Category: history

The 2021 Best Drink Books Round-Up
For the past bunch of years, I've done a round-up of all the drink books (mostly cocktails and spirits) that have come out during the year, in consideration for gifting. I'm not doing that this year, as there are too many cocktail books, and if you want to see them all, you can visit these posts:
But I decided to do a Best-Of list. Importantly, I must note that I haven't read all of these. I have looked through most, and it's fair to say that I have confidence in these selections. There were some other books that sure sound good but I don't know enough about the book or its author to commit.

Do Some Reading
- Something and Tonic: A History of the World's Most Iconic Mixer by Nick Kokonas [amazon] [somethingandtonic.com]
- Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization by Edward Slingerland [amazon][bookshop]
- A Good Drink: In Pursuit of Sustainable Spirits by Shanna Farrell [amazon][bookshop]
- A Woman's Place Is in the Brewhouse: A Forgotten History of Alewives, Brewsters, Witches, and CEOs by Tara Nurin [amazon][bookshop]
- Girly Drinks: A World History of Women and Alcohol by Mallory O'Meara [amazon][bookshop]
- Smashing the Liquor Machine: A Global History of Prohibition by Mark Lawrence Schrad [amazon][bookshop]
- The Thinking Drinkers Almanac: Drinks For Every Day Of The Year by Ben McFarland, Tom Sandham [amazon][bookshop]
- The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails by David Wondrich, Noah Rothbaum [amazon][bookshop]
Non-Alcoholic Cocktail Books
- Zero Proof: 90 Non-Alcoholic Recipes for Mindful Drinking by Elva Ramirez [amazon] [bookshop]
- Gazoz: The Art of Making Magical, Seasonal Sparkling Drinks by Benny Briga, Adeena Sussman [amazon][bookshop]
Topic-Specific Cocktail Books
- Mezcal and Tequila Cocktails: Mixed Drinks for the Golden Age of Agave by Robert Simonson [amazon][bookshop]
- The Japanese Art of the Cocktail by Masahiro Urushido and Michael Anstendig [amazon][bookshop]
- The Way of the Cocktail: Japanese Traditions, Techniques, and Recipes by Julia Momosé and Emma Janzen [amazon][bookshop]
Base Spirits
- The Big Book of Amaro by Matteo Zed [amazon][bookshop]
- The Atlas of Bourbon and American Whiskey: A Journey Through the Spirit of America by Eric Zandona [amazon][bookshop]
General Cocktail Recipe Books
- The Cocktail Seminars by Brian D. Hoefling [amazon][bookshop]
- HOME BAR BASICS (AND NOT-SO-BASICS) by Dave Stolte [website]
- The Curious Bartender: Cocktails At Home: More than 75 recipes for classic and iconic drinks by Tristan Stephenson [amazon][bookshop]
- Mixology for Beginners: Innovative Craft Cocktails for the Home Bartender by Prairie Rose [amazon][bookshop]
- Death & Co Welcome Home by Alex Day, Nick Fauchald, Dave Kaplan [amazon][bookshop]
- The Cocktail Workshop: An Essential Guide to Classic Drinks and How to Make Them Your Own by Steven Grasse, Adam Erace [amazon][bookshop]
- Can I Mix You a Drink? by T-PAIN, Maxwell Britten [amazon][bookshop]
Beer
- The Beer Bible: Second Edition by Jeff Alworth [amazon][bookshop]
- World Atlas of Beer: The Essential Guide to the Beers of the World by Tim Webb, Stephen Beaumont [amazon][bookshop]
Cocktails and Spirits Books from Previous Years
November 26, 2021
All the Cocktail and Drink Books from 2020 for Reading or Gifting

It's time for the annual Alcademics drink book round-up! Below are all the books that have come to my attention in 2020. I don't follow wine/beer closely so there are only a few in that section.

The links below are to Amazon and to Bookshop.org. If you buy stuff after clicking on a link, I may receive a referral fee, thanks! If there is just one link, that's to Amazon as I only started using Bookshop mid-way through the year – you can always click over to Bookshop and search there. Bookshop.org allows you to order from small bookstores directly, or buy from a general fund that supports independent bookstores.

