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Tomiko and I found The Craft Cocktail Party by Julie Reiner at our public library and have since been working on collecting a variety of liquors and liqueurs with which to make delicious cocktails. Reiner is co-owner of a couple swanky bars in New York City and one of the few people responsible for the current revival of craft cocktails. The Craft Cocktail Party is not the average cocktail book – Reimer herself was one of the Top 10 Mixologists in 2014 by Food & Wine and named Wine Enthusiast’s Wine Star Award Winner for Mixologist of the Year.
In addition to including classic cocktail recipes, the author gives her perfect ratio for making a balanced and delicious cocktail:
- 2 parts strong (spirit)
- 3/4 parts sour (citrus)
- 3/4 parts sweet (sweetener)
Using the above formula, Reiner suggests mixing your own cocktails with whatever you’ve got on hand.
Reiner also discusses the importance of mixing cocktails differently: shaking introduces air; stirring keeps a cocktail smooth and silky while chilling it without adding air; rolling is somewhere between shaking and stirring where the mixture is poured back and forth.
The author also gives a detailed description for why ice is so important. Of course ice is for chilling the drink, but the amount of ice and how long it is in contact with the liquid of the drink also introduces 1 to 1.5 ounces of water, which Reiner says brings out the subtleties of the alcohol while also helping blend the flavours together.
Reiner provides recipes for single cocktails according to the seasons, as well as proportions for batch cocktails for when you want to casually serve cocktails to a large group. She also wrote easy recipes and menus for mix-it-yourself parties where the host just supplies the alcohol, mixers, and ice and the guests mix their own cocktails. Maybe later in January Ryan and I will host our own craft cocktail party!
The Craft Cocktail Party: Delicious Drinks for Every Occasion
Great post!
Looks like a great read! Thanks for sharing.
I’m a cookbook collector, and this book review has piqued my interest…sounds wonderful! Thanks for sharing!
–G
I love craft cocktails and a book like this always comes in handy!
I would love for you to join us and share each week at Brag About It link party on VMG206 (Mondays at Midnight).
~ Megin of VMG206
How fun to create your own cocktails! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
Hello ‘Just wanted to let you know I am featuring this post at Tuesdays with a Twist today! 😉 -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
Need to buy this one 🙂 Thanks for sharing on My 2 Favorite Things on Thursday! Pinned!
[…] The Craft Cocktail Party by Julie Reiner got me more interested in classic cocktails. Although I find them much too strong […]