Best of
Beverages

2014

Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail


Dave Arnold - 2014
    There, Arnold and his collaborators investigate temperature, carbonation, sugar concentration, and acidity in search of ways to enhance classic cocktails and invent new ones that revolutionize your expectations about what a drink can look and taste like.Years of rigorous experimentation and study—botched attempts and inspired solutions—have yielded the recipes and techniques found in these pages. Featuring more than 120 recipes and nearly 450 color photographs, Liquid Intelligence begins with the simple—how ice forms and how to make crystal-clear cubes in your own freezer—and then progresses into advanced techniques like clarifying cloudy lime juice with enzymes, nitro-muddling fresh basil to prevent browning, and infusing vodka with coffee, orange, or peppercorns.Practical tips for preparing drinks by the pitcher, making homemade sodas, and building a specialized bar in your own home are exactly what drink enthusiasts need to know. For devotees seeking the cutting edge, chapters on liquid nitrogen, chitosan/gellan washing, and the applications of a centrifuge expand the boundaries of traditional cocktail craft.Arnold’s book is the beginning of a new method of making drinks, a problem-solving approach grounded in attentive observation and creative techniques. Readers will learn how to extract the sweet flavor of peppers without the spice, why bottling certain drinks beforehand beats shaking them at the bar, and why quinine powder and succinic acid lead to the perfect gin and tonic.Liquid Intelligence is about satisfying your curiosity and refining your technique, from red-hot pokers to the elegance of an old-fashioned. Whether you’re in search of astounding drinks or a one-of-a-kind journey into the next generation of cocktail making, Liquid Intelligence is the ultimate standard—one that no bartender or drink enthusiast should be without.

Sherry: A Modern Guide to the Wine World's Best-Kept Secret, with Cocktails and Recipes


Talia Baiocchi - 2014
    For centuries, sherry was considered one of the world’s great wines, spoken about in the same reverential terms as the finest Bordeaux and Burgundies. But in the last few decades, sherry lost its way—and cheap, cloyingly sweet blends sullied the reputation of what remains one of Spain’s oldest and greatest winemaking traditions.   Thankfully, sherry is in the midst of a renaissance. Beloved of sommeliers and bartenders in the craft cocktail community, today sherry is being re-discovered and re-appreciated as an incredible table wine and essential component of many classic cocktails.  Sherry is essential reading for wine or spirits professionals looking to incorporate this complex wine into their menu, and for adventurous drink enthusiasts who are on the hunt for something unexpected. With a comprehensive yet accessible overview of the different styles of sherry, how they are made, and the people and places that produce it, Sherry demystifies what can be a confusing (and seemingly contradictory) wine. A thorough buyer’s guide lists top producers and profiles the very best bodegas and wines. And a whole chapter on sherry-based cocktails illuminates a completely different side of sherry, featuring classic recipes like the Tuxedo and Sherry Cobbler, as well as modern creations from the country’s top bartenders (Jim Meehan’s East India Negroni, Derek Brown’s Kojo Cocktail). More than a dozen recipes for tapas and other delicious foods—best eaten alongside a glass of sherry, of course—round out this wonderfully eclectic, engaging, and inspiring collection.

Homegrown Tea: An Illustrated Guide to Planting, Harvesting, and Blending Teas and Tisanes


Cassie Liversidge - 2014
    It shows you how to grow your tea from seeds, cuttings, or small plants, as well as which parts of the plant are used to make tea. Liversidge lays out when and how to harvest your plants, as well as information on how to prepare the plant, including how to dry tea leaves to make tea you can store to last you throughout the year. As a guide to using tea to make you feel better, there are nutritional and medicinal benefits. Finally, there is an illustrated guide to show how to make up fresh and dried teabags and how to serve a delicious homegrown tea. It is sustainable way to look at a beverage, which is steeped in history and tradition.Sample drinks include well-known plants such as rose hips, mint, sage, hibiscus, and lavender, as well as more obscure ones like chicory, angelica, apple geranium, and lemon verbena.

Shrubs: An Old Fashioned Drink for Modern Times


Michael Dietsch - 2014
    Not the kind that grow in the ground, but a vintage drink mixer that will knock your socks off. “Mixologists across the country are reaching back through the centuries to reclaim vinegar’s more palatable past . . . embracing it as ‘the other acid,’ an alternative to the same-old-same-old lemons and limes,” said the New York Times. The history of shrubs, as revealed here, is as fascinating as the drinks are refreshing. These sharp and tangy infusions are simple to make and use, as you’ll discover with these recipes. Mix up some Red Currant Shrub for a Vermouth Cassis, or Apple Cinnamon Shrub to mix with seltzer, or develop your own with Michael Dietsch’s directions and step-by-step photographs.“Imagine a fizzy, soda-like drink that is drier and so much more sophisticated than soda, what with the sugar and botanical ingredients. Shrubs! Amazing! Wonderful!!” —Amy Stewart, author of The Drunken Botanist

The Shochu Handbook - An Introduction to Japan's Indigenous Distilled Drink


Christopher Pellegrini - 2014
    Despite outselling most other alcoholic beverages in Japan, however, these premium distilled treats have largely remained hidden from the rest of the world. But that is beginning to change. Written by licensed sommelier and longtime Japan resident, Christopher Pellegrini, The Shochu Handbook is the first major reference published on the subject in a language other than Japanese. Illustrated with dozens of beautiful color photographs, the book covers everything from how distilled beverages arrived in Japan to a step-by-step overview of the distilling process. There are also detailed chapters devoted to deciphering bottle labels, food pairing, serving styles, and speaking the language of these divine drinks. Packed with information, The Shochu Handbook also includes an extensive list of recommended bottles, a chapter devoted to cocktail and homemade liqueur recipes, and Japanese-English language assistance for everything from ordering shochu in a bar to telling the difference between single-distilled and multiple-distilled drinks. This book is essential for Japanese food enthusiasts, restauranteurs, distributors, journalists, retailers, beverage professionals, and everyone in between.

Booze for BabesTM: The Smart Woman's Guide to Drinking Spirits Right


Kayleigh Kulp - 2014
    Though the title is tongue-in-cheek, it's actually a serious spirits reference. Working to blow the lid off of the women-don’t-know-jack-about-liquor stereotype by celebrating lady bartenders, distillers and spirits experts, author Kayleigh Kulp empowers all tipplers to buy, drink and serve better liquor in a fun but non-pandering way. Readers learn: • Why every lady should know her liquor • A short history of ladies’ on-again, off-again relationship with the hard stuff • How to choose a quality gin, whiskey, rum, tequila, brandy, vodka or liqueur, and look cool doing it • How to tell a marketing ploy on a label from the real deal • How to train your palate and hone your taste • How to mix business and booze • How to build a well-equipped home bar • How to entertain with spirits in a way that honors old-fashioned traditions and impresses guests • Dozens of recipes for cocktails, bitters, vermouth, liqueurs, and more The foreword was written by Lynnette Marrero, co-founder of Speed Rack and NYC president of Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails.