink book round-up! These are all the cocktails and spirits books that I know about published in 2018, with a couple of wine and beer books thrown in for good measure. It's over 60 books in total. Read them yourself or give 'em as gifts. 

    This year there appear to be less overall history books, and more women-centric books, whether history or not. Cocktail recipe books are all quite specific, with several that focus on theory and technique; and these overlap with books designed with the professional bartender in mind.

    Get to reading.  

     

    Cocktail/Recipe Books

    IMG-2556Julep: Southern Cocktails Refashioned by Alba Huerta and Marah Stets 

    The One-Bottle Cocktail: More than 80 Recipes with Fresh Ingredients and a Single Spirit by Maggie Hoffman

    Tequila Beyond Sunrise: Over 40 tequila and mezcal-based cocktails from around the world by Jesse Estes

    Finding Mezcal: A Journey into the Liquid Soul of Mexico, with 40 Cocktails by Ron Cooper and Chantal Martineau

    Wild Mocktails and Healthy Cocktails: Home-grown and foraged low-sugar recipes from the Midnight Apothecary by Lottie Muir

    Infused Booze: Over 60 Batched Spririts and Liqueurs to Make at Home by Kathy Kordalis

    Session Cocktails: Low-Alcohol Drinks for Any Occasion by Drew Lazor and Editors of PUNCH

    The Cocktail Garden: Botanical Cocktails for Every Season by Ed Loveday and Adriana Picker

    Booze & Vinyl: A Spirited Guide to Great Music and Mixed Drinks by André Darlington and Tenaya Darlington

    Doctor's Orders: Over 50 inventive cocktails to cure, revive & enliven by Chris Edwards and Dave Tregenza

    Cocktail Italiano: The Definitive Guide to Aperitivo: Drinks, Nibbles, and Tales of the Italian Riviera by Annette Joseph

    Clean + Dirty Drinking: 100+ Recipes for Making Delicious Elixirs, With or Without Booze by Gabriella Mlynarczyk

    Are You There God? It's Me, Margarita: More Cocktails with a Literary Twist (A Tequila Mockingbird Book)  by Tim Federle 

    The Art & Craft of Coffee Cocktails: Over 80 recipes for mixing coffee and liquor by Jason Clark

    Aperitif: A Spirited Guide to the Drinks, History and Culture of the Aperitif by Kate Hawkings

    The Joy of Mixology, Revised and Updated Edition: The Consummate Guide to the Bartender's Craft by Gary Regan

    The Dead Rabbit Mixology & Mayhem: The Story of John Morrissey and the World’s Best Cocktail Menu by Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry

    Nightcap: More than 40 Cocktails to Close Out Any Evening by Kara Newman

    Be Your Own Bartender: A Surefire Guide to Finding (and Making) Your Perfect Cocktail by Carey Jones and John McCarthy

    Cocktail Codex: Fundamentals, Formulas, Evolutions by Alex Day and Nick Fauchald

    Winter Drinks: 70 Essential Cold-Weather Cocktails by Editors of PUNCH

    Tequila: Shake, Muddle, Stir: Over 40 of the Best Cocktails for Tequila and Mezcal Lovers by Dan Jones

    Pickle Juice: A Revolutionary Approach to Making Better Tasting Cocktails and Drinks by Florence Cherruault

    The Mini Bar: 100 Essential Cocktail Recipes; 8 Notebook Set by Editors of PUNCH

    The Curious Bartender Volume II: The New Testament of Cocktails by Tristan Stephenson 

    Glamorous Cocktails: Fashionable mixes from iconic London bars  by William Yeoward 

    Prosecco Made Me Do It: 60 Seriously Sparkling Cocktails by Amy Zavatto 

    Rock Cocktails: 50 rock 'n' roll drinks recipes―from Gin Lizzy to Guns 'n' Rosés

    Northern Hospitality with The Portland Hunt + Alpine Club: A Celebration of Cocktails, Cooking, and Coming Together by Andrew Volk and Briana Volk

    The Aviary Cocktail Book by Grant Achatz, Micah Melton, Nick Kokonas, Allen and Sarah Hemberger.

