Alcademics

Category: non-alcoholic

  • 2026 New Drink Books

    Here are new cocktails and spirits (and a few other) books out or coming out in 2026.

    12 book covers

  • November and December 2025 Drink Books

    Below are new cocktails and spirits books coming out in the last months of 2025. To see all the drink books that have come out in 2025, click on over to this post.

    • The Invention of Rum: Creating the Quintessential Atlantic Commodity
    • Cocktails Illustrated: 400+ Recipes for the Home Bartender, from Spirit Forward to Zero Proof
    • Savour: A guide to tasting and exploring whiskies of the world
    • Cosmic Cocktails: Master the Mixology of the Zodiac
    • Cocktails for the Apocalypse: Celebratory Libations for the End of the World
    • In Session: Low-Proof Cocktails for High-Quality Occasions
    • Mocktail Hour: 70 Sips for Anytime Delights and Hangover-Free Nights
    • The Mocktail Hour: Deliciously different zero-proof drinks for the sober-curious
    • Diablo: Drinks, Potions & Elixirs: Cocktails and Provisions from Sanctuary
    • Celebration Cocktails: Outstanding Batch Cocktails and Individual Drinks for Holidays, Parties, Birthdays, Weddings, and Other Festive Occasions
    • Sex and the City Cocktails: Fall in Love with 60 Fabulous (and Official) Cocktail Recipes Inspired by the Show
    • Romantasy Cocktails: 60 Spicy and Sweet Cocktails to Fall For
    • Everyday Elixirs: Mocktails, Matchas, and Seasonal Drinks to Inspire Wellness

  • New Drink Book Releases in 2025

    I keep a close eye on new books on drinks (mostly cocktails and spirits rather than beer/wine), and I read most of them that come out every year. 

    On this post I’ll keep track of them. I probably won’t include every cultural franchise tie-in cocktail book (Harry Potter, Star Wars, etc) but some. If you want to see books from 2024, check out:Thirty Four New Drink Books for Fall 2024 and The Best Drinks Books of 2024

    November and December 2025 Books

    • The Invention of Rum: Creating the Quintessential Atlantic Commodity
    • Cocktails Illustrated: 400+ Recipes for the Home Bartender, from Spirit Forward to Zero Proof
    • Savour: A guide to tasting and exploring whiskies of the world
    • Cosmic Cocktails: Master the Mixology of the Zodiac
    • Cocktails for the Apocalypse: Celebratory Libations for the End of the World
    • In Session: Low-Proof Cocktails for High-Quality Occasions
    • Mocktail Hour: 70 Sips for Anytime Delights and Hangover-Free Nights
    • The Mocktail Hour: Deliciously different zero-proof drinks for the sober-curious
    • Diablo: Drinks, Potions & Elixirs: Cocktails and Provisions from Sanctuary
    • Celebration Cocktails: Outstanding Batch Cocktails and Individual Drinks for Holidays, Parties, Birthdays, Weddings, and Other Festive Occasions
    • Sex and the City Cocktails: Fall in Love with 60 Fabulous (and Official) Cocktail Recipes Inspired by the Show
    • Romantasy Cocktails: 60 Spicy and Sweet Cocktails to Fall For
    • Everyday Elixirs: Mocktails, Matchas, and Seasonal Drinks to Inspire Wellness

    Here’s another one I missed:

    October 2025 Drink Books:

    • The Botanical Bar: 50 Intoxicating Ingredients and Bespoke Cocktails
    • Behind the Bar: Tequila: 50 Tequila Cocktails from Bars Around the World
    • House of Whisky and Bourbon: Over 40 Cocktails to Shake, Muddle and Stir at Home
    • Make Myna Double: Cocktails for Bird Lovers
    • The History of Whiskey: in 100 Bottles, Barrels, and More
    • Three Cheers: Cocktails Three Ways: Classics, Riffs, and Zero-Proof Sips
    • Home Bartending Mastery: Iconic Cocktails to Build Skills and Drink Better
    • Uneasy Elixirs: 50 Curious Cocktails Inspired by the Works of Edward Gorey
    • The Madrusan Cocktail Companion: 2800+ cocktails with contributions from 100 of the world’s best bartenders

