Best of
Alcohol

2018

The Alcohol Experiment: A 30-Day, Alcohol-Free Challenge to Interrupt Your Habits and Help You Take Control


Annie Grace - 2018
     Changing your habits can be hard without the right tools. This is especially true for alcohol because habits are, by definition, subconscious thought processes. Through her methodical research of the latest neuroscience and her own journey, Annie Grace has cracked the code on habit change by addressing the specific ways habits form. This unique and unprecedented method has now helped thousands redefine their relationship to drinking painlessly and without misery.In The Alcohol Experiment, Annie offers a judgment-free action plan for anyone who's ever wondered what life without alcohol is like. The rules are simple: Abstain from drinking for 30 days and just see how you feel. Annie arms her readers with the science-backed information to address the cultural and emotional conditioning we experience around alcohol. The result is a mindful approach that puts you back in control and permanently stops cravings.With a chapter and journal prompt devoted to each day of the experiment, Annie presents wisdom, tested strategies, and thought-provoking information to supplement the plan and support your step-by-step success as you learn what feels good for you. It's your body, your mind, and your choice.

Barrel-Aged Stout and Selling Out: Goose Island, Anheuser-Busch, and How Craft Beer Became Big Business


Josh Noel - 2018
    In the golden age of light, bland and cheap beers, John Hall and his son Greg brought European flavors to America. With distribution in two dozen states, two brewpubs and status as one of the 20 biggest breweries in the United States, Goose Island became an American success story and was a champion of craft beer. Then, on March 28, 2011, the Halls sold the brewery to Anheuser-Busch InBev, maker of Budweiser, the least craft-like beer imaginable. The sale forced the industry to reckon with craft beer’s mainstream appeal and a popularity few envisioned. Josh Noel broke the news of the sale in the Chicago Tribune, and he covered the resulting backlash from Chicagoans and beer fanatics across the country as the discussion escalated into an intellectual craft beer war. Anheuser-Busch has since bought nine other craft breweries, and from among the outcry rises a question that Noel addresses through personal anecdotes from industry leaders: how should a brewery grow?

I'm Just Here for the Drinks: A Guide to Spirits, Drinking and More Than 100 Extraordinary Cocktails


Sother Teague - 2018
    After all, no retelling of a great caper or revolutionary event ever started with the phrase, “So a bunch of guys are all eating salad…”.This hardcover collection of timeless tips, insight from industry pros and 100+ recipes is more than just a cocktail book: It’s a manifesto for living a more spirited life.

Jinx


Flora Burgos - 2018
    Roxanne rolls onto Galveston Island with nothing to her name save her car and her rescued (read: stolen) pitbull, Zeus. Low and behold, the very first person she meets is perhaps the last person she should. A man desperate to keep his home...As the president of the Mischief Makers MC, Jinx is battling the Beachside Bangers and their cartel ties to keep his idyllic island safe. The last thing he needs is a woman who won't listen and her huge monster of a dog taking his time and attention. The battle of a lifetime... As these two find their way to each other, tragedy looms on the horizon, and the brothers of this MC and their allies are going to battle. Unfortunately, the good guys don't always win... Jinx is book one of the Mischief Makers MC by Flora Burgos and is a stand-alone romance.

Booze Vinyl: A Spirited Guide to Great Music and Mixed Drinks


André Darlington - 2018
    From modern craft cocktails to old standbys, prepare to shake, stir, and just plain pour your way through some of the best wax ever pressed. Wickedly designed and featuring photography throughout, Booze & Vinyl is organized by mood, from Rock to Chill, Dance, and Seduce. Each entry has liner notes that underscore the album's musical highlights and accompanying "Side A" and "Side B" cocktail recipes that complement the music's mood, imagery in the lyrics, or connect the drink to the artist. This is your guide to a rich listening session for one, two, or more. Among the 70 featured albums are: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club, Purple Rain, Sticky Fingers, Born To Run, License to Ill, Appetite for Destruction, Thriller, Like a Virgin, Low End Theory, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust, Hotel California, Buena Vista Social Club, Back to Black, Pet Sounds, Vampire Weekend, and many more

The Joy of Mixology, Revised and Updated Edition: The Consummate Guide to the Bartender's Craft