    The Cocktail Companion: A Guide to Cocktail History, Culture, Trivia and Favorite Drinks by Cheryl Charming

    Drink London (London Guides)  by Euan Ferguson

    Beachbum Berry's Sippin' Safari: Tenth Anniversary Expanded Edition by Jeff Beachbum Berry

     

     

    Wine Books 

    Wild Winemaking: Easy & Adventurous Recipes Going Beyond Grapes, Including Apple Champagne, Ginger–Green Tea Sake, Key Lime–Cayenne Wine, and 142 More by Richard W. Bender

    Ten Grapes to Know: The Ten and Done Wine Guide by Catherine Fallis

    Wine Food: New Adventures in Drinking and Cooking by Dana Frank and Andrea Slonecker

    The Sommelier's Atlas of Taste: A Field Guide to the Great Wines of Europe by Rajat Parr and Jordan Mackay 

    Prosecco Made Me Do It: 60 Seriously Sparkling Cocktails by Amy Zavatto

     

    Spirit Books, Misc.

    The Connoisseur’s Guide to Worldwide Spirits: Selecting and Savoring Whiskey, Vodka, Scotch, Rum, Tequila . . . and Everything Else (An Expert’s Guide … and Savoring Every Spirit in the World) by Richard Carleton Hacker

     Tabletop Distilling: How to Make Spirits, Essences, and Essential Oils with Small Stills by Kai Möller

    The Gin Dictionary by David T. Smith

    The Book of Vermouth: A Bartender and a Winemaker Celebrate the World's Greatest Aperitif by Shaun Byrne and Gilles Lapalus

    The Curious Bartender's Guide to Gin: How to appreciate gin from still to serve by Tristan Stephenson 

     

    Women-Centric Drink Books

    IMG-2558Craft Cocktails by Val: Drinks Inspired by Hillary Rodham Clinton

    Drinking Like Ladies: 75 modern cocktails from the world's leading female bartenders; Includes toasts to extraordinary women in history by Misty Kalkofen and Kirsten Amann

    Liberated Spirits: Two Women Who Battled Over Prohibition by Hugh Ambrose and John Schuttler

    A Woman's Drink: Bold Recipes for Bold Women by Natalka Burian 

    Movers and Shakers: Women Making Waves in Spirits, Beer & Wine by Hope Ewing

    Free the Tipple: Kickass Cocktails Inspired by Iconic Women 
    by Jennifer Croll (Author), Kelly Shami (Illustrator)

     

     History Books

    A Short History of Drunkenness: How, Why, Where, and When Humankind Has Gotten Merry from the Stone Age to the Present by Mark Forsyth 

    A Thousand Thirsty Beaches: Smuggling Alcohol from Cuba to the South during Prohibition by Lisa Lindquist Dorr

    Moonshine: A Celebration of America's Original Rebel Spirit by John Schlimm

    A Drinkable Feast: A Cocktail Companion to 1920s Paris  by Philip Greene 

     

    Beer, Mead, Cider

    Mead: The Libations, Legends, and Lore of History's Oldest Drink by Fred Minnick 

    Will Travel for Beer: 101 Remarkable Journeys Every Beer Lover Should Experience by Stephen Beaumont 

    Beer: 150 Awesome Facts About Your Favorite Brew by Caroline West

    Ciderology: From History and Heritage to the Craft Cider Revolution by Gabe Cook

    The Craft Beer Dictionary: An A-Z of craft beer, from hop to glass by Richard Croasdale

    Kitchen Brewing: A New, Easier and Quicker Way to Home Brew by Jakob Nielsen and Mikael Zetterberg

     

    Bar, Drinking Culture, and Professional Books 

    IMG-2560Bars, Taverns, and Dives New Yorkers Love: Where to Go, What to Drink by John Tebeau

