Screw eBay. Over the past few years, I’ve put together a modest library of drinks-related books, most of them out-of-print and many fairly old and somewhat rare. Apparently, I haven’t been alone; as I check out the usual places on eBay and other online sources for old books, I’ve seen prices rise exponentially, just in… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Books
Mixology Monday I: Pastis
I struggled a bit with the whole “pastis” idea. I enjoy the flavor of anise, and like the flavor in cocktails, but when looking for a pastis-containing drink that had an agreeable taste, and that had a decent story, I kept running into dead-ends. Then I came across the cannibals. William Seabrook was an old-school… Continue Reading
Star Cocktail
A sample cocktail from George J. Kappeler’s Modern American Drinks. I don’t know if this is a Kappeler original, and I haven’t checked to see if it’s in other cocktail manuals, but this one caught my eye as something period-appropriate, with the added benefit that I happen to have the ingredients on hand. Here’s Kappeler’s… Continue Reading
Modern American Drinks
A good drink at the proper time has a welcome in every clime. I’ve been collecting bartending manuals for a few years now, and for the most part I’ve managed to obtain either originals or reprints of some of the most influential and sought-after books on the topic. Still, there are a few major works… Continue Reading
Hit the Books
I like books. I like to read books, I like to flip through books without really reading, I like to have books around. I also like to drink–duh–and so over the past few years I’ve managed to accumulate way more books on cocktails, bartending, spirits and their role in culture and history than I ever… Continue Reading