Gary Regan - 2018
    Gary Regan, the "most-read cocktail expert around" (Imbibe), has revised his original tome for the 15th anniversary with new material: many more cocktail recipes--including smart revisions to the originals--and fascinating information on the drink making revival that has popped up in the past decade, confirming once again that this is the only cocktail reference you need.A prolific writer on all things cocktails, Gary Regan and his books have been a huge influence on mixologists and bartenders in America. This brand-new edition fills in the gaps since the book first published, incorporating Regan's special insight on the cocktail revolution from 2000 to the present and a complete overhaul of the recipe section. With Regan's renowned system for categorizing drinks helps bartenders not only to remember drink recipes but also to invent their own, The Joy of Mixology, Revised and Updated Edition is the original drinks book for both professionals and amateurs alike.

Finding Mezcal: A Journey into the Liquid Soul of Mexico, with 40 Cocktails


Ron Cooper - 2018
    This traditional spirit was virtually unknown in the United States at the time, and Cooper founded Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal in order to import it. Finding Mezcal recounts Cooper's love affair with the spirit and the people who make it; its meteoric rise in popularity; and the delicate balance between sharing mezcal with the world and facilitating its preservation. Each chapter introduces a new mezcal, its producer, and its place of origin, while also covering mezcal production methods and the botany of the maguey (aka agave) plant, from which mezcal is distilled. Featuring 40 recipes developed for Del Maguey by chefs and bartenders from around the world, the book is copiously illustrated with photographs, as well as Cooper's artwork and that of his friend Ken Price, who illustrated Del Maguey's now-iconic labels.

The Bourbon Bible


Eric Zandona - 2018
     Eric Zandona - spirits specialist at the American Distilling Institute - explores 140 of the finest bourbons in the world, from the big-name classics to tiny craft distilleries, with flavour profiles and recommendations for the best way to drink each one. Also featuring recipes for 20 classic bourbon cocktails, as well as chapters on the history of bourbon, how the drink is made and the key things you need to understand when buying a bottle, The Bourbon Bible is the ultimate guide to the ultimate drink.

Stuff Every Wine Snob Should Know (Stuff You Should Know Book 23)


Melissa Monosoff - 2018
    Whether you prefer robust reds, crisp whites, or subtle rosés, you’ll find lots to drink in on the pages of this pocket-sized guide, packed with information, how-tos, and trivia for wine enthusiasts of every variety. Seasoned sommeliers and budding oenologists alike will learn all things wine, including:   • How Wine Is Made   • How to Pour a Glass of Wine   • How to Pair Wine with Food   • The Truth About Sulfites   • How to Bring the Perfect Wine for Any Occasion   • And more!

Wild Winemaking


Richard W. Bender - 2018
    These are just a taste of the 135 unique recipes in this creative guide to small-batch winemaking that goes far beyond grapes. Readers learn how to make wines using fruits like lemons, blueberries, cherries, peaches, and pears, as well as flowers like dandelions and roses, and even herbs like rosemary and basil. A few recipes even use marijuana. And these recipes are just the start; readers will gain the skills they need to branch out, use whatever ingredients they have at hand, and create their own unique wine varieties."

You Left Early: A True Story of Love and Alcohol


Louisa Young - 2018
    Their stop-start romance lasted decades, in which time he became a celebrated composer and she, an acclaimed novelist. Always snapping at their heels was Robert’s alcoholism, a helpless, ferocious dependency that affected his personality before crippling and finally, despite five years of hard-won sobriety, killing him.There are a million love stories, and a million stories of addiction. This one is truly transcendent. It is at once a compelling portrait of a unique and charismatic man; a bittersweet reflection on an all-consuming love affair; and a completely honest and incredibly affecting guide to how the partner of an alcoholic can possibly survive when the disease rips both their lives apart.This is a hugely important book – raw and unflinching but also uplifting and elegiac, it should be essential reading for anybody who’s ever lost someone they loved.