    September 2025 Drink Books:

    • Savory and Sweet Shrubs: Tart Mixers for Delicious Cocktails and Mocktails
    • American Whiskey Master Class: The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Bourbon, Rye, and Other American Whiskeys
    • The Whiskey Bible: A Complete Guide to the World’s Greatest Spirit
    • Get Lit: Cocktails That Bring Your Favorite Books to Life
    • Soju Party: How to Drink (and Eat!) Like a Korean
    • Classic Cocktail Revival
    • Tequila, Mezcal & More: Discover, Sip & Mix the Best Agave Spirits
    • The Mixology Way: Classic cocktail recipes to master the art of mixology
    • The Japanese Way of Whisky: Japan’s Whiskies and how to Enjoy them
    • Both Sides of the Glass: Paired Cocktails and Mocktails to Toast Any Taste
    • The Comic Book History of the Cocktail: Five Centuries of Mixing Drinks and Carrying On
    • The Whisky World Tour: A curated guide to unforgettable distilleries and their whiskies
    • Booze & Vinyl Country: 100+ Spirited Music-and-Drink Pairings

    New Finds:

    • Kentucky Bourbon: The Essential Guide to the American Spirit
    • THE RUM NEVER SETS: 300 YEARS OF ROYAL NAVY & LONDON DOCK RUM
    • Bar Design-Principles, Practices, Dimensions
    • Mezcal in Oaxaca: A Craft Spirit for the Global Marketplace
    • Mother of Bourbon: The Greatest American Whiskey Story Never Told

    June, July, and August New Drink Book Releases 2025

    New books june july august 2025

    Additional April and May Books

    April through May 2025 Drink Book Releases

    Aprilmay2025drinkbooks

    • The Official Barbie Cocktail Book: 50 Dreamy Recipes for Inspired Entertaining
    • Mood Drinks: Alcohol-Free Cocktails to Create the Perfect Mood
    • Hard Seltzer, Iced Tea, Kombucha, and Cider: How to Make Your Own Boozy Fermented Drinks
    • Tequila Wars: José Cuervo and the Bloody Struggle for the Spirit of Mexico
    • The Curious Bartender’s Agave Safari: Discovering and appreciating Mexico’s tequilas, mezcals & more
    • Casablanca Cocktails: We’ll Always Have Aperitifs
    • The Unauthorized Court of Cocktails: Recipes for your Romantasies
    • The Brandy Milk Punch
    • The Unofficial A Court of Thorns and Roses Cocktail Book

    January Through March 2025 Drink Book Releases 

    2025 Cocktail Books Jan - March

    • Spirited Women: Makers, Shakers, and Trailblazers in the World of Cocktails
    • Lessons in Mixology: A graphic guide to making the perfect cocktail
    • MockTales: 50+ Literary Mocktails Inspired by Classic Works, Banned Books, and More
    • How to Be a Better Drinker: Cocktail Recipes and Boozy Etiquette
    • Tokyo Bar: 65 recipes for Japanese-style cocktails and izakaya snacks
    • Tiny Cocktails: The Art of Miniature Mixology: A Cocktail Recipe Book
    • Pour Together: A Cocktail Recipe Book: 2-Ingredient Cocktails to Meet Every Mood
    • Margarita Time: 60+ Tequila & Mezcal Cocktails, Served Up, Over & Blended
    • Sleepless in Sangria: 60 Rom-Com Cocktails for Movie Night
    • Drink Your Garden: Recipes, Stories and Tips from the Simple Goodness Cocktail Farm
    • The Art of Cocktails: By the Legendary Bartender at the Ritz
    • The Forgotten Sense: The New Science of Smell―and the Extraordinary Power of the Nose
    • Sours: A History of the World’s Most Storied Cocktail Style
    • This is a Cocktail Book
    • Citrus: A World History
    • Guide to Tropical Potions & Exotic Elixirs

    Note: As indicated on my About page, all purchase links on Alcademics may take you to a page where I earn a small commission. 

