Category: pairing

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
Interview with a Water Sommelier

In researching water in both both distilled spirits and at serving, I came across Martin Riese, a water sommelier. He is the General Manager at Ray's & Stark, a restaurant located at the LA County Museum of Art (LACMA).

He is developing a water program for the restaurant, and has his own water brand, hilariously called Beverly Hills 9OH2O.

I asked him for an email interview and he kindly consented. The interview is below, slightly modified in some places for clarity.

How did you become a water sommelier?

I had in 2005 the idea to create a water menu in the restaurant which I worked (in Germany). We had 1500 different wines and I always thought we needed to have a selection of waters to pair with the wines. The idea was a huge success, we started with 14 different waters and we ended up with over 40. I could almost not believe how different all the waters can taste and which impact they had to the wine and food experience.

The media attention which I received gave me the name of water sommelier. So, I do not have really a certification as a water sommelier but I learned learned everything during the job and during a lot of tastings and matching.

Where else are there water sommeliers in the USA?

I've known that for several years a hotel in New York had a water sommelier, but I don't know of a list or other water sommeliers who are working in the restaurant industry right now.

What will the water program be like at Ray’s & Starck?

The hardest thing right now for me is not to create the water menu, it is to get the waters into the United States. We are not talking about the regular waters which you can get in every grocery store like Voss or Fiji. I want to show my guests the variety of waters like Iskilde from Denmark, which has a very unique earth taste, or Vichy Catalan which is very salty and high in minerals.

The program at Ray's will feature around 20 different mineral waters. It will be not a regular list; it will be more like a small book with a lot of information. Every water will get one whole page with a picture of the bottle, the mineral content, a small chart how the water will taste,; and a story about the water, where the spring is and why the water is so unique.

I read the book Fine Waters [read about that here and here and here]. Do you categorize water in the same way as the author Michael Mascha? What do you do or how do you think differently than he does?

I highly respect Michael Mascha. He was one of the first ones here in America who realized how important is to drink the right water. And exactly that is the challenge here in America. For 99 percent of Americans, is water just water. In Europe people have a different background on the topic water. Just in Germany we have over 580 different water brands. People are very aware of the difference in water.

In America most of the time guests order tap water, with ice and lemon. Here in Los Angeles, tap water is filtered so the mineral content is very low, and chlorine is added for sanitary reasons. Imagine now you enjoying a great red wine with a good amount of tannins. The chlorine of the tap water will overpower the fruit nuances, the extremely chilled-down water will completely ruin your experience, and the acidity of the lemon is not pairing with the tannins of the red wine.

I like to help my guests and it is amazing for me to see how wines and spirits can change by just the right water which you are drinking beside it.

I’m concerned more with water and spirits more than water and food pairings. Have you explored that very much?

My main focus was always pairing water with food and wines. When I started at Ray's & Stark Bar I met Paul Sanguinetti my mixologist (and the restaurant's sommelier). It was amazing that we both shared the same ideas and it was amazing for me to explore the different waters with different spirits.

Some distillers say that you should serve/dilute whisky only with low or medium TDS (totally dissolved solids, the mineral content) levels. In Fine Waters, he also recommends staying away from high TDS waters with mixed drinks. Why is that?

I agree for whisky. High TDS waters have a very strong own taste, they can be almost salty. You want to enjoy the original taste of the whisky and you do not want to alienate the taste with the high minerals.

But in mixed drinks it can be very interesting and I think there is a lot to explore for the bartenders and mixologists here in LA. The taste of water can be used to bring the cocktail to the next level. For example, the same cocktail made with a low mineral water will be more likely smooth, with a high mineral water you will add some spice to it.

I am always giving the example of the movie Ratatouille, where the rat is explaining the different taste with colors. One mineral has the color red, the other green, add the different taste of the spirits, like blue and yellow, together it can become a firework. But be careful, by adding to many colors (different tastes), the colors are not bright any more .

Do you have an opinion on ideal brands (or styles) of water for drinks such as the Scotch and Soda? Vodka Soda?

Lots of people think that mineral water is automatically soda water. That is not true, mineral water can be still or with carbonation. Soda water is a water which has a high content of CO2, and that is exactly the most important thing for mixing it with drinks.

When you would use a mineral water which has a medium content of CO2, the mixed drink would not have enough carbonation. I think every single bartender should choose his favorite brand. Just do the test, buy several soda waters , taste them by themselves and then make the same cocktail with different soda waters. For sure every single bartender will find the right soda water for there concept.

I prefer a water with a medium mineral content, to give the drinks some support, but every bar should do a tasting and they will come up with the 'right" water.

I’ve been playing around with individual components of mineral waters. I’m wondering if you have tasting notes for individual mineral salts in water: sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, etc. Or have feelings about waters that contain a lot of any one of them.

