The Year of Drinking Adventurously: 52 Ways to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

by Jeff Cioletti

You want a little adventure in your life. And why not? With nearly 5,000 breweries (and counting) and nearly 1,000 artisanal distillers in the United States, there are more choices than ever on tap and behind the bar. So many, that you’re a little bit intimidated.

But throughout the course of a year you can learn to impress and earn respect by enhancing your bar smarts and becoming a pub savant with The Year of Drinking Adventurously, a guide to getting out of your beverage comfort zone once a week for a year. Each of the fifty-two chapters features the story behind a unique beer, spirit, or cocktail, designed to broaden your drinking horizons. Some correspond with specific seasons or holidays, encouraging you to forget the million-dollar-marketing-supported “conventional wisdom” and drink against the grain. It’s Cinco de Mayo? There’s much more to the celebration than Corona and shots of cheap tequila. St. Patrick’s Day? Do you really want to be the 700th person of the evening to order a Guinness or a Jameson on the rocks?

The Year of Drinking Adventurously takes the social cross drinker on a journey into the exciting and unknown―one week at a time.

Genres: Booze, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published November 24, 2015

Reviews

[Karyl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always been fascinated by spirits. My parents weren't very adventurous drinkers -- my mom has a glass of sweet wine with dinner and my dad will have a beer on Saturday night, but every so often they'd break out the Galliano and have Golden Cadillacs (a drink I just realized I've never tried). For myself, I didn't really start drinking until my mid-20s; my core group of friends looked down on the people getting shit-faced at frat parties, and to be honest, none of us liked beer anyhow.

But then I met Jeff Cioletti and his wife Craige, and all of a sudden, there was all this beer that sounded amazing and delicious! It didn't hurt that the craft beer scene was really starting to take off, so I had lots to choose from.

Since I've been back in Rhode Island this last year, I've also noticed the explosion of craft spirits. Watching "The Booze Traveler" on the Travel Channel has also broadened my horizons (which is why there is now a handle of Bols genever in my liquor cabinet).

Now Cioletti has published the perfect book for people who may be looking to broaden their horizons a bit more. There are so many spirits in this book I had never even heard of, but which now I want to try. Baijiu, huangjiu, shochu, and others have all been described in such a way as to de-mystify them to this reader for whom they're all totally new. (I only wish I lived nearer a large Chinatown so I could possibly try them.)

Each chapter takes us through a specific spirit and tells us a little bit about the history of it, where it comes from, and how it's made, plus gives examples of some excellent brands so we don't have to wander the aisles of the local packie in ignorance. Cioletti is never pretentious and always encouraging, plus he really does know his material thoroughly. He has researched and sampled each of these alcohols himself, and admits that in the course of writing this book, he himself has gotten out of his comfort zone (as vast as that is) a few times. His main point is to enjoy these spirits in moderation, not to ingest as much as possible in order to get hammered. If that's your only goal when drinking, this book is beyond you.

I would encourage you to buy this book, read it from cover to cover and make notes of your favorites, and then keep it in your car, so that when you happen upon a bar or restaurant that serves one of these adventurous spirits, or if you stop by your local liquor store with the idea of having a flight of your own at home, you have the perfect reference material right in your hands.

[Jamie Bright · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun introduction to a variety of alcoholic beverages. Good recipes and recommendations for different brands and styles of each drink, though many of them are hard to come by in western Nebraska...

[emyrose8 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chock full of information about alcohol and its history. A neat challenge for the alcohol connoisseur! Each chapter focuses on a specific type of alcohol, one for each week of the year. The chapter typically gives a little summary of how it’s made, where it originated, how it’s typically drunk (and traditions associated with drinking it), and then recommendations of specific brands to try.

I’m not super in the know about alcohol, so at times I was a bit lost with the terminology. IMO it’s best digested in small chunks (as I’m sure the author intended). Or flip through and read the parts that interest you.

The premise of the book is cool, but it works better for people in/near big cities (some of the alcohol is challenging to source in the US) and people with a hefty budget.

I did come away with a few drinks I’d like to try someday, maybe things to look for when I’m traveling since I likely won’t come across them in my local liquor store.

Note- some occasional swearing, and of course alcohol

[Lula Harp · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun adventure. Some of the authors choices are true head-scratchers, like what was he thinking. Most weeks were pretty interesting. The latter part of the year more of the drinks/spirits were off the wall or less attainable. Overall a solid 3.5 and a great learning experience.

My warnings to the future adventurers:
1. spend wisely. Don't automatically buy a bottle. Try a cocktail at your local bar. Chat up the bartender and tell them about the book and see if they'll let you taste it straight.

2. If you live in a rural area or one that has not experienced a cocktail resurgence, you will have trouble finding some items. I put each week on my calendar and as I traveled to larger cities I looked for items to try ahead.

[Gabi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as part of a Goodreads Giveaway and I loved it! There is a delightful mixture of history and humor that creates interest and intrigue for each drink covered. I enjoyed the descriptive language used to share what flavors and aromas to expect when trying each spirit, since it made each one unique. I would definitely suggest this book to any liquor/brew enthusiast and to anyone curious about what else is out there in the world besides advertised classics. I'll be re-reading this one for sure!

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and great ways to venture outside the typical, but a little bit of a bummer that the author almost completely ignores rum (though he does include cachaça and tiki drinks), though all the other "main" spirit groups are included (bourbon, scotch, gin, vodka, Irish whiskey...). Aged rum and rhum agricole would have been great inclusions.

Definitely liked the inclusion of less than typical beers, ciders, and meads as well as different international spirits, though!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good reference/introduction to local liquors and different brews for the drinker looking to expand their palate.