Alcademics

So, so many drink books are coming out this fall. Here are the latest covering everything from Hollywood to Cuba to Manhattan to Paris; a photo book on  bourbon and a scratch and sniff guide to the same; Prohibition liquor and two books on cocktails of the silver screen.

Descriptions come from the publishers and are not reviews.

The Essential Scratch & Sniff Guide to Becoming a Whiskey Know-It-All: Know Your Booze Before You Choose  by Richard Betts

In this witty kid-style book on an adult topic, Richard Betts boils down his know-how into twenty pages, cooling our “brown-sweat” anxieties and dividing whiskey into three simple categories: Grain, Wood, and Place. While most whiskey tomes are about as fun as a chemistry lesson, Betts makes the learning slide down easy, reassuring us that this exalted spirit is just distilled beer and, through a nasal romp, helping us figure out which kinds we love best. Humorous illustrations and scratch-and-sniff scents (vanilla, sandalwood, grass, and more) help would-be connoisseurs learn their personal preferences. Language label and Map to Your Desires included.

Lost Recipes of Prohibition: Notes from a Bootlegger’s Manual by Matthew Rowley

Lost Recipes of Prohibition is an unbelievable combination of American history, culture, food science and mixology, filled with wild characters, tall tales, and do-it-yourself recipes. At its heart is a recently-discovered manuscript that dates back to the height of Prohibition, when bootleggers used a secret technique called ‘compounding’ to make their moonshine taste like whiskey, gin and wine—fake liquors which were then used to invent some of the most iconic cocktails of all time, such as the Sidecar and the Southside.

Author Matthew Rowley meticulously reproduces the pages of this manuscript—scribbled onto prescription pads and receipts by our anonymous pharmacist-turned-bootlegger—and surrounds it with the fascinating ephemera of its era, along with recipes for compounding your own spirits and mixing classic cocktails at home.

Experimental Cocktail Club: Paris, London & New York by Romée de Goriainoff, Pierre-Charles Cros, Olivier Bon, Xavier Padavoni 

85 very special cocktail recipes that take inspiration from classic American and French cocktails, served with an Experimental Cocktail Club twist.

After years of travelling to the Big Apple, childhood friends Romée de Goriainoff, Pierre-Charles Cros and Olivier Bon took the inspiration they found there to create a New-York-style bar in the heart of Paris - kicking off a cocktail revolution in the City of Lights. In 2007 they opened the doors to their first bar, Experimental Cocktail Club. Today, with fourth partner Xavier Padovani, the group has award-winning cocktail bars in Paris, London, New York and Ibiza, all with a well-earned reputation for glamour and style.

Cider Made Simple: All About Your New Favorite Drink  by Jeff Alworth

Cider has become the new "it" drink, with a wide range of styles popping up on restaurant menus and at neighborhood bars everywhere. Sweet, tart, sparkling, still—cider has many wonderful (and sometimes unexpected) qualities. But how to choose? For this gateway guide, author Jeff Alworth traveled to France, England, Spain, Canada, and the United States, asking questions and drinking every variety of cider he could find, resulting in a compact yet comprehensive overview. An ideal introduction to this complex and always refreshing beverage, Cider Made Simple will give imbibers the tools they need to choose the cider that's right for them.

To Have and Have Another Revised Edition: A Hemingway Cocktail Companion by Philip Greene

This thoroughly updated edition (the previous edition came out in 2012) features seven new chapters, and includes new photos of various Hemingway memorabilia.

Ernest Hemingway is nearly as famous for his drinking as he is for his writing. Throughout his collected works, Papa’s sensuous explorations of the delights of imbibing engaged both his characters and his readers.

In To Have and Have Another: A Hemingway Cocktail Companion, Philip Greene, cocktail historian, spirits consultant, and cofounder of the Museum of the American Cocktail, offers us a view of Papa through the lens Papa himself preferred—the bottom of a glass.