The mix of different minerals in each water is interesting. That's the reason water has such a big variety from salty to smooth, from bitter to sweet. Just minerals by themselves have following tastes:

Sodium = salty
Calcium = bitter, sour – actually calcium has his own taste which scientist discovered several years ago
Magnesium = slightly bitter
Potassium = salty – sour

Photo by Sven Doornkaat. Property of Martin Riese

Beverly Hills 90H2O

I asked Riese for information about his water brand. The below is from the press release with additional info from Riese.

PH 7.5
TDS 390

Actually that is the amazing thing, when you drink the water it feels like a very low mineral water, but it has a good amount of minerals to be the perfect match with good wines, spirits and food

Beverly Hills 9OH2O, World’s First Sommelier-Crafted Water, Launched Globally

Inspired by the crafting of champagne and fine spirits, a team of fine dining experts led by the world's preeminent water sommelier Martin Riese has created Beverly Hills 9OH2O, the world’s first sommelier-crafted water.

Pristine spring water from the Northern California Mountains is crafted with natural minerals using a proprietary patent-pending formula. It is designed to have the ultimate taste profile, and is best enjoyed gently chilled to 59°F. The resulting masterpiece is alkaline, highly balanced, and the perfect pairing to fine foods and wines.

Beverly Hills 9OH2O is made available in limited editions of 10,000 individually numbered glass bottles. Each edition features unique custom art, making every bottle also a highly desirable gift and prized collectable.

The water is available for purchase online for the rate of $164 for a 12-bottle case of liters.

—

The Water Project on Alcademics is research into water in spirits and in cocktails, from the streams that feed distilleries to the soda water that dilutes your highball. For all posts in the project, visit the project index page.

Related articles

How to Properly Serve Bottled Water

How to Classify Bottled Waters

Pairing Mineral Water With Food

Building Better Mineral Water: Deconstructing Mineral Waters

June 18, 2013
Pairing Mineral Water With Food

This blog post contains more information from Michael Mascha's book Fine Waters and website FineWaters.com. Previously I looked at How to Classify Bottled Waters and How to Properly Serve Bottle Water. Today we'll look at pairing water with food. You can read the full description of it on the FineWaters website.

Basically, Mascha says you match the food or you contrast it, much like any other pairing. However, you're largely not pairing with flavor, you're pairing with texture.

Mascha says 75 percent of the pairing importance should be about the mouthfeel of the water, as measured by the carbonation. Big loud boldly carbonated waters can overwhelm subtle dishes, but would go well with crispy food, for example. He pairs the level of carbonation with the overall mouthfeel of the entire dish.

The next 20 percent pairing is matching the dominant food in the dish (rather than the overall dish) with the water's mineral content. Highly mineralic water has weight to it, and can be paired with big flavors like grilled beef, lamb, and hard cheeses.

The final 5 percent of pairing is fine-tuning the experience with the water's pH level. Waters that are slightly alkaline (basic) can be perceived as sweet, and highly alkaline water can taste slightly bitter. Acidic waters go with fatty food or seafood.

Those rules are for matching the water with the food. However, if you're serving wine at the meal, Mascha says you need to match the water to the wine instead. He says match white wine with still water that has a low mineral content and neutral pH, while red wine can be paired with still water with medium to high mineral content, but still a neutral pH.

In the book, Mascha has a chart of pairings. With grilled beef, use a water with "classic" (normal) carbonation, high minerality, and an alkaline (basic) pH. These are all the 'big' flavors of water. With lobster, he recommends still water with super low amount of dissolved solids, and a neutral pH. These are all the most subtle lack-of-flavors in water.

Finally, you can treat water like you might think of wine and cocktails throughout courses. For appetizers, he recommends starting with a boldly carbonated water, much like champagne. As you move to salad, move to water with the lowest carbonation level. He then recommends switching to still water for a contrast with a light first course, a lightly carbonated water with a second course, then pairing the main course by texture as outlined above. With dessert he recommends still water or very lightly carbonated, but you can work with the pH in that alkaline waters can be perceived as sweet or slightly bitter, making them the dessert or the digestif.

—

The Water Project on Alcademics is research into water in spirits and in cocktails, from the streams that feed distilleries to the soda water that dilutes your highball. For all posts in the project, visit the project index page.

Related articles

How to Classify Bottled Waters

How to Properly Serve Bottled Water

Tasting the Regional Waters of Scotland

Measuring the pH of Mineral Waters

June 7, 2013
Drinks to Match the Dress

San Francisco bartender pairs cocktail with cocktail dress

Camper English, Special to The Chronicle

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Many cocktail contests now require bartenders to pair drinks with meals or invent them on the spot with a secret ingredient, but a recent competition challenged mixologists around the world with a new pairing: cocktails with cocktail dresses.

Jacqueline Patterson, a bartender at Heaven's Dog in San Francisco, was the winning bartender from the United States. Accessorize 2009 was sponsored by Cherry Heering, a liqueur that the brand owners call an "accessory" in cocktails such as the Singapore Sling.

Read the rest of my latest story in the San Francisco Chronicle here.

July 14, 2009