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The Bartender's Cure
Samantha Fisher definitely does not want to be a bartender. But after a breakup and breakdown in San Francisco, she decides to defer law school for a year to move to New York, crashing on her best friend’s couch. When she is offered a job at Joe’s Apothecary, a beloved neighborhood bar in Brooklyn, she tells herself it’s only temporary.
As Sam learns more about bartending and gets to know the service industry lifers and loyal regulars at Joe’s, she is increasingly seduced by her new job. She finds acceptance in her tight-knit community and even begins a new relationship. But as the year draws to a close, Sam is increasingly pulled between the life she thought she wanted and the possibility of a different kind of future. When destructive cycles from her past threaten to consume her again, Sam must decide how much she’s willing to let go of to finally belong.
As Sam learns more about bartending and gets to know the service industry lifers and loyal regulars at Joe’s, she is increasingly seduced by her new job. She finds acceptance in her tight-knit community and even begins a new relationship. But as the year draws to a close, Sam is increasingly pulled between the life she thought she wanted and the possibility of a different kind of future. When destructive cycles from her past threaten to consume her again, Sam must decide how much she’s willing to let go of to finally belong.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published June 28, 2022
81 people are currently reading
13703 people want to read
About the author
Wesley Straton
2 books70 followersWesley Straton is a writer and bartender based in Brooklyn. She studied fiction at Brooklyn College, where she received the Himan Brown Creative Writing Award and served as an editor for the Brooklyn Review. Her fiction has appeared in Glimmer Train and has been shortlisted for the Disquiet Literary Prize, and she has written about international bar culture for Roads & Kingdoms, GQ, and Difford’s Guide. The Bartender's Cure is her debut.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 226 reviews
February 5, 2024
Wesley Straton has given us a book that's primarily the journey of one individual person on her journey to find her place in the universe. However, that's exactly the sort of book I was looking for. That's exactly what I needed. I like stories that are simple on the surface with complexity buried so deep in the depths I'll never accidentally stumble upon it. ;)
The Bartender's Cure is both about mixology and storytelling. Character and personal relationships. Social mores and personal weaknesses. Money and poverty. Apollo and Dionysus. Palo Alto and Brooklyn. The West Coast, the East Coast, and a sojourn to Arizona, oh my. Also, the past and the future. Including things that are worth dying for. Things that are worth living for. Including ikigai and all that jazz foreign and domestic.
With this novel, the literary gods answered a prayer I didn't know I had made. This book was the equivalent of eating a meatlovers pizza for the first time.
Don't get me wrong. I'm a reader, not a drinker. Since March of 2019, I've had one beer, a wonderfully cold draft Stella Artois that helped neutralize the hot spices in the fish I was eating. Also, I've had maybe three cocktails in my whole life. (Okay, make that eight. I just remembered a party I went to back in 1976.)
My point is this: This book is really about people. That is, family, friends, cohorts, colleagues, and found family. The booze stuff is like turkey dressing. (I don't know anyone who actually eats it.) The booze stuff adds color and authenticity. Reading the cocktail recipes was like reading a Nigella Lawson cookbook. The recipes sound and look scrumptious, but I'd rather eat my daughter's hamburger stroganoff.
Admittedly, I loved this book, but I didn't realize I was going to give it a five rating until the last phrase of the last sentence.
The Bartender's Cure is both about mixology and storytelling. Character and personal relationships. Social mores and personal weaknesses. Money and poverty. Apollo and Dionysus. Palo Alto and Brooklyn. The West Coast, the East Coast, and a sojourn to Arizona, oh my. Also, the past and the future. Including things that are worth dying for. Things that are worth living for. Including ikigai and all that jazz foreign and domestic.
With this novel, the literary gods answered a prayer I didn't know I had made. This book was the equivalent of eating a meatlovers pizza for the first time.
Don't get me wrong. I'm a reader, not a drinker. Since March of 2019, I've had one beer, a wonderfully cold draft Stella Artois that helped neutralize the hot spices in the fish I was eating. Also, I've had maybe three cocktails in my whole life. (Okay, make that eight. I just remembered a party I went to back in 1976.)