Whiskey Books

Whiskey Master Class: The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Scotch, Bourbon, Rye, and More by Lew Bryson

The Definitive Guide to Canadian Distilleries: The Portable Expert to Over 200 Distilleries and the Spirits they Make (From Absinthe to Whisky, and Everything in Between) by Davin de Kergommeaux and Blair Phillips

Which Fork Do I Use with My Bourbon?: Setting the Table for Tastings, Food Pairings, Dinners, and Cocktail Parties by Peggy Noe Stevens and Susan Reigler

Whisky, it's not rocket science by Mickael Guidot

Canadian Spirits: The Essential Cross-Country Guide to Distilleries, Their Spirits, and Where to Imbibe Them by Stephen Beaumont and Christine Sismondo

Scotch: A Complete Introduction to Scotland’s Whiskies by Margarett Waterbury buy on: [Amazon][Bookshop]

The Curious Bartender’s Guide to Malt, Bourbon & Rye Whiskies by Tristan Stephenson [Amazon] [Bookshop]

The Sazerac by Tim McNally [Amazon] [Bookshop]

Beginner's Guide to Whiskey: Traditions, Types, and Tastes of the Ultimate Spirit by Sam Green  [Amazon][Bookshop]

The Terroir of Whiskey: A Distiller's Journey Into the Flavor of Place by Rob Arnold  [Amazon][Bookshop]

American Spirit: Wild Turkey Bourbon from Ripy to Russell by David Jennings  [Amazon][Bookshop]

Other Spirits: Gin, Rum

Gin: How to Drink it: 125 Gins, 4 Ways by Dave Broom [Amazon]

The Curious Bartender’s Guide to Rum by Tristan Stephenson [Amazon] [Bookshop]

Brand Books

Seedlip Cocktails: 100 Delicious Nonalcoholic Recipes from Seedlip & The World's Best Bars by Seedlip

Chartreuse, The Liqueur [CocktailKingdom]

A Long Stride: The Story of the World's No. 1 Scotch Whisky by Nicholas Morgan buy on: [Amazon][Bookshop]

Science Food and Drink Books

Science and Cooking: Physics Meets Food, From Homemade to Haute Cuisine by Michael Brenner, Pia Sörensen, David Weitz  [Amazon][Bookshop]

Nose Dive: A Field Guide to the World's Smells by Harold McGee: [Amazon][Bookshop]

The Flavor Equation: The Science of Great Cooking Explained in More Than 100 Essential Recipes by Nik Sharma [Amazon][Bookshop]

Beer, Wine, Vermouth, Sake, Fermentation

Beer: Taste the Evolution in 50 Styles by Natalya Watson

A Spirited Guide to Vermouth: An Aromatic Journey with Botanical Notes, Classic Cocktails and Elegant Recipes by Jack Adair Bevan

How to Make Hard Seltzer: Refreshing Recipes for Sparkling Libations by Chris Colby [Amazon] [Bookshop]

Wine, Unfiltered: Buying, Drinking, and Sharing Natural Wine by Katherine Clary [Amazon] [Bookshop]

Hugh Johnson s Pocket Wine Book by Hugh Johnson [Amazon]

The Wine Game by Zeren Wilson [Buy]

The Japanese Sake Bible: Everything You Need to Know About Great Sake (With Tasting Notes and Scores for Over 100 Top Brands) by Brian Ashcraft  [Amazon][Bookshop]

Journey of Sake: Stories and Wisdom from an Ancient Tradition [Amazon]

Fermentation as Metaphor by Sandor Ellix Katz [Amazon] [Bookshop]

History Books

Rabbinic Drinking: What Beverages Teach Us About Rabbinic Literature by Jordan D. Rosenblum

How to Drink: A Classical Guide to the Art of Imbibing (Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers) by Vincent Obsopoeus [Amazon] [Bookshop]

Non-Alcoholic Drinks

How to Drink without Drinking: Celebratory alcohol-free drinks for any time of the day by Fiona Beckett [Amazon] [Bookshop]

Good Drinks: Alcohol-Free Recipes for When You're Not Drinking for Whatever Reason by Julia Bainbridge [Amazon] [Bookshop]

FIZZ: A Beginners Guide to Making Natural, Non-Alcoholic Fermented Drinks
by Elise van Iterson and Barbara Serulus

Zero: A New Approach to Non-Alcoholic Drinks  [Amazon] [The Aviary]

Bartending: Narrative and Professional

Unvarnished: A Gimlet-eyed Look at Life Behind the Bar by Eric Alperin and Deborah Stoll

Bartender as a Business: Building Agency from Craft by Jason Littrell  [Amazon][Bookshop]

Botanical Focus and Witchcraft

Garden to Glass: Grow Your Drinks from the Ground Up by Mike Wolf

Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine by Rosalee de la Forêt and Emily Han

WitchCraft Cocktails: 70 Seasonal Drinks Infused with Magic & Ritual by Julia Halina Hadas [Amazon] [Bookshop]

