Shots and Shooters explains 50 different ways to down a small amount of booze... fast – from elborate, eye-catching creations through to tasty combinations that can be mixed in seconds ensuring your party gets started in the best way possible. There is also a section on classic shorts, examining the traditions and rituals associated with drinking neat spirits like absinthe, tequila and bourbon. Of course, it wouldn’t be right to have all this pleasure without a bit of pain, so also included are a few cheeky recipes that can be used as forfeits for some of the unique and inventive drinking games also supplied in the last chapter.
Gin, Vodka, Rum and Tequila – four clear spirits each with their own unique characteristics that, when combined with a squirt of lime, a splash of fresh lemon juice or a jigger of vermouth, can create a whole host of cocktails to tickle the tastebuds. White Spirits takes these bottles, plus a few other examples of clear hooch, and provides recipes that allow you to make 100 cocktails with just a few extra ingredients such as fresh fruit, sugar or a dash of bitters. By keeping things uncomplicated, the need to go out and buy ten different ingredients is avoided, slashing the cost of making quality cocktails. Readers will be surprised by how easy it is to make drinks with completely different flavour profiles by doing something as straightforward as replacing one spirit with another. Also included is an introductory chapter that takes you on a trip through the history of hard liquor and cocktails, then provides the home mixologist with a detailed description of the equipment needed to set up your home bar, plus a few hacks and tricks to help you save money along the way.
Brown Booze is a unique cocktail recipe book, which explains how to maximise the number of cocktails you can make using the bottles of brown spirits in your drinks cabinet. By substituting just one or two ingredients, you will learn how to make a whole range of different drinks. Take, for example, a simple St Lawrence cocktail, made from bourbon, maple syrup, and lemon juice. By substituting the apple brandy for bourbon you now have an Applejack Rabbit, a great cocktail with a completely different flavour to the St Lawrence. Or there’s the classic Manhattan recipe, using bourbon, vermouth and bitters, that can become a completely new drink, the Harvard, by replacing the whisky with cognac. Using this formula and a series of helpful infographics, you’ll see how a quick trip round the fruit and veg aisle of your local supermarket can transform the number of cocktails you can make, and at a really reasonable price, too. So if you’re having a party, get the guests to bring you just five bottles of alcohol and by following the advice in Brown Booze you’ll be able to make over 70 different drinks.
Every bartender must know each and every ingredient behind the bar. The third edition of Spirits distilled, by Mark Ridgwell, is a comprehensive guide to all of the major spirits categories. Taking the reader through the principles of distillation to an explanation on how to taste spirits, Ridgwell reveals the history and legends behind vodka, gin, tequila, genever, rum, brandies, liqueurs, eaux-de-vie, flavoured white spirits and the entire range of whiskies. Lovers of spirits will find this book to be an invaluable resource for understanding and appreciating the world of spirits from a qualitative rather than quantitative perspective. Professionals too will find the quizzes in Spirits distilled a particularly useful tool for understanding better the spirits they sell. This edition of Spirits distilled contains a new chapter on cocktails by drinks consultant Michael Butt, with a section at the end of each spirit chapter detailing the best cocktails featuring that spirit. An essential book that belongs on the reference shelf of everyone who works with or enjoys spirits, Spirits distilled is a classic in the making.
Bull-free recipes, from the Backyard Burger to Turbo Prawn Cocktail? Yes.
Sobriety-baiting cocktails, like the New Cross Negroni and Corpse Reviver No. 69? Check.
Guest recipes from a host of like-minded chefs and restaurants, including Bone Daddies and Gizzi Erskine? Indeed.
Tales of drunkenness, excess and abject humiliation at the hands of megaphone-touting barmaids in bikini tops? Got it.
Disquisitions on subjects as diverse as the etiquette of queuing and the benefits of beer cans over bottles, especially for dolphins? Naturally.
A running treatise on aesthetics by Man Booker Prize-winning author DBC Pierre allied to the history of MEATliquor, from Peckham car park to Britain's best meat and liquor restaurants? But of course!
A total and absolute disregard for the conventions of cookery-book writing? Do you really need to ask?
A unique collection of 500 couture cocktails from around the world, illustrated with stunning photography and accompanied by an authoritative, entertaining and informative text by respected drinks writer, Tom Sandham. It will appeal to those at the beginning of their cocktail journey and those who are looking to expand their repertoire with more advanced techniques and recipes.
It begins with a history of the cocktail from first attempts at distillation in BC China via its golden age in early 20th-century America to the global cutting-edge creations of today. Comprehensive information follows on key ingredients and essential kit, including glassware for the home bar, plus an explanation of all the techniques to master to become a successful home mixologist. An examination of key cocktail styles includes aperitifs, digestifs, mocktails, punches and disco drinks. The main section of the book focuses on individual spirits, presented in order of popularity, including gin, vodka, rum, whisky, brandy, tequila, absinthe, grape and grain, with fascinating information on their history and varied styles. Recipes range from user-friendly classics such as the Gin Sling and Moscow Mule to the innovative modern mixes of leading drinksmiths, including The Dapper Man Sour, Hot Rum & Jerry, and Fo Swizzle My Nizzle. The book also includes profiles of 30 top bartenders, including Jake Burger, Erik Lorincz and Ago Perrone and 25 bars worldwide.