Find part 1 of our On the Shelf series here.
SKINNYGIRL COCKTAILS: 100 FUN & FLIRTY GUILT-FREE RECIPES
BY Bethenny Frankel
Touchstone Paperback, October 2014
$15
Skinnygirl brand creator Bethenny Frankel has amassed a collection of delicious low calorie cocktails and recipes. Frankel, a best-selling author who rose to fame on Bravo’s Real Housewives of New York series, launched Skinnygirl spirits in 2009 and sold it to Beam in 2011; the liquor brand now includes more than 20 different varieties. The recipes in the book focus on simple, fresh ingredients that rely on taste rather than sugary mixes. Many of the 100 low-cal recipes are inspired from New York’s hottest bars, including artisanal drinks, spicy and savory cocktails, and infusions as well as “up-fashioned” classics like Mudslides and Pina Coladas.
THE SPIRIT OF GIN: A STUNNING MISCELLANY OF THE NEW GIN REVIVAL
By Matt Teacher
Cider Mill Press, November 2014
$24.95
Piggybacking on gin’s recent uptick in popularity, The Spirit of Gin takes readers on a tour of today’s gin culture. From distilleries large and small to the bars and clubs where the botanical spirit is revered, Teacher alternates between personal essays, travelogues, recipes, photographs and vintage advertisements to chronicle his journey of discovery with the oft-misunderstood but currently in-vogue spirit. Gin obsessives will marvel at the comprehensive catalogue of 160 active distilleries around the world. Readers will also enjoy the 40-plus drink recipes sprinkled throughout the pages.
BROOKLYN SPIRITS
By Peter Thomas Fornatale and Chris Wertz
PowerHouse Books, October 2014
$35
After craft distilling was made legal in New York State in
2002 for the first time since Prohibition, several Brooklyn-based producers have led the charge of this new approach to artisanal distilling and distribution. Brooklyn Spirits: Craft Cocktails and Stories from the World’s Hippest Borough delves into the stories of the New York borough’s distilleries and the spirits they createand market. The book also includes highlights on the bars and restaurants serving the Brooklyn-produced spirits; specialties of the borough’s renowned mixologists; and subsections on the history of distilling in Brooklyn. It also provides more than 95 cocktail recipes, and over 30 recipes and instructions for syrups, bitters, and garnishes.
SHRUBS: AN OLD-FASHIONED DRINK FOR MODERN TIMES
By Michael Dietsch
Countryman Press, October 2014
$24.95
The history of shrubs is as fascinating as the drinks are refreshing. Shrubs: An Old-Fashioned Drink for Modern Times, by Brooklyn-based writer editor, and accidental bartender Michael Dietsch, explores these sharp and tangy vintage drink mixers. The book includes more than 75 recipes for sweet and savory cocktails and sophisticated sodas. Just a few of the innovative yet simple recipes shared in the book include
the Cantaloupe-Mint Shrub, Blueberry-Lavender Shrub, Benjamin Franklin’s Shrub, Red Beet and Peppercorn Shrub, Velvet Tango Room’s Fig Shrub Cocktail, Summer Tomato and Celery Shrub, Shrubby Mary, and Apple-Cardamom Shrub.