Potions, Elixirs & Brews: A modern witches' grimoire of drinkable spells by Anais Alexandre [buy on Bookshop ] [buy on Amazon]

Blackthorn's Botanical Brews: Herbal Potions, Magical Teas, and Spirited Libations by Amy Blackthorn [buy on Bookshop ] [buy on Amazon]

Cocktail Books

General/Classic/Historic Cocktail Books

Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails: Prohibition Centennial Edition: From the 1920 Pick-Me-Up to the Zombie and Beyond – 150+ Rediscovered Recipes … With a New Introduction and 66 New Recipes by Ted Haigh (Author)

Drink What You Want: The Subjective Guide to Making Objectively Delicious Cocktails by John deBary

Spirited: Cocktails from around the World by Adrienne Stillman [Amazon] [Bookshop]

The New Craft of the Cocktail: Everything You Need to Know to Think Like a Master Mixologist, with 500 Recipes by Dale DeGroff [Amazon] [Bookshop]

On the House: Over 100 Essential Tips and Recipes for the Home Bartender by Cider Mill Press buy on: [Amazon][Bookshop]

Classic Cocktails by Brian D. Hoefling  [Amazon][Bookshop]

Splash: Modern Classic Cocktails by Ivy Mix (Author), Whoo Kid  [Amazon]

CO Specs: Recipes & Histories of Classic Cocktails by Cas Oh  [Amazon]

Themed Cocktail Books

The Good Reverend's Guide to Infused Spirits: Alchemical Cocktails, Healing Elixirs, and Cleansing Solutions for the Home and Bar by Steven Grasse, Sonia Kurtz, Michael Alan

Camp Cocktails: Easy, Fun, and Delicious Drinks for the Great Outdoors by Emily Vikre

Drinking with Chickens: Free-Range Cocktails for the Happiest Hour by Kate E. Richards

Easy Tiki: A Modern Revival with 60 Recipes by Chloe Frechette

Disco Cube Cocktails: 100+ innovative recipes for artful ice and drinks by Leslie Kirchhoff

Essential 3-Ingredient Cocktails: 75 Classic And Contemporary Drinks To Make At Home by Amy Traynor

Pink Gin: More than 30 pink-hued cocktails

Optimistic Cocktails Vol 1

Drink What You Want: The Subjective Guide to Making Objectively Delicious Cocktails.

Behind the Bar: 50 Cocktail Recipes from the World's Most Iconic Hotels by Alia Akkam [Amazon] [Bookshop]

Fizz: 80 Joyful Cocktails and Mocktails for Every Occasion by Olly Smith [Amazon] [Bookshop]

Beautiful Booze: Stylish Cocktails to Make at Home by Natalie Migliarini and James Stevenson [Amazon] [Bookshop]

The Cocktail Dictionary: An A-Z of cocktail recipes, from Daiquiri and Negroni to Martini and Spritz by Henry Jeffreys [Amazon] [Bookshop]

Peaky Blinders Cocktail Book: 40 Cocktails Selected by The Shelby Company Ltd by Sandrine Houdre-Gregoire [Amazon] [Bookshop]

The Shaken and the Stirred: The Year's Work in Cocktail Culture (The Year's Work: Studies in Fan Culture and Cultural Theory) Edited by Stephen Schneider and Craig N. Owens [Amazon] [Bookshop]

T𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 by Grade A Fancy Magazine [buy]

Star Trek Cocktails: A Stellar Compendium by Glenn Dakin buy on: [Amazon][Bookshop]

Classy as Fuck Cocktails: 60+ Damn Good Recipes for All Occasions buy on: [Amazon][Bookshop]

Shake Strain Done: Craft Cocktails at Home by J. M. Hirsch buy on: [Amazon][Bookshop]

Tequila & Tacos: A Guide to Spirited Pairings by Katherine Cobbs buy on: [Amazon][Bookshop]

Queer Cocktails: 50 Cocktail Recipes Celebrating Gay Icons and Queer Culture by Lewis Laney [Bookshop]

Drinks on the Lanai: Cocktails, Mocktails And Cheesecake Inspired By The Golden Girls by Elouise Anders  [Amazon][Bookshop]

The Aviary: Summer Cocktails [The Aviary]

Give Me Liberty and Give Me a Drink!: 65 Cocktails to Protest America’s Most Outlandish Alcohol Laws by C. Jarrett Dieterle

Very Merry Cocktails: 50+ Festive Drinks for the Holiday Season by Jessica Strand  [Amazon][Bookshop]

