Shakespeare, Not Stirred: Cocktails for Your Everyday Dramas

by Caroline Bicks, Michelle Ephraim

Let the Bard into your lounge and have him whip up some sharp cocktails and soothing snacks for the comedy or tragedy in your life. From 'Get Thee to a Winery: girls' night out' to 'Exit, Pursued by a Beer: drowning your sorrows', this stage-sensitive, merrily blended book brings a Shakespearean swirl to life's everyday highs and lows. Readers who downed Tequila Mockingbird and felt the force of William Shakespeare's Star Wars will thrill to its intoxicating mix of literary nerdery and cheeky wordplay.

Caroline Bicks and Michelle Ephraim are eminent English professors and eminent merry punsters. While poking a little fond fun at the man who gave them their careers, they dish up a delightful high-low mash of food, drink, and drama. Shakespeare, Not Stirred pops all the corks. Remember, with Falstaff: 'thin drink doth so over-cool their blood...'

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Food, Shakespeare, Cooking, Food and Drink, Humor

160 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2015

Reviews

[Jaffareadstoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by two academics, Shakespeare, Not Stirred is a fun and rather intoxicating glimpse into the work of Shakespeare that is refreshingly different. It's crammed full of recipes for cocktails and canapes which connect Shakespeare characters in an unusual and highly entertaining way and yet, even though the content is lighthearted, there are wonderfully short 'mini bard' sections which put the whole Shakespearean thing into delicious context.

I'm not a Shakespeare expert, having retained only a smattering of knowledge of those books I studied, often with little enthusiasm, whilst at school. My abiding memory is of reading Merchant of Venice in class, with a friend in fits of hysterical laughter, because she had to say out loud 'brassy bosoms and rough hearts of flint' (Act 4 : Scene 1), and believe me, in an all girl's grammar school that phrase was considered the height of salaciousness. Perhaps, if we had imbibed Shylock's Ducats ( pg7), a drink made with Goldschlager liquer, before our appalling rendition of the Bard's finest, we would have made a better go of it.

Shakespeare, Not Stirred is a very witty look at the work of our finest playwright, and whilst it's really tempting to try every one of the cleverly put together recipes, it's probably not a good idea to try them all at once, as some of the cocktails are decidedly heavy on the alcohol.

Opening this book, at any page, made me smile, it made me laugh out loud and it made me, in some perverse way, really proud of our British sense of humour, that can find fun and frivolity in the most unlikely of circumstances.

It's a perfect book to pop into a Christmas Stocking and I guarantee that before Christmas Day is out, there will be a rummage in the drinks cupboard for that dusty bottle of Blue Curacao to make the Drowning Ophelia (pg98)..

[Caroline Mincks · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s funny, it’s full of fun knowledge tidbits, and the recipes sound great. What more can one want from a cookbook?

[Jennifer Souers Chevraux · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Now Is the Whiskey of our Discontent: Drinks for the Domestically Distressed.” What could be more relevant and relaxing in these plague days?

Do you love classic witticism and wonderful wordplay inspired by the great works of The Bard? Perhaps you’re also a fan of finely-crafted cocktails? Me too! I know just what you need. “Shakespeare, Not Stirred” is written by two English professors, who clearly know how to whip up a proper preprandial and complimentary snacks. Besides enjoying the modern twist on a tour through Shakespeare’s great works, I sampled a few of the delicious drink recipes. For science. Excellent. All of it.

[Michelle Koebel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this as part of a Goodreads giveaway.

This is a great little book that would make a great hostess or housewarming gift for an English Literature lover. The book has really good recipes that are not too difficult to make and some good drink concoctions.

[Alicia Lattin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Professors Bicks and Ephraim have taken all they know about Shakespeare and his love of the drink, applied a few lessons, and created a delightful book devoted to dysfunctional families, the domestically distressed, and even girl's night out. Just like a frazzled wife/mom, these ladies found themselves sitting at the Cheesecake Factory, lamenting their professional as well as personal woes and during the conversation discovered something truly life changing:

"The more we talked, the more we saw ourselves and our problems in their comedies, histories, and tragedies. Shakespeare's insights into jealous siblings, shifty coworkers, and aging libidos were smarter than anything we could ever come up with on our own. And a whole lot cheaper than therapy.
Huh, we thought. This dead guy totally gets us."

This girls' night out resulted in Shakespeare, not stirred and, in my opinion, it is just what a stressed out group of mom's need after a week of insanity. Each section of this book is separated into genres-a little bit of comedy, a dash of tragedy, and a splash of history. Not only will you find recipes to spice up your night out, you can learn a little bit more about the plays and the time period in the Mini-bard section. Each write up gives a brief commentary of the play and provides a bit of insight into the context of each highlighted work. Education and a party, it is seriously a win win!
So, if you are ready to party like its 1599, this is the book for you!