A bartender’s manual for Hemingway enthusiasts, this revised and expanded volume offers a unique take on Hemingway’s oeuvre that privileges the tastes, smells, and colors of the cocktails he enjoyed and the drinks he placed so prominently in his stories they were nearly characters themselves. To Have and Have Another delivers fascinating and lively background on the various drinks, their ingredients, their histories, and the characters—real and fictional—associated with them.

The Manhattan Cocktail: A Modern Guide to the Whiskey Classic by Albert W. A. Schmid

Alongside other classic cocktails such as the Old Fashioned, the Mint Julep, and the Martini, the Manhattan has been a staple of the sophisticated bar scene since the late nineteenth century. Never out of style, this iconic drink has seen a renaissance in the contemporary craft cocktail movement, its popularity boosted by TV's Mad Men. In theory, the recipe is simple: a mixture of whiskey, vermouth, and bitters stirred with ice, strained, and presented in a cocktail glass that is garnished with a cherry. But the exact ingredients and the proportions―as well as the drink's true origins―inspire great debate.

This essential guide covers everything that the aficionado needs to know about the classic cocktail through an examination of its history and ingredients. Author Albert W. A. Schmid dispels several persistent myths, including the tale that the Manhattan was created in 1874 by bartenders at New York City's Manhattan Club to honor the newly elected Governor Samuel Jones Tilden at Lady Randolph Churchill's request. Schmid also explores the places and people that have contributed to the popularity of the drink and inspired its lore, including J. P. Morgan, who enjoyed a Manhattan every day at the end of trading on Wall Street.

The Manhattan Cocktail also examines the effects of various bourbons and whiskeys on the aroma and flavor, even answering the age-old question of "shaken or stirred?" Featuring more than fifty recipes as well as notes and anecdotes from personalities as diverse as bartender and mixologist Dale DeGroff and writer Sir Kingsley Amis, this entertaining read will delight both the cocktail novice and the seasoned connoisseur.

Paris Cocktails: An Elegant Collection of Over 100 Recipes Inspired by the City of Light  by Doni Belau 

An elegant collection of over 100 cocktail recipes inspired by the City of Light.

Bring the romance and elegance of Paris into your home with cocktail recipes from leading French mixologists and the signature drink recipes of Parisian hot spots. More than just a cocktail book, Paris Cocktails celebrates the art of drinking like the French, with entertaining tips for throwing a perfectly Parisian cocktail party, revelations on the latest trends in French mixology, reviews of the best bars in both America and Paris where you can find the true French cocktail experience, and musings from French and non-French alike who have mastered the art of French drinking.

Gone with the Gin: Cocktails with a Hollywood Twist by Tim Federle

Here’s drinking with you, kid

We know your type. You love the smell of napalm in the morning, you see dead people, and you’re the king (or queen!) of the world. No matter your cinematic stripe, there’s a beverage (or ten) tailor-made just for you.
A perfect gift for film buffs and a terrific twist on movie nights, Gone with the Gin is the ultimate cocktail book for die-hard silver screen aficionados who prefer to be shaken, not stirred. Included within are 50 delicious drinks—paired with winking commentary on history’s most quotable films—plus an all-star lineup of drinking games, movie-themed munchies, and illustrations throughout.

So go ahead, make my drink.

 
The Birth of Bourbon: A Photographic Tour of Early Distilleries by Carol Peachee

Whiskey making has been an integral part of American history since frontier times. In Kentucky, early settlers brought stills to preserve grain, and they soon found that the limestone-filtered water and the unique climate of the scenic Bluegrass region made it an ideal place for the production of barrel-aged liquor. And so, bourbon whiskey was born.