Winter Drinks: Over 75 recipes to warm the spirits including hot drinks, fortifying toddies, party cocktails and mocktails [Amazon][Bookshop]

Bar L.M. by Lindsay Matteson [etsy]

How to Drink Like a Royal by Albert W. A. Schmid  [Amazon][Bookshop]

Have Yourself a Merry Little Cocktail: 80 Cheerful Tipples to Warm up Winter by Emma Stokes [Amazon][Bookshop]

Düngeonmeister: 75 Epic RPG Cocktail Recipes to Shake Up Your Campaign by Jef Aldrich, Jon Taylor  [Amazon][Bookshop]

Drink Books Tied to Places

Distilled in Vermont: A History & Guide with Cocktail Recipes by Chris Maggiolo [Amazon] [Bookshop]

The United States of Cocktails: Recipes, Tales, and Traditions from All 50 States (and the District of Columbia) by Brian Bartels [Amazon] [Bookshop]

Behind Bars: High Class Cocktails Inspired by Low Life Gangsters by Vincent Pollard [Amazon] [Bookshop]

Spirits of Latin America: A Celebration of Culture & Cocktails, with 100 Recipes from Leyenda & Beyond by Ivy Mix

Drinking French: The Iconic Cocktails, Apéritifs, and Café Traditions of France, with 160 Recipes by David Lebovitz

The Pikes Cocktail Book: Rock 'n' roll cocktails from one of the world's most iconic hotels by Dawn Hindle

Apotheke: Modern Medicinal Cocktails by Christopher Tierney, Erica Brod  [Amazon][Bookshop]

Drink-Culture Related Books

The Book of Ichigo Ichie: The Art of Making the Most of Every Moment, the Japanese Way by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles

December 2, 2020
Kold Draft Ice Machine History from Dale DeGroff

I was emailing with Dale DeGroff about the new edition of his book The New Craft of the Cocktail: Everything You Need to Know to Think Like a Master Mixologist, with 500 Recipes and ice came up, as it does. It turns out he was using the big 1.25 inch (32 mm) Kold-Draft cubes at the Rainbow Room way back in the day.

I was not aware that the machine went back that far. I first became familiar with it at the new bars of the craft cocktail renaissance around 2006-2010. Here's me quoting myself in a story:

“I used to say at the time that the Venn diagram of America’s best cocktail bars and bars that owned Kold-Draft machines was a near-perfect circle,” recalls drinks journalist and ice enthusiast Camper English.

I forgot that I gave that quote in a story written by Drew Lazor for Punch. So I forgot that I'd already read some of the brand history. Lazor also wrote:

Manufactured since 1955 in Erie, Pa., Kold-Draft once dominated domestic placements “in bars, restaurants, hospitals, and fishing and sporting locations, because of the long life of the cubes,” according to DeGroff.

DeGroff was first introduced to Kold-Draft in 1984 by the late restaurateur Joe Baum, who installed two of the machines at Manhattan’s Rainbow Room, the post from which the pioneering DeGroff helped spark the modern cocktail revival. During this era, a definite ebb in American barcraft, Kold-Draft had largely faded from prominence, ceding ground to cheaper, quicker machines that spat out smaller, faster-melting cubes. As DeGroff’s detail-oriented approach to drink-making gained steam, ice became a major talking point again—and he stumped for Kold-Draft so passionately in the press that the company brought him on as a consultant.

Meanwhile, I followed up with Dale DeGroff, basically asking "Oh you had Kold Draft then? I didn't realize it was around that long." He replied to me:

The Kold-Draft company had a monopoly on ice machines for bars and restaurants, sporting lodges (fishing parties loved them for long outings to keep the fish fresh in their coolers), hospitals for bedside pitchers, anywhere that big cubes that lasted were needed. Joe [Baum] used those machines starting in 1953 at the Newarker Restaurant and used them throughout the RA properties, Four Seasons, Las Fonda Del Sol Forum of the 12 Caesars etc. etc…

The demise of that company came swiftly in the late 1970's and early 1980's. The Japanese swept into the market with machines that made all manner of small ice very quickly so bars could get away with one instead of two machines. That was the "…tini" era of sweet and fruity drinks and that sort of ice was actually helpful in cutting the cloying sweetness of many popular juicy style drinks.

The serious on-the-rock scotch and other strong spirits drinkers were not too thrilled, but they were a dwindling crowd.

I worked for Kold-Draft from early 1990s as a consultant through the early new millennium to drive bar restaurant business back in their direction. Julie [Reiner] and Audrey [Saunders] all went with them but then the problems started.