  • The Moist Future for MSNBC

    I was invited to write a story for MSNBC.com about the coming new normal of casual sobriety, aka the end of Dry January. 

    I made a bunch of points about generational drinking habits, parallels to vegetarianism, and flaws and challenges of serving nonalcoholic spirits in bars.

    Read the story here.   

     

    Screenshot 2024-01-31 at 4.36.47 PM

  • Nonalcoholic Alcoholic Things Are Just Things

    First there was nonalcoholic alcoholic seltzer.

    To help drinkers in their sober curious exploration, White Claw is introducing a new way of drinking. Introducing White Claw 0% Alcohol – a new, non-alcoholic premium seltzer boasting the complex taste and feel of a real drink. Made from ultra-refined seltzer and blended with iconic flavors and hydrating electrolytes, White Claw 0% Alcohol is a new way to drink.

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    And now have nonalcoholic alcoholic sparkling iced tea! 

    Today, Loverboy announced their first-ever non-alcoholic take on the brand’s top-rated sparkling hard teas: Non-Alcoholic White Tea Peach and Non-Alcoholic Lemon Iced Tea.
    Perfect for dry January, mocktail, and healthier resolutions stories, Loverboy is bringing the taste without the buzz to redefine how you imbibe – boasting full flavor, zero sugar, and only 10 calories per can.

    Loverboy_NANow, my math is a little rusty, but I think it goes something like: 

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  • The Technology Behind Nonalcoholic Vermouth

    I spoke with Martini and Rossi’s Master Blender, Giuseppe “Beppe” Musso, and Senior Master Herbalist Ivano Tonutti to learn how they made their new nonalcoholic vermouths. 

    It was fascinating!

    The story is now live at AlcoholProfessor.com. 

     

    Screenshot 2023-01-06 at 6.49.56 PM

  • The Big Nonalcoholic Spirits Rating, Round Two

    In 2021 I hosted a group of bartenders to taste a big batch of nonalcoholic spirits. Read that write-up here.

    Since then, many new brands have come onto the market or been newly imported into the USA. I lined up 17 expressions and tasted them. Fifteen are pictured below, plus I tried the new nonalcoholic vermouth/aperitivos from Martini & Rossi. 

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    I am not going to take the time to write out my tasting notes, sorry, but I'll share my favorites.

    Note that the previous tasting was blind, mostly in Daiquiri format. For this tasting I tasted them neat and not blind. To be truly fair I would do a cocktail taste test with each, because sometimes the flavors in n/a spirits that are overwhelmingly perfumy on their own (a huge negative to me) aren't so intense when mixed. 

    Nonalcoholic Spirits that are Pretty Good from this Group, Kept the Bottles and Will Drink:

    • Everleaf Marine
    • Free Spirits Gin [buy]
    • Spiritless Kentucky 74 Cinnamon Whiskey
    • Free Spirits Bourbon [buy]
    • Ghia [buy]

    Nonalcoholic Spirits I Think are Good Enough to Maybe Drink Without Mixers, just neat or on the rocks (The Best of this Tasting):

    • Everleaf Forest
    • Cut Above Mezcal
    • Free Spirits Tequila [buy]
    • Dromme Calm 
    • Martini & Rossi Vibrante
    • Martini & Rossi Floreale

    The rest I didn't think were worthy. But this list has a lot more winners than the last tasting! 