    Drinking Distilled: A User's Manual by Jeffrey Morgenthaler

    I'm Just Here for the Drinks: A Guide to Spirits, Drinking and More Than 100 Extraordinary Cocktails by Sother Teague

    Hungover: The Morning After and One Man's Quest for the Cure by Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall

    Allergen Awareness: A Chef's Perspective by Myron Keith Norman

    Batched & Bottled by Max Venning 

    The Cocktail Bar: Notes for an Owner & Operator by Chall Gray

     

    Whiskey Books

    From Dram to Manhattan: Around the world in 40 whisky cocktails from Scotch to Bourbon by Jesse Estes

    Hacking Whiskey: Smoking, Blending, Fat Washing, and Other Whiskey Experiments by Aaron Goldfarb 

    The Bourbon Bible by Eric Zandona 

    Whiskey America  by Dominic Roskrow 

    Single Malt: A Guide to the Whiskies of Scotland: Includes Profiles, Ratings, and Tasting Notes for More Than 330 Expressions by Clay Risen

    World's Best Whiskies:750 Unmissable Drams from Tain to Tokyo by Dominic Roskrow  

    Bourbon Justice: How Whiskey Law Shaped America by Brian F. Haara 

     

     

    Not enough books for you? Check out:

    All the drink books that came out in 2017

    All the Cocktails and Spirits Books Published in 2016 for Reading or Gifting

    All the Cocktails & Spirits Books Published in 2015, For Reading or Gifting

    More Than 40 Drink Books Published in 2014 for Reading or Gifting

     

  • What to Drink When You’re Not Drinking, According to Bartenders

    It's January, and maybe you're taking a break from drinking so much or maybe you've resolved to drink less. Here are some suggestions on what to drink instead. 

    I asked my bartender pals on Facebook what they drink when they're not drinking alcohol. I didn't expect 100 of them to reply! I put them into various categories mostly based on their first answer to the question. There are some conclusions at the end. It is very long. 

     

    JugWater! And Coconut Water

    It seems that people who like plain water also like herbal tea. 

    Daniel Castro of La Banane in  Toronto, Ontario:  Water. I'm getting older, I get migraines, and so looking after my health is #1. Herbal, peppermint tea is another go-to.

    John Lermayer, Sweet Liberty, Miami:  Alkaline water and green tea (together and separately)

    Paul Bradley of Dubai: Large amounts of water, St Clements, lashings of ginger beer. And coconut water

    Jabriel Donohue of Circadia, Seattle: Plain soda water, herbal tea, non alcoholic beer

     Robert Freeman of Sidecar in Jacksonville FL:  Acqua Panna with fresh squeezed lemon. 

     Charles Steadman: Mayim sparkling water and sencha tea from JoJo tea

    Nonna Titulauri of Hakkasan San Francisco: If I'm out but not drinking, if I'm at a restaurant bar, I either drink hot/cold tea or a coffee beverage. And if I'm at a single standing bar, I just drink water with no ice. I like to keep it simple. I often times go visit my friends after my shift at bars where they work and just have a glass of water. 

    Chris Grimm of Sugar & Olives, Norwalk, CT: I try to drink a couple of litres of water, during a shift. My non-alcoholic, non-water go-to is Pellegrino Pamplemousse. 

    Ricardo Albrecht: Coconut water

     

    1009066_157612477757223_1316551939_oTopo Chico Sparkling Water

    Mindy Kucan of Hale Pele Portland, OR: Topo Chico!!!! I always have a case of topo in my car! Iced tea- sometimes I sweeten it. Black tea, golden milk, and I make this coconut water-banana-cocoa powder-Hawaiian sea salt smoothie that does the trick. 

    Pamela Wiznitzer of Seamstress, NYC: Topo Chico when available. Otherwise, I drink loads of tea and very into matcha these days!