The company was floundering with three different owners and 4 different president / CEOs and they hadn't kept up with the improving technology so their machines needed constant repairs. The trick became to lease the machines with a service contract rather then buy.

Then early millennium (I think) there was a possible merger with Hoshizaki that fell through when Kold-Draft sold again, but not before Hoshizaki got the moving water large cube technology that made those cubes special. They improved the technology, but could only use that particular machine in Europe at first. I don't know where that is these days, maybe they finally were able to introduce their larger cube machines in the USA.

So good ice used to be a thing and it was killed by disco drinks!

My understanding of the status of Hoshizaki in the US is that their largest cube is a bit smaller than Kold-Draft; about 1 inch by 1.25" rather than 1/25" square. In Europe, they have adapters for the machines that can make larger cubes, ping pong ball-sized spheres, and shapes like hearts and stars. They have a briefcase they display at Bar Convent Berlin every year that instead of being filled with diamonds like in a heist movie, is filled with ice options.

The reason we don't see those shapes of ice in the US, from my understanding, is that they do not meet US energy compliance standards.

Anyway, that's enough ice talk for today, See you tomorrow probably.

November 2, 2020
Quinine and Tonic – New Info from Just the Tonic Book
I recently read the book, Just the Tonic: A Natural History of Tonic Water by Kim Walker and Mark Nesbitt. As you know, I also wrote a self-published book about the history of the Gin & Tonic, but mine doesn't have the rich illustrations of this handsome hardbound book – and this book brings forth a lot of new-to-me information about quinine, tonic water, and its use in alcoholic beverages.

As this book was written by actual botanists/herbalists and published by Kew Gardens, they brought to light a few things I missed or on which I was mistaken. It also confirmed many theories I was iffy on.

This blog post is some of my notes from what I highlighted in the book.
- Humans learn about medication from plants by observing self-medication by wild animals. (This hadn't occurred to me.)
- Cinchona was often confused with another medicinal tree, the quinaquina or Peruvian balsam. (I thought cinchona was the same as quinaquina.)
- Talbor's remedy also contained opium.
- Cinchona bark as a cure for fevers contradicted Galenic medicine – fevers should be treated by cooling remedies, but the bitterness of bark means that it is a heating remedy.
- Some additional treatments for malaria pre-cinchona included gentian, agrimony, and barley water.
- There are 25 species of cinchona.
- Quinine is still used in some cases of lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
- The Hippocratic corpus assigns different mineral waters distinct properties for different maladies.
- Up to the 1760s aerated waters didn't contain sodium bicarbonate. Richard Bewley (of Bewley's Mephitic Julep fame) found that sodium bicarbonate helped the absorption of fixed air (carbon dioxide).
- Cinchona was not only used to treat malaria but also dysentery, sore throat, toothache, smallpox, tremors, and (externally) baldness.
- **Cinchona bark in various beverages and medicines functioned "as a tonic" (this was before tonic water became associated solely with cinchona), which is basically non-essential medicine that helps strengthen the body generally rather than treat specific diseases. The electrolytes of its day, I suppose.
- The authors have found an earlier first reference to quinine soda! Everywhere I've seen lists Erasmus Bond's 1858 patent for Pitt's Tonic Water. But they found an 1835 advertisement for a quinine soda water produced by Hughes & Co.
- Tonic waters initially contained sulfuric acid, which was later changed to citric acid – both of these help dissolve the quinine alkaloids.
- The authors found new references to quinine mixed with gin (Netherlands 1841), arrack (India and Ceylon 1863), and in the rum ration about British ships (recommended by James Lind – solver of scurvy) implemented in 1803.
- Jerry Thomas' Bon Vivants Companion lists a recipe for fever drops that include Peruvian bark.
There is a lot more from the book I'll take away to use for my purposes (especially on tonic and soda water's early use in cocktails) but these are just a few highlights.

If you're a G&T fan, you should most definitely buy the book!
July 13, 2020
A New Book on Chartreuse Corrects the History of the Brand

Chartreuse, a liqueur made by Carthusian monks with a recipe dating to 1605, has been made in 6 different distilleries in France and Spain over the centuries. The monks dedicated to its production do so in silence and isolation, while the brand Chartreuse is run by an outside company. They handle the sales and marketing and all that jazz.

While the marketing company has done their best to put the brand history on their website and keep their importers and brand ambassadors trained on it, this was done largely without much input of the fathers of the order. So finally the marketing company and the fathers got together and produced a brand book that includes brand history, special bottlings, and other information. The monks looked into their vaults and records.