More than two hundred commercial distilleries were operating in Kentucky before Prohibition, but only sixty-one reopened after its repeal in 1933. As the popularity of America's native spirit increases worldwide, many historic distilleries are being renovated, refurbished, and brought back into operation. Unfortunately, these spaces, with their antique tools and aging architecture, are being dismantled to make way for modern structures and machinery. In The Birth of Bourbon, award-winning photographer Carol Peachee takes readers on an unforgettable tour of lost distilleries as well as facilities undergoing renewal, such as the famous Old Taylor and James E. Pepper distilleries in Lexington, Kentucky. This beautiful book also includes spaces that well-known brands, including Maker's Mark, Woodford Reserve, Four Roses, and Buffalo Trace, have preserved as a homage to their rich histories.

Using a technique known as high-dynamic-range imaging―a process that produces rich saturation, intensely clarified details, and a full spectrum of light―Peachee reveals the vibrant life lingering in artifacts from worn cypress fermenting tubs to extravagant copper stills. This lavish celebration of bourbon's heritage will delight whiskey aficionados, history buffs, and art lovers alike.

Cocktails of the Movies: An Illustrated Guide to Cinematic Mixology by Will Francis , Stacey Marsh

The perfect gift for movie buffs and home mixologists alike, this premium hardback edition boasts original illustrations by Stacey Marsh.

With easy-to-follow recipe, method and history of each cocktail you’ll become an aficionado of fine drinks whilst discovering classics of the silver screen.

Take a journey through Hollywood's lifelong love affair with cocktails, celebrating the greatest characters and their iconic drinks through original illustrations and easy-to-follow recipes.

From Marilyn's Manhattan in Some Like It Hot to The Dude's White Russian in The Big Lebowski there's something for everyone. Each cocktail is accompanied by the recipe, method, a history of the drink and a synopsis of its scene in the movie alongside full-color original artwork.

See some of the images here.

W. C. Whitfield's Mixed Drinks and Cocktails: An Illustrated, Old-School Bartender's Guide by W. C. Whitfield (Author), Tad Shell (Illustrator), Joaquín Simó (Foreword)

“We may go to Europe for our chefs, but Europe comes to us for our bartenders.” —W. C. Whitfield

In the Gay Nineties, the American bartender was considered an institution—his fame spread across the globe and, according to Whitfield, visitors to America “bowed before his skill in concocting tempting mixtures.”

Whitfield felt this attraction and admiration of the American bartender was because Americans “will try anything once.” We enjoy experimenting and, when it comes to mixing drinks, “we stop at nothing.” This led to much creativity behind the bar.

W. C. Whitfield’s Mixed Drinks & Cocktails combines two fully-illustrated books of recipes from this time period—Just Cocktails (published in 1939) and Here’s How: Mixed Drinks (1941)—to teach readers everything they need to know about mixing drinks. In addition to information about equipment and measurements, this collection includes more than six hundred recipes, including:

The Bronx Express
Ladies Delight
Corpse Reviver
Brandy Blazer
Uncle Sam Highball
And many more!

Cuban Cocktails: 100 Classic and Modern Drinks by Ravi DeRossi, Jane Danger, Alla Lapushchik 

From the renowned Cuban rum bar Cienfuegos—owned by the co-owner of Death & Co., named Best American Cocktail Bar at Tales of the Cocktail in 2010—comes this spirited collection of 100 recipes that celebrate Cuba’s rich history and culture. It features timeless classics, such as the Cuba Libre, El Floridita Daiquirí, and Mojito; a bevy of punch recipes to share with friends and family; new takes on familiar favorites, such as the Isla Tea, Por Avion, and Rum Old Fashioned; and modern craft concoctions, including the Havana Harbor Special, Imperial Fizz, and One Hundred Fires. But Cuban Cocktails offers more than just a collection of delectable recipes. It captures the tropical elegance and unfiltered energy of old Cuba, brimming with beautiful, evocative images of the drinks and the places where they came to life. Features shed fascinating light on the country’s cocktail history, its legendary bars, and the famous cantineros who ran them, while notes, tips, and tricks make it easy to create a tantalizing taste of the once-forbidden Caribbean island. ¡Bienvenidos a Cienfuegos!

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