    Brad Bowden of Lounge Here Dallas, TX: Topo Chico for sure! HOLY Kombucha is up there on my go to list. 

    Donnie Pratt: Tap water, Topo Chico or Mountain Valley Springs and espresso 1000 Faces out of Athens, GA are my favorite.

    Stuart Humphries of The Pass & Provisions, Houston, TX: Topo Chico, a highly effervescent agua mineral hard to find outside of Mexico and Texas, goes great with everything, esp. tacos and hangovers

    Greg West: Topo all the way. Topo with hint of lime. So good.

    Cameron George: Topo chico and Ango.

    Kyle Zimmerman, Hutch on Avondale, Oklahoma City: Topo Chico with bitters and an orange slice. I feel like the minerality of topo really plays well with the bitters.

    Will Croxville: Topo Chico if possible, but if not just regular old seltzer water for me.

    Rich Heider II:  Topo Chico

     

     

    Sodas or Soda Water with Splashes of Something

    1449356763-spellegrinoPaul Russell of Hugo's, Portland Maine: Cinotto by San Pellegrino. Also, what I call the hydrito…an N/A mojito with a heavy hand of ango.

    Danny Ronen, Consultant: I go for effervescent with little to no sugar, so:  Perrier Grapefruit, Coconut water (preferably the one Robert Pallone has been working on for the past few years, it's so GD delicious and some of the lowest sugar content i've seen), Hot water, fresh lemon juice (neighbor's tree). 

    Tony Morandi of 900 wall/the Capitol. Bend OR: Coffee. Half soda water/half water. Tea is awesome mid day and night. Veggie based smoothies. Coconut water. But for special occasions, well made/ interesting sodas in limited quantities. Made a pineapple allspice soda the other day that was killer

    Jason Laidlaw of The Shameful Tiki Room, Vancouver: Water, splash of pineapple if I need an energy boost (and the opened can(s) of soda water at the end of the shift. Not at work: coconut water (no added sugar), kombucha, water.

    Travis St Germain of Clover Club, Brooklyn: Soda water lime juice and salt. 

    Matt Roberts of London: 1 lime, Mexican elbowed, pinch salt and soda water during service. Pot after pot of pu'erh tea helps keep the focus on line clean day too!

    Josey Packard of Bar Mezzana, Boston: I make a tamarind syrup that has brags vinegar in it, a no-sugar St John's "syrup," and a sarsaparilla syrup.

     Andy Griffiths:  Sparkling water with yuzu juice!

    Jamaal PatronJames Bowen:  Clayton's Kola Tonic, splash Ginger Ale and 4 dashes of Angostura Bitters for good measure

    Elliot Clark of Trick Dog, SF: Soda water, pineapple juice, and Peychauds bitters. 

    Alastair Burgess: Lemon, lime and bitters, actually available as a canned soft drink in the Caribbean. Other wise, ginger juice, lemon juice ango bitters and soda water.

    Kailee Asher of Counter Intuitive/Undertow in Phoenix AZ: I'm pregnant right now so no drinking for a while…  Clausthaler N/A beer, club soda and ango, dealer's choice N/A cocktail at a cocktail bar – had a really good smash at Otium in LA!

    Odd Strandbakken of Himkok, Oslo. Norway: soda, ice, grapefruit bitters and grapefruit zest!

    Francis Schott of Stage Left & Catherine Lombardi a restaurants, New Brunswick, NJ: Blenheim Ginger Ale (not-so-hot) out of the painted glass bottle (never plastic) or Elderflower syrup and soda. 2 oz in 6 oz seltzer- my favorite brand is Austrian by Nikolaihof. Elderflower syrup in German is Holunderblütensirup (available through Michael Skurnik Wines). Fun to drink – fun to say. I keep a bottle in my refrigerator at all times. 

    Zachary A. Evans: Fresh squeezed lemonade, ginger ale, and cran. Equal parts.

    Ole Buddrus: Technically speaking bitters contain alcohol, that aside my favorite is still ginger ale and angostura, preferably East Imperial.