My point is this: This book is really about people. That is, family, friends, cohorts, colleagues, and found family. The booze stuff is like turkey dressing. (I don't know anyone who actually eats it.) The booze stuff adds color and authenticity. Reading the cocktail recipes was like reading a Nigella Lawson cookbook. The recipes sound and look scrumptious, but I'd rather eat my daughter's hamburger stroganoff.
Admittedly, I loved this book, but I didn't realize I was going to give it a five rating until the last phrase of the last sentence.
October 1, 2022
Once again I was hooked by a book cover and then reeled in and made to read every word! Luckily I also enjoyed almost every word. There were some words I hadn't come across before too, like apeirophobia (the fear of infinity and/or eternity) and terroir (the characteristic taste and flavor imparted to a wine by the environment in which it is produced). Oddly enough, for the second time in the past half dozen or so books I've read, I was treated to an explanation of the difference between whiskey and whisky. In a nutshell, the name is based on factors like the type of cereal grain used in the distilling process as well as how and where it was produced.
I can't begin to tell you how many times "Sam" has been the main character in books I've read lately but this one is a short-for-Samantha Sam. She's been sleeping on a friend's couch while looking for a job in New York City. She finally lands a job as a bartender and is able to find a bedroom to rent in a shared apartment with two other girls.
The book is pretty slow moving and the chapters are long but I found it quite interesting. Each chapter begins with a cocktail recipe and during that chapter we learn the history of the cocktail as well as the proper way to make it plus we're made privy to a little more of Sam's background. We meet some interesting characters and grow to really care about a few of them. Dialogue in the book is not distinguished by quotation marks but, oddly, it didn't bother me as the phrasing made it quite clear that it was dialogue and who was speaking. At the end of the book there's a glossary of all the cocktails if a person wanted to experiment. Many years ago, when we were young, my husband and I used to have cocktail nights where we would try out different cocktails. Ah, the good old days! I don't know though, do people still drink cocktails? I don't even get out much any more except maybe for lunch now and then and I'm more likely to have beer or wine. Then again I live in a smallish Canadian city, not New York City.
A well-written debut by an author to watch out for.
CW: Eating Disorders, Mention of Suicide
I borrowed this book from the London Public Library. So appreciative but why do so many of my holds come in at once?!!
I can't begin to tell you how many times "Sam" has been the main character in books I've read lately but this one is a short-for-Samantha Sam. She's been sleeping on a friend's couch while looking for a job in New York City. She finally lands a job as a bartender and is able to find a bedroom to rent in a shared apartment with two other girls.
The book is pretty slow moving and the chapters are long but I found it quite interesting. Each chapter begins with a cocktail recipe and during that chapter we learn the history of the cocktail as well as the proper way to make it plus we're made privy to a little more of Sam's background. We meet some interesting characters and grow to really care about a few of them. Dialogue in the book is not distinguished by quotation marks but, oddly, it didn't bother me as the phrasing made it quite clear that it was dialogue and who was speaking. At the end of the book there's a glossary of all the cocktails if a person wanted to experiment. Many years ago, when we were young, my husband and I used to have cocktail nights where we would try out different cocktails. Ah, the good old days! I don't know though, do people still drink cocktails? I don't even get out much any more except maybe for lunch now and then and I'm more likely to have beer or wine. Then again I live in a smallish Canadian city, not New York City.
A well-written debut by an author to watch out for.
CW: Eating Disorders, Mention of Suicide
I borrowed this book from the London Public Library. So appreciative but why do so many of my holds come in at once?!!
April 7, 2022
3.5 stars. A nice debut that is at its best when it lets you dive into the minutiae of cocktails and bartending with its protagonist. If you are one of those people who likes books where you learn all kinds of bits of trivia and really get to understand a type of work, this will appeal to you.