    Notes:

    • The Free Spirits Gin is the only n/a gin I've tried that I think is drinkable at all, but even this one does not taste like gin. None of them do. I recently found out the reason for this and will share on another post! 
    • The Martini aperitifs have a base of dealcoholized wine, and this makes for a big difference. I have a story going up on AlcoholProfessor in a few weeks in which I review the details on those products. It's cool stuff.
    • Dromme Calm is… not calming but it tastes good. It has tons of capsaicin in it I think, so it's super spicy. 
    • Several of the ones with fruit or vegetable juices in them tasted spoiled or cooked. 
    • As mentioned above, the ones that were perfumy – often soapy- were ones I also rated low. Perhaps they'd perform better in specific drinks.  

     

  • Fall and Winter 2022 Drink Book Preview

    So many drink books are coming out before the end of 2022 I decided to make a list of them. 

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    Links are to Amazon and they earn me an affiliate fee. 

    The Little Book of Aperitifs: 50 Classic Cocktails and Delightful Drinks

    Cheer: A Liquid Gold Holiday Drinking Guide

    The Cocktail Edit: Everything You Need to Know About How to Make All the Drinks that Matter

    The Bartender's Manifesto: How to Think, Drink, and Create Cocktails Like a Pro

    Cocktails, A Still Life: 60 Spirited Paintings & Recipes

    The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition

    Free Spirit Cocktails: 40 Nonalcoholic Drink Recipes

    New Mocktails Bible: All Occasion Guide to an Alcohol-Free, Zero-Proof, No-Regrets, Sober-Curious Lifestyle (Fox Chapel Publishing) 250 Tasty Drink Recipes Made with Fresh Ingredients

    Cocktail Time!: The Ultimate Guide to Grown-Up Fun

    Seattle Cocktails: An Elegant Collection of Over 100 Recipes Inspired by the Emerald City

    Behind the Bar: Gin: 50 Gin Cocktails from Bars Around the World

    Cocktail Botanica: 60+ Drinks Inspired by Nature

    Brand Mysticism: Cultivate Creativity and Intoxicate Your Audience

    Dicktales or Thankyous and Sluggings

    Cheers!: Cocktails & Toasts to Celebrate Every Day of the Year

    The Five-Bottle Bar: A Simple Guide to Stylish Cocktails

    A Bartender's Guide to the World: Cocktails and Stories from 75 Places

    Imbibing for Introverts: A Guide to Social Drinking for the Anti-Social

    American Rye: A Guide to the Nation's Original Spirit

    Pour Me Another: 250 Ways to Find Your Favorite Drink

    Midcentury Cocktails: History, Lore, and Recipes from America's Atomic Age

    World Cocktail Adventures: 40 Destination-Inspired Drinks

    Twist: Your Guide to Creating Inspired Craft Cocktails

    Raising the Bar: A Bottle-by-Bottle Guide to Mixing Masterful Cocktails at Home

    Steve the Bartender's Cocktail Guide: Tools – Techniques – Recipes

    Beer A Tasting Course: A Flavor-Focused Approach to the World of Beer

    The Anchor Brewing Story: America's First Craft Brewery & San Francisco's Original Anchor Steam Beer

    Classic Cocktails Done Well: Tried-and-True Recipes for the Home Bartender

    60-Second Cocktails: Amazing Drinks to Make at Home in a Minute

    How to Drink Like a Rock Star: Recipes for the Cocktails and Libations that Inspired 100 Music Legends

    Modern Classic Cocktails: 60+ Stories and Recipes from the New Golden Age in Drinks

    Bar Menu: 100+ Drinking Food Recipes for Cocktail Hours at Home

    The Cocktail Cabinet: The art, science and pleasure of mixing the perfect drink

    A Sense of Place: A journey around Scotland's whisky

    Cure: New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ’Em from the Award-Winning Bar

    Trap Kitchen: The Art of Street Cocktails

    Just a Spritz: 57 Simple Sparkling Sips with Low to No Alcohol

    Exploring the World of Japanese Craft Sake: Rice, Water, Earth

     

  • I’ve Been Distilling Some Things

    Wine was (probably) first distilled into eau de vie in the practice of trying to make medicines and perfumes like rosewater and wormwood water. Distilling these herbs would make a preserved medicine that would last beyond the herbs' seasons. Today we'd call them hydrosols and essential oils. 