Movers and Shakers: Women Making Waves in Spirits, Beer & Wine


Hope Ewing - 2018
    A veteran bartender, Ewing had grown impatient with the surprisingly outdated perceptions of women in the alcohol industry. Entrepreneurial and ambitious, often the first in their fields, the women she knew in the business were leaders, mentors, and trailblazers. In Movers and Shakers, Ewing seeks them out, to share their stories as well as valuable business advice and insight into a constantly evolving industry.

The Dead Rabbit Mixology Mayhem: The Story of John Morrissey and the World’s Best Cocktail Menu


Sean Muldoon - 2018
    A groundbreaking graphic novel-style cocktail book from world-renowned bar The Dead Rabbit in New York City   The Dead Rabbit Grocery & Grog in lower Manhattan has won every cocktail award there is to win, including being named "Best Bar in the World" in 2016. Since their award-winning cocktail book The Dead Rabbit Drinks Manual was published in 2015, founders Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry, along with bar manager Jillian Vose, have completely revamped the bar's menus in a bold, graphic novel style, now featured in their newest collection The Dead Rabbit Mixology & Mayhem. Based on "Gangs of New York"-era tales retold with modern personalities from the bar world (including the authors) portrayed as the heroes and villains of the story, the menus are highly sought-after works of art. This stunning new book, featuring 90 cocktail recipes, fleshes out the tall tales even further in a collectible hardcover edition—making it a must-have for the bar's passionate fans who line up every night of the week.

Gorgeous Girl


Mary K. Pershall - 2018
    The young woman in the dock, who sat quietly with her hands in her lap, had perfect skin and light-brown hair tied back as neatly as a private school prefect's. When the judge asked her to confirm her plea, the young woman answered in a clear and polite voice. 'Guilty, your Honour.' That killer is Mary K. Pershall's beloved daughter Anna. She is twenty-eight years old, tall and beautiful, with an effervescent wit and a university degree in psychology. She also hears the voices of demons. After Anna finished uni, she just could not meet the demands of adulthood, and the voices became overwhelming. She attempted to silence them with alcohol and weed, with the abuse of her prescribed medication, and with ice. But the evil howling would not stop.Award-winning author Mary K. Pershall brings a unique and insightful perspective to a story that is at once devastating and uplifting, and proves that a mother's love - even in its darkest hour - can shed light and provide hope to families in crisis.

Hard Cider Abbey


K.P. Cecala - 2018
    Brother Odo Leroi, a very young—and mute--monk from Quebec, arrives at the Philbertine Order’s Abbey of the Holy Face, only to literally stumble upon the body of the abbey librarian: Father Lucian, a scholar and hagiographer who had also served as spiritual mentor to the abbey’s younger monks. But it appears he has taken his own life, much to the shock and sorrow of Brother Emerick, a young laborer working in the monastery’s orchard and cidery, but also a wounded combat vet and local native who’d come to the abbey is search of solace and sanity after kicking an opiate addiction. Convinced the librarian has been murdered, the two youngest and lowliest monks join forces to root out the truth, looking first beyond the monastery walls; but then, inevitably, inside, forced to consider their own brothers within, a quirky collection of men with murky pasts, urges and motivations both spiritual and distinctly un-spiritual. There are already a number of potential suspects: The smooth-talking infirmarian Brother Marion; the vain, overly dramatic Brother Callixtus; the nervous OCD accountant and sacristan Father Odrian, or, perhaps, the bitter, alcoholic cider-master Brother Isidore. Or might their brand-new, mysterious abbot from Africa, Dom Frederique, be somehow involved? Hard Cider Abbey is a semi-cozy, bittersweet whodunit, part psychological mystery, part procedural, all overlaid with the greater mystery of faith and belief. It draws its gentle humor from the intrusion of modern life into medieval tradition, and the interaction of the easy-going Appalachian-born brothers with their stiffer, more conservative European peers. No profanity, with only mild violence and some discussion of adult matters; but likely to provoke the ever-mysterious question: How do monasteries still exist, in this day and age? “A thoroughly engaging and well-plotted mystery… Cecala presents a cast of eccentric side characters and memorable protagonists, particularly Brother Odo, an endearing outsider who unwittingly becomes immersed in a murder mystery. The story is infused with quirky local flavor and subtle humor, and the unique backdrop of an isolated monastery in the Appalachians of West Virginia further sets the mystery apart.” --The BookLife Prize