I have a copy of the book but haven't had time to read it yet. At a book launch event in San Francisco, we learned that in writing this new book they learned a lot of new information – and past misinformation about the brand history. One fact they brought up is that they had a special anniversary release bottling a few years back but then just learned that it was on the wrong anniversary and they were something like 50 years off.

Also the dates on the various monasteries/distilleries where Chartreuse was made have all been adjusted. I was working with Tim Master who works for the US importer on brand history a bit over a year ago for a project and getting really detailed info versus what was publicly available, but even that information was slightly off since he'd not yet had access to the info in this book. I wrote up a blog post about the location and dates of all the Chartreuse monasteries, but it turns out all the dates were slightly off so I need to update that post.

At the book launch they gave us bookmarks with all the distillery dates and locations on it so a quick check revealed where I was off. I'll need to do a super thorough review of what I wrote about the brand's history (I think I wrote about 4000 words on it) after reviewing this new book.

So where do I get this book, you ask? There's only one place: It's available for sale at CocktailKingdom.com.

The book is about 350 pages with a history, photos, timelines, etc. For a booze history nerd, it seems pretty essential.

February 29, 2020
All the Cocktail and Spirits Books Released in 2019

It's time for my annual post of (almost) all the cocktails and spirits books published this year, in consideration for gifting to others or keeping to read yourself. I know my shelf of to-read books is looking pretty menacing already, and I still have to buy some of these.

If I forgot your favorite book please do let me know and I'll add it! I am not excluding any cocktails/spirits books on purpose.

Links are to Amazon.com but you are encouraged to support your local independent bookstores when possible.

Low and No Alcohol

Just the Tonic: A Natural History of Tonic Water by Kim Walker and Mark Nesbitt

Alcohol-Free Cocktails: The Redemption Bar by Catherine Salway and Andrea Waters

All Day Cocktails: Low (And No) Alcohol Magic by Shaun Byrne and Nick Tesar

The Art of the Garnish by Leeann Lavin

Gin Books

The Martini Cocktail: A Meditation on the World's Greatest Drink, with Recipes by Robert Simonson

Sip: 100 gin cocktails with just three ingredients by Sipsmith

The World Atlas of Gin by Joel Harrison and Neil Ridley

The Big Book of Gin by Dan Jones

Gin Made Me Do It: 60 Beautifully Botanical Cocktails by Jassy Davis

Ginspiration: The Best Distilleries, Infusions, and Cocktails by Klaus St. Rainer

Gin Cocktails: Classic & contemporary cocktails by Hamlyn

Aged Gin Cocktails: 25 Cocktails for Gin's Newest Style by Aaron J Knoll

International Books

The Complete Guide to Japanese Drinks: Sake, Shochu, Japanese Whisky, Beer, Wine, Cocktails and Other Beverages by Stephen Lyman, Chris Bunting

Great Northern Cocktails by Shawn Soole

Drunk in China: Baijiu and the World’s Oldest Drinking Culture by Derek Sandhaus

Whisky Books

World of Whisky: Taste, Try and Enjoy Whiskies From Around the World by David Wishart, Neil Ridley

The Complete Whiskey Course: A Comprehensive Tasting School in Ten Classes by Robin Robinson

The Whisky Dictionary: An A Z of whisky, from history & heritage to distilling & drinking by Ian Wisniewski

Whisky Cocktails by Hamlyn

The Bourbon King: The Life and Crimes of George Remus, Prohibition's Evil Genius by Bob Batchelor

Jim Murray's Whiskey Bible 2020: North American Edition by Jim Murray

Rum and Tiki

Rum Cocktails by Hamlyn

The Home Bar Guide to Tropical Cocktails: A Spirited Journey Through Suburbia’s Hidden Tiki Temples by Tom Morgan and Kelly Reilly

Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails by Shannon Mustipher

Minimalist Tiki by Matt Pietrek and Carrie Smith

A Rum Tale: Spirit of the New World by Joseph Piercy

(new translation) D. KERVÉGANT – Rhum and Cane Eau-de-vie (1946)

Other Spirits

That's the Spirit!: 100 of the world's greatest spirits and liqueurs to drink with style by Jonathan Ray

The Tequila Dictionary by Eric Zandona

Understanding Mezcal by James Schroeder

Misc Recipe Books

Schofields Classic Cocktail Cabinet by Joe Schofield, Daniel SchofieldHow to Cocktail: Recipes and Techniques for Building the Best Drinks by America's Test Kitchen

Gather Around Cocktails: Drinks to Celebrate Usual and Unusual Holidays by Aaron Goldfarb