    These were water based distillations, and it was only when the technology became good enough that the wine could be separated into concentrated alcohol and water that alchemist physicians noticed distilled wine's wonderful properties. 

    In preparing for my seminar for Tales of the Cocktail, Secrets of the Earliest Distillation Books, I decided to try to replicate early water-based distillates. I purchased a still online, one like this, though there are a lot of variations. (I bought one with a temperature gauge but don't think that was necessary.) 

     

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    Note that distilling alcohol is illegal at the federal level in the US, though I am unsure if it is allowed in some states, much like marijuana. In any case I have only been distilling infused waters in it. It has been very interesting! 

    Below are notes I took. After the first few experiments, for green herbs I learned to boil the water first and only toss the herbs into the water in the still at that point. This was to try to have less wilted/boiled herb flavors. 

    Distilling Experiments
    • 35 grams wet rose petals in 250ml water in home distiller – earthy green aroma, intense, somewhat rose-y but more distilled green plants
    • star anise – so much that next distillation was still tons of oil
    • lemon blossoms
      • green, like almond shells note along with the floral that's not in the aroma of the steam but in the liquid
      • settling down in flavor as it cools?
      • took cuts – very sweet and floral high notes (how lavender shocks) first segment, then more green notes not so great, then at end more floral petals like rosewater but flat rather than high notes – you could see taking cuts and recombining
    • Juniper – old dried herbs, then rosemary spice and dusty woodiness
      • then crushed some and added to still – all of the evergreen forest floor notes came out, greenness and pine needles
    • Crushed black pepper
      • tastes just like black pepper, not a lot of new flavors, not spicy i don't think
    • dehydrated cranberries
      • not much flavor at all, and black pepper of prevoius batch in the way
    • dried mint. – tasted stewed with mintiness, stewed aspect gross
    • Dried ginger- not spicy but nice and perfume, ginger flavor but not ginger spice and bite
    • dried basil – swampy!
    • sesame seeds – a little farty, but then peanut butter
    • horseradish  – tangy, maybe it was the vinegar or cream of tartar, with some nice green notes but sublte- great
    • freeze dried wasabi – earthy but super mild, no spice
    • aniseed smelled as expected
    • licorice seed smelled as expected, great
    • Strawberries- smell amazing,  tastes ambrosial,  subtle though, great next day – like Strawberry Starburst
    • Lime juice only – weird, perfumy, I would guess artificial if I didn't know, not that powdery pasteurized taste, but I would guess watered down preserved lime juice. And obviously if distilled lime juice were the answer someone would have done it.
    • Lime shells after squeezing, cut in half (so quarters now) – sweeter, more body, still perfumy, rounder flavor profile. nice finish. I think it's just oils combined with the flesh. at end of run started tasting cooked
    • Lime peels only – lime lime essential oil but a touch more cooked
    • parsely – soapy and green and intense and disgusting!
    • mint – stems – spearmint but quickly turned stewed
    • Rainier Cherries – good but not as flavorful as strawberries; not useful, the flavor didn't last in the fridge either, neutral
    • Canned fruit cocktail – tastes just like fruit cocktail! 
    • fennel seeds- wonderful and delicious like the seeds

    Later, I carbonated the strawberry water in a Soda Stream (it has no particulates or sugar so it didn't fizz over) and it was fantastic! I also carbonated canned fruit cocktail hydrosol; it was also good. 

     

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  • The 2021 Best Drink Books Round-Up

    Makephotogallery.net_1637959840342For 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

    • 6a00e553b3da2088340282e1130225200b.jpgSomething 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]

     

    6a00e553b3da208834026bdeec4e06200c.jpgTopic-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]

     

    6a00e553b3da2088340282e13042ad200b.jpgGeneral 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