    Ben Johnson of The Imperial Life, Asheville, NC: I find myself drinking a lot of Coke, or specialty soda in general. When I go out to eat or to a bar, my go to is almost always Peach Nehi soda if they've got it (and most places in Western North Carolina do). I'll also crush a soda water with lime after a long shift. And if I'm at a real dive, I'll generally go for a grapefruit juice (out of a can) and soda, as it looks more like a drink. There's really no reason to be at a dive bar if you're not drinking, so I find it best to mask it at these types of places. 

     

    Tonic Water, Modified

    East-imperial-tonicJacopo Rosito: 54 Mint, San Francisco: Cranberry, tonic, lime !

    Mike Henderson of Edible Beats (Root Down), Denver: Tonic, Lime, and Angostura Bitters. Preferably Q or Indi tonic.

    Jay Villafana of The Slanted Door, San Francisco: Grapefruit and Tonic

    Blair Frodelius. Mid-Century Lounge. Syracuse, NY: Fever-Tree Tonic water and a squeeze of lime, Orangina or Lavender Dry Soda all served on the rocks.

    Brian Means, Michael Mina Group: Seedlip and tonic is delicious!

    Tyler Fry:  Tonic on anything, especially grapefruit. Juices and tea. Chai-spiced cider.

    Jessi Mess, Absinthe, SF: grapefruit & tonic, sometimes with ango.

    Paul Mathew  of The Hide/The Arbitrager, London: House tonic syrup, orange bitters, squeeze of lime, soda, long w/lots of ice. And shots of 50:50 maple syrup and lime juice for a pick-me-up.

     

    Coffee, Please

    CoffeeFred Yarm of Loyal Nine in Boston: My number one nonalcoholic drink is coffee, hot and black, although I have no problem drinking it room temperature such as during a shift or if I have left overs from yesterday's pot. Otherwise, the majority of my nonalcoholic drinking consists of water either still or sparkling. And medicinally (besides its use for making Bucks and Mules), ginger beer such as a ginger-forward one like AJ Stephens is my go to.

    Adam Patrick K of Rothbard Ale & Larder, Westport, CT:  Bulletproof Coffee, tisanes, kombucha

    Tom Zyankali of Zyankali Bar, Berlin:  Café au laut with Vietnamese coffee

    Anthony DeSerio:  Coffee… lots and lots of coffee. Verners ginger ale when i can get it.

    Or Geshury: Espresso tonic. Cold brew from coconut water. Jasmine green speedballed with chamomile/peppermint depending on the time of day. Coconut water + activated charcoal + sea salt (hangover preventative). Fevertree sodas. Mexicoke. Bitters lime and soda when at a bar and not drinking.

     

    Tea and Iced Tea

    TeabagBill Brooks,  The Cannibal Liquor House, Manhattan: I am a big fan of sun tea in the summer. I have 2-3 empty clear growlers that I fill with water, various fruits (watermelon, lemon, raspberry, peaches, etc), spices (mint, lemon verbena, basil), and some really good quality tea. Leave it out in the sun for a couple of hours and I will go thru a jug every 2-3 days. Love my sun tea.

    Gary Crunkleton of The Crunkleton in Chapel Hill, NC: Sweet Tea

    Christian Suzuki of multiple bars, San Francisco: Genmaicha, Oolang (iced for summer, hot during winter), coffee (black…like my soul)

    David Bonatesta: Genmaicha tea , Evian Water or San Pellegrino. Vitamin Water, Carrot Juice, Espresso

    Trevor Easter of Normandie Club, Los Angeles: Bhakti original and coldbrew chai blend.

    Bethany Ham:  If it's cold out – green tea with honey and lemon or chai tea with a little hot almond milk.  If it's hot out – bitters and soda #ftw, iced tea or ice water with a splash of fresh sweetened ginger and ango. 