Vogue Cocktails by Henry McNulty

Cocktails with a Twist: 21 Classic Recipes. 141 Great Cocktails. by Kara Newman

Flask: 41 Portable Cocktails to Drink Anywhere by Sarah Baird

Happy Hour: The Cocktail Card Game by Laura Gladwin and Marcel George

Spirits, Sugar, Water, Bitters: How the Cocktail Conquered the World by Derek Brown and Robert Yule

The Complete Home Bartender's Guide: Tools, Ingredients, Techniques, & Recipes for the Perfect Drink by Salvatore Calabrese

Bar Chef: Handcrafted Cocktails by Christiaan Rollich

Batch Cocktails: Make-Ahead Pitcher Drinks for Every Occasion by Maggie Hoffman

Floral Libations: 41 Fragrant Drinks + Ingredients by Cassie Winslow

From Garden to Glass: 80 Botanical Beverages Made from the Finest Fruits, Cordials, and Infusions by David Hurst

French Moderne: Cocktails from the Twenties and Thirties with recipes by Franck Audoux

Fancy AF Cocktails: Drink Recipes from a Couple of Professional Drinkers by Ariana Madix, Tom Sandoval

The Postmodern Bartender by Hayden Wood

The NoMad Cocktail Book by Leo Robitschek

The Aviary: Holiday Cocktails by Grant Achatz, Nick Kokonas, Allen Hemberger

How to Cocktail: Recipes and Techniques for Building the Best Drinks by America's Test Kitchen

Let's Get Blitzen: 60+ Christmas Cocktails to Make Your Spirits Bright by Sother Teague

Misc Books: Industry, Bitters, Distilling

Botany at the Bar: The Art and Science of Making Bitters by Selena Ahmed, Ashley Duval, Rachel Meyer

How To Get U.S. Market-Ready: Wine and Spirits by Steve Raye

The Art of Distilling, Revised and Expanded: An Enthusiast's Guide to the Artisan Distilling of Whiskey, Vodka, Gin and other Potent Potables by Bill Owens, Alan Dikty, Andrew Faulkner

Cocktail and Culture Books

The Official Downton Abbey Cocktail Book: Appropriate Libations for All Occasions

Shaken: Drinking with James Bond and Ian Fleming, the Official Cocktail Book

Last Call: Bartenders on Their Final Drink and the Wisdom and Rituals of Closing Time by Brad Thomas Parsons

Are You Afraid of the Dark Rum?: and Other Cocktails for '90s Kids by Sam Slaughter

Drink Like a Geek: Cocktails, Brews, and Spirits for the Nerd in All of Us by Jeff Cioletti

A Sidecar Named Desire: Great Writers and the Booze That Stirred Them by Greg Clarke and Monte Beauchamp

Gin Austen: 50 Cocktails to Celebrate the Novels of Jane Austen by Colleen Mullaney

Gin Rummy: Gin Lovers Playing Cards by Emma Stokes and Jean Andre

Glass and Gavel: The U.S. Supreme Court and Alcohol by Nancy Maveety

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

Beer, Cider, and Wine Books

Drink Better Beer: Discover the Secrets of the Brewing Experts by Joshua M. Bernstein

Cider Revival: Dispatches from the Orchard by Jason Wilson

Spritz Fever!: Sixty Champagne and Sparkling Wine Cocktails by Elouise Anders

The Cider Insider: The Essential Guide to 100 Craft Ciders to Drink Now by Susanna Forbes

The Lager Queen of Minnesota: A Novel by J. Ryan Stradal

Natural Wine for the People: What It Is, Where to Find It, How to Love It by Alice Feiring

Celebrate Rosé: Cocktails & Parties for Life's Rosiest Moments by Ashley Rose Conway

Cheese Beer Wine Cider: A Field Guide to 75 Perfect Pairings by Steve Jones and Adam Lindsley

Sakepedia: A Non-Traditional Guide to Japan’s Traditional Beverage by Jeff Cioletti

The Bucket List: Beer: 1000 Adventures " Pubs " Breweries " Festivals by Justin Kennedy

The World Atlas of Wine 8th Edition by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson

YES WAY ROSÉ A Guide to the Pink Wine State of Mind by Erica Blumenthal and Nikki Huganir

Not enough books for you??? Check out:

All the Cocktail and Spirits Books Released in 2018

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

December 3, 2019
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

Julep: 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

Craft 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

Bars, 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

November 23, 2018
Historical Info About Scurvy and the Confusion Between Lemons and Limes

I recently (yesterday) finished reading the 2002 book Limeys: The Conquest of Scurvy by David I Harvie. The book isn't really about the global history of scurvy but focuses on one surgeon, the scot James Lind, who was the first person to really prove the efficacy of citrus juice as a treatment in 1747. However, his suggestions of provisioning British Royal Navy fleet with juice weren't officially implemented for another 50 years.