It's a pretty simple story, though I think it makes things overly complicated by withholding information about Sam's past. It made it a little too much of "ooo what is she hiding?" for me, when it's not that kind of book. Sam has gone through some things and is now taking a year off before heading to law school. Sleeping on her friend's couch, she gets a job bartending. We are pulled into the small world of this Brooklyn neighborhood bar. It does this really well, creating memorable characters, making the book itself feel like a friendly local you would like to visit. I almost got frustrated when the big arc of what will Sam do would come back into play. It is always obvious to the reader what Sam should do even if it isn't to Sam, and I enjoyed the details more than the big picture. But that is saying something, since often I find books the other way around where I never quite get to feel like I've fully lived in a book. I particularly loved Han, the cheery bartender who takes Sam under his wing.
Content warnings for suicide and disordered eating.
It's a pretty simple story, though I think it makes things overly complicated by withholding information about Sam's past. It made it a little too much of "ooo what is she hiding?" for me, when it's not that kind of book. Sam has gone through some things and is now taking a year off before heading to law school. Sleeping on her friend's couch, she gets a job bartending. We are pulled into the small world of this Brooklyn neighborhood bar. It does this really well, creating memorable characters, making the book itself feel like a friendly local you would like to visit. I almost got frustrated when the big arc of what will Sam do would come back into play. It is always obvious to the reader what Sam should do even if it isn't to Sam, and I enjoyed the details more than the big picture. But that is saying something, since often I find books the other way around where I never quite get to feel like I've fully lived in a book. I particularly loved Han, the cheery bartender who takes Sam under his wing.
Content warnings for suicide and disordered eating.
January 11, 2022
An evocative coming-of-age story and captivating glimpse into the world of bartending and cocktail lore. Wesley Straton’s prose is simultaneously restrained and dazzling, and protagonist Samantha Fisher is tough yet tender, singular yet familiar. This is one book hangover I'm in no hurry to recover from.
November 7, 2022
Palo Alto girl in Brooklyn, traumatized by her mother’s death when she was younger, struggling with bulimia— I thought this was okay, with some moments of truth
Maybe 2.5 stars
Maybe 2.5 stars
August 29, 2022
Really a 2.5. And note that I didn't finish this.
The story is set in Brooklyn and is about a young woman who takes a job as a bartender before heading off to Harvard Law School.
While I was very interested in the premise and setting, there was not enough here to keep my attention. I would read a handful of pages, put the book down for a week or so, and then try again. Ultimately, I gave up.
The information about a startup bar and the recipes and history of the cocktails discussed and served at the bar were interesting, but the story of Samantha and her friends and co-workers moved way too slowly for me. I wasn't strongly invested in any of the characters.
In addition, the book is written without any quotation marks, an affectation this retired professional copyeditor has never warmed up to. Paragraphing didn't help either, and I frequently had to stop reading to figure out if something was being said out loud, was a thought, or was just running commentary.
Your mileage may vary. I'd give this a try if you're interested in cocktails or bartending, but keep your expectations low about the overall plot.
Thanks to the publisher for review copies in various formats.
The story is set in Brooklyn and is about a young woman who takes a job as a bartender before heading off to Harvard Law School.
While I was very interested in the premise and setting, there was not enough here to keep my attention. I would read a handful of pages, put the book down for a week or so, and then try again. Ultimately, I gave up.
The information about a startup bar and the recipes and history of the cocktails discussed and served at the bar were interesting, but the story of Samantha and her friends and co-workers moved way too slowly for me. I wasn't strongly invested in any of the characters.
In addition, the book is written without any quotation marks, an affectation this retired professional copyeditor has never warmed up to. Paragraphing didn't help either, and I frequently had to stop reading to figure out if something was being said out loud, was a thought, or was just running commentary.
Your mileage may vary. I'd give this a try if you're interested in cocktails or bartending, but keep your expectations low about the overall plot.
Thanks to the publisher for review copies in various formats.
July 3, 2022
It was worth it for all the drinks and bartending tips, but the story itself was spellbinding. I think this is what I wanted Normal People to be - real and unfiltered, the bad and the not-so-bad. Going through life not realising how burdened by your own trama you are. Sam is a wonderfully flawed character, trying her best one thing at a time.
"But how do we tell her we love her if we can't give her whiskey" is quickly climbing up my charts of favourite quotes.
"But how do we tell her we love her if we can't give her whiskey" is quickly climbing up my charts of favourite quotes.
March 12, 2025
So amazing. Just what I needed rn.