    Jared Hirsch of Sidebar, Oakland, CA:  At work: Arnold Palmer the way he liked it (3:1 iced tea : lemonade.) At home: Harney and Sons' Paris tea, or Lapsang Souchong tea, or Dr. Browns' Cream Soda. 

    Matthew Rowley, writer: For me it's tea. Iced tea all year and, when the mercury dips, hot tea in an old 500 ml West German beer stein. First one goes down usually before dawn. Second by 7am or so. A third only if I'm not going to the gym that day. Between hot and iced teas, I usually dispatch 2-4 liters per day.  I may have a tea problem.

    Andreas Künster: Black tea (the English way), cold milk, calpis or calpico with soda and a lot of non sparkling water

    Tim Morrison of 4th Street Bar & Grill, Lake Mary, FL:  I'm a tea addict. Hot or cold or any kind. I go thru more unsweet iced black tea than anything. 

    Christopher Day:  Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.

     Niquito Constan: mate-cocido (a famous argentinean infusion) with milk and mascabo (red sugar), coffee with milk and honey, ginger beer whenever I can lay myself on one. I tend to mix tonic with juices. Homemade guarana soda, or homemade pomegranate with soda! From time to time I go full on zombie mode and drink guarana flavoured energy drink called V.

    Jen Ackrill, Top of Waikiki, Hawaii: Technically when I'm "not drinking" I'm drinking Dolin Blanc with soda and a grapefruit zest, but when I'm NOT drinking it's Yogi Egyptian Licorice Tea, hot or cold!

     

    Weird Miscellany

    A1jAdGiMqPL._SX522_Cari Hah of Big Bar in Los Angeles: Korean Corn Silk Tea

    Blake Pope of Kindred, North Carolina: Switchel.  It's composition is incredibly simple – usually, just three ingredients: seltzer, apple cider vinegar, and either honey, molasses or maple syrup. I love the simplicity. Kindred currently has a pomegranate switchel on tap and I can’t get enough.

    Thor Bergquist of PS40 in Sydney, Australia:  Smoked lemonade made in house

    Dan Brink:  Apple cider vinegar, honey, cinnamon, ice

    Leilani Vella:  I don't find the trade of sugar for alcohol to be a healthier choice. So kombucha, bitters and soda, lemon grass mint tea, orange slice with fresh mint a splash of lemon juice and soda, or fresh juiced ginger, lemon apple and greens.

     Ariana Vitale: Verjus

     Cordula Langer: Joghurt with soda and homemade smoothies

    Alex Smith, Whitechapel, SF: I have a favorite recovery drink when I go to the gym – when I am coincidentally also "not drinking." Combo of the following: some concentrated cold brew coffee w/ chicory (4 oz), hemp milk (2 oz), natural cane ginger beer (2 oz), coconut water (10 oz), and some Bob's Red Mill chocolate protein powder (3 tbs).

     

    Conclusions

    So if you wanted to take something away from this, here is what I see. Bartenders like:

    • Tea, perhaps even more than coffee. I did not know this. 
    • Grapefruit and Tonic – If you're a tonic water brand you're going to want to release this as a combination flavor. 
    • Topo Chico is so, so hot right now. (I introduce it to my friends as 'bartender water.') Here's a good NYT story about it's new popularity.

     

     

  • An Amusingly Disgusting Way to Drink Vodka in Sweden

    While I was in Sweden with Karlsson's Gold vodka, we learned a traditional way to drink vodka. It is called Kaffegök, and it is gross.

    You take a cup and put a coin in the bottom.

    Kaffegok step one coin_tn

    Then you fill it with coffee until you can't see the coin anymore.

    Kaffegok step two coffee_tn
    Kaffegok step three until cant see coin_tn

    Then you add vodka until you can see the coin again. That's how you know you have enough vodka in there.

    Kaffegok step four add vodka_tn
    Kaffegok step five until you see coin again_tn

    Then you drink it. Damnnnn that's some kinda breakfast.