But I'm here to talk about lemons and limes. You know how today we have a standard definition of the fruit and the differences between them, but those definitions have changed over the years? How we use Persian limes today but Key limes were used in cocktails in the past, and how in some old cocktail books the differences between lemons and limes isn't always clear?

Turns out that's not a new problem. When citrus was first being recommended as a cure (and later as a preventative) for scurvy, doctors like Lind most often recommended the juice or oranges and lemons. Oranges never took off, and the juice of lemons was often called lime juice.

Actual lime juice from limes started becoming the more popular option after 1800, thanks in part to the relative ease of sourcing West Indian limes. British sailors were first being referred to as "lime-juicers" and it was Americans who shortened the expression to "limeys," according to the book.

Sailors often associated scurvy cures with acidity, which makes good sense and is not far from the truth. Other cures brought aboard ships included acidic food and beverages including vinegar and sauerkraut. It wasn't until 1918 that it was proven that citric acid itself is useless against scurvy (and I assume vinegar's acetic acid too), and shortly thereafter that the newly-identified Vitamin C was the anti-scorubic needed.

So here's the thing:

Orange have more Vitamin C than lemons, which have about 40% more Vitamin C than limes. (Though the acidity of these citrus fruits is in the opposite order.) If that lime juice was stored in a barrel or came into contact with copper or cooked to reduce it (which was usually the case until the invention of Rose's Lime Juice Cordial), the Vitamin C would degrade even further, becoming nearly useless against scurvy.

The initial confusion over the definition of limes, and the later decision to switch from lemons to limes, proved fairly disastrous to the British. Incidents of scurvy in the Navy crept up again and new false medial theories with other problematic solutions came back into vogue.

November 1, 2018
What is Alchermes Liqueur?

As I covered on this New Booze blog post, the folks at Bittercube bitters have launched a new line of liqueurs, and one of them is an alchermes. So you may be asking yourself, what the heck is alchermes?

Alchermes is an ancient red-colored liqueur with its color derived from kermes insects. The insects are scale insects that eat oak trees. Modern alchermes liqueurs no longer use the kermes insects but the red liqueur is still used to make zuppa inglese and other desserts.

I wrote about alchermes for a story I wrote on cochineal (which replaced kermes as the preferred red coloring) for SevenFifty Daily:

Cochineal is a product of the Americas, but a different set of insects was used to dye fabric as well as one notable drink long before Columbus. Kermes is a coloring that was made from the crushed scale insect Kermes vermilio (and a couple of related bugs), which feeds on the sap of Mediterranean oak trees. The dye was used to color silk, and that silk was infused into a liqueur called alkermes (or alchermes), along with apple juice, rose water, ambergris, gold flakes, crushed pearls, aloe, and other ingredients. This liqueur recipe dates back to at least 800 A.D. when liqueurs and medicine were one and the same.

Today, versions of alkermes liqueur are still produced, specifically to make the traditional Italian red dessert zuppa inglese. These liqueurs are no longer colored with kermes bugs: Some makers use cochineal; others use artificial coloring. It’s doubtful that any still include crushed pearls and gold flakes. And few, if any, are imported into the U.S.

So there you have it. I'm not sure if there are any other US-made alchermes liqueurs on the market. As mentioned in the New Booze post, the new Heirloom liqueurs line launches outside of the midwest in 2019.

October 22, 2018
Map of All Distilleries Where Chartreuse Was/Is Made
I'm doing some research into the history of Chartreuse and learning so much. I'll share some of the info as I continue to gather it. Let's start with this.

There have been 7 Chartreuse distilleries. The most recent one just opened, and representatives from the US importer, Frederick Wildman, just visited it.

The first distillery didn't actually make the finished Chartreuse product but it was where the monks were given the recipe and probably experimented with it. The second distillery, Le Grand Chartreuse, is the location of the big monastery.
- Vauvert in Paris
- Le Grand Chartreuse
- Distillery Fourvoirie
- Distillery Tarrogone in Spain
- Distillery Marseille
- Distillery Voiron
- Distillery Aiguenoire
On the Google map below, you can click on the legend and see the dates that each distillery operated, and some more information on a few of them. You might have to open it in a separate window to see the legend.

For more information about Chartreuse's grand history, the website is here.

If you can't see the map below, you can access the map directly here.
September 5, 2018