July 18, 2022
This was like a better version of Sweetbitter! No quotation marks for dialogue, but I felt it was done better here than I’d seen it before. There were a couple spots when I couldn’t tell if someone was saying or thinking something, but I actually enjoyed the nuance.
The characters in this book were so easy to love, and while there were many characters in many bars and rotating aspects of Sam’s life, it was easy to keep track of them all because they were so vibrant. I’m confident that I’d love Han if I met him in person, and would’ve liked to see more of Meg, Hayley, and Gina although they are mentioned often, they didn’t have enough scenes.
I loved learning about cocktails and liquor and bar lore along with Sam. It was hard to watch some of her poor decisions, but the climax was worth the spiraling and the flashback scenes of Arizona and the Bay Area had plenty of exposition for her current state. The ending was poignant without tying everything up too nicely, and a bit hopeful. Overall, it was a quick and enjoyable read with heavy themes.
The characters in this book were so easy to love, and while there were many characters in many bars and rotating aspects of Sam’s life, it was easy to keep track of them all because they were so vibrant. I’m confident that I’d love Han if I met him in person, and would’ve liked to see more of Meg, Hayley, and Gina although they are mentioned often, they didn’t have enough scenes.
I loved learning about cocktails and liquor and bar lore along with Sam. It was hard to watch some of her poor decisions, but the climax was worth the spiraling and the flashback scenes of Arizona and the Bay Area had plenty of exposition for her current state. The ending was poignant without tying everything up too nicely, and a bit hopeful. Overall, it was a quick and enjoyable read with heavy themes.
July 26, 2022
This book is a fantastic debut novel. It follows the main character Sam through her first bartending job. The accuracy of bartender’s lives is perfection; the hours, the fishbowl, the relationships, everything. The cocktails are delicious and I loved that classic cocktails are spotlighted instead of something boring and common.
A bartender’s life outside of the bar must be exactly that, staying out of the bar. Sam’s journey is relatable and keeps you wanting more.
This was the debut novel by Wesley Straton and I look forward to reading more. 📚👏🏼
A bartender’s life outside of the bar must be exactly that, staying out of the bar. Sam’s journey is relatable and keeps you wanting more.
This was the debut novel by Wesley Straton and I look forward to reading more. 📚👏🏼
July 25, 2022
This book fixed me and gave me a newfound hyperfixation on m*xology. Will I ever be released from the grasp of the service industry? Probably not. Will I ever shut up about this book? Also Probably Not.
August 6, 2022
i may or may not have shed a tear or two. it's a lot like Sweetbitter but ... warmer? friendlier? more hopeful? idk. i really enjoyed this.
April 8, 2022
3 1/2 stars
A novel that feels more like a memoir about bartending in New York than a novel. Samantha flees the west coast after falling apart taking a job as a bartender just until she is ready to go onto Harvard Law School. She starts from the ground up and slowly finds her way behind the bar at Joe's Apothecary. Even with all the headaches the more time that goes by the less prepared she is to leave - her coworkers, the clientele, her new friends and the new relationship. What makes this debut work is the "fly on the wall" approach to what goes on behind the scenes at a bar - after hours, prickly personalties and big egos as well as the art of small talk while mixing superior drinks. Wesley Straton does one better and gives us the stories behind some of the more popular concoctions and their recipes. Guaranteed to make you grab a martini glass and shaker at least by mid point, it is an enlightening coming of age tale about the joys of the local bar where everyone knows your name and they're always glad you came. Cheers to the publisher for the advance copy.
A novel that feels more like a memoir about bartending in New York than a novel. Samantha flees the west coast after falling apart taking a job as a bartender just until she is ready to go onto Harvard Law School. She starts from the ground up and slowly finds her way behind the bar at Joe's Apothecary. Even with all the headaches the more time that goes by the less prepared she is to leave - her coworkers, the clientele, her new friends and the new relationship. What makes this debut work is the "fly on the wall" approach to what goes on behind the scenes at a bar - after hours, prickly personalties and big egos as well as the art of small talk while mixing superior drinks. Wesley Straton does one better and gives us the stories behind some of the more popular