[Karen Simmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I am a fan of the Bard and have read a number of books about his works, this one was a nice break from the usual scholarly, dense, analytical tomes that, interesting though they can be when they provide good insight into his universal themes and characters, can sometimes be a bit dry and a bit of a slog to get through; this one on the other hand was just an amusing, quick little book written by two Shakespeare scholars who clearly aren't dry (in every sense of the word! :D) at all in their humorous approach, coming up with some fun recipes for Bard-themed cocktails and snacks/canapés for parties-- which I'm sure the Bard himself would've gotten a kick out of since he clearly wasn't a literary snob himself but would probably would've wanted to drink and party with the "Groundlings" and the rest of the "commoners" at Mistress Quickly's tavern rather than with the posh upper-class twits any day! :D

[Lynnda · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amusing little book, with tons of tidbits and some very quirky cocktails. A fast fun read.

[Aaron Calvert · Rating 4 out of 5]

The history and trivia surrounding Shakespeare's stories and characters is much more interesting than the recipes. Still, it was a funny and informative read.

[Rogue Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun work that positions Shakespeare's most memorable characters and lines as a contemporary drama that requires a drink. Gorey-like illustrations have a single red element. Cocktails only

[Katie Beth Boggan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! There are tons of great recipes for entertaining that include endless Shakespearean puns; however, the best part are the tidbits and touches of trivia. A wonderful gift!

[Theresa]

I spent the whole dinner tonight reading out the names of the recipes and crying at the puns. Each one sailed right over my parents head. How did we get here?

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was kinda fun, but not that innovative.

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is an original book with great recipes (easy to make) of good drinks and appetizers... Each recipe begins with a funny introduction, then a list of the ingredients you need and instructions of how to make the drink or snacks...

I really enjoyed this book.. Every chapter has its original theme using the work of Shakespeare...Connecting, in a comic and peculiar way, the recipes and the difficult situations of life with the characters of Shakespeare

A book that give you the perfect excuse for a great reunion!

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so much fun, I will probably, actually buy it!

It's making me seriously consider drinking on a regular basis.

I love the pictures (old... woodcuts? portraying scenes from Shakespeare's work, but with drinks and food from the recipes added). I love the tidbits added to the recipes (salt for rim of glass*...... *or crushed Percocet). I love the Bard Bits (or whatever they were called) - little sidebars of info on the life and times of the era.

Yep... definitely buyin' this one.

[Roxanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a cute concept. It is part Bard and part booze. There are little stories in the book and recipes for drinks and food.

[Kimberlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a neat little book with some great recipes! Very clever! This would make a wonderful hostess gift!

[Deanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

If you enjoyed the title then you will enjoy the puny style of the book.

[Georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The commentary about Shakespearean characters is so witty and insightful! The cocktail/food recipes feel a little random, but still amusing.

[Kim]

Fun book. Good recipes.

[Scribe Publications]

This hilarious little book is the ultimate stocking filler.
Saga

Shakespeare, Not Stirred is a perfect combination of delicious Shakespeare, delectable food and delightful drinks. Gather your ingredients, invite your friends, and get ready for a meal of Shakespearean proportions. Falstaff would heartily approve!
Ian Doescher, New York Times Bestselling Author of The William Shakespeare Star Wars series

Shakespeare famously wrote, “Better a tipsy witty fool than a foolish tipless wit”... or something like that. Regardless, if you want to laugh, maybe get a little tipsy, and actually learn a thing or two about The Bard's works, Shakespeare, Not Stirred will more than hit the spot.
Christopher Monks, Editor of McSweeney’s Internet Tendency

I love a good cocktail and have loved Shakespeare since high school and I'm always wanting to try new things (in the case of cocktails) and trying to remember the plot twists (in the case of Shakespeare). Reading Shakespeare, Not Stirred gave me both wonderful new cocktails to try and an amazing refresher English lit class by two women who happen to be English professors and incredibly funny. I’m now thinking of starting a regular book club/cocktail party to go through all the plays ... and drinks.
Rosalind Wiseman, Author of Queen Bees and Wannabes, the basis for the film Mean Girls

After guzzling every libation in Shakespeare, Not Stirred I became the most eloquent and witty drunk in my town, and so can you!
Gary Shteyngart, Author of Little Failure and Super Sad True Love Story

Shakespeare, Not Stirred is the perfect gift for that friend of yours who fancies himself a lofty intellectual but actually, when you get right down to it, just loves to drink.
Rachel Dratch

Witty and fun.
Thuy On, Sunday Age

A boozy, Bardy delight.
Metro

Splendid and outrageous!
Michael Dobson, Director of The Shakespeare Institute

Incredibly cheeky and really great fun … The rare kind of cocktail book you want to read from start to finish.
Rosianna Halse Rojas, Papertimelady

The perfect present for lovers of liquor and literature.
The Guardian

Intriguing.
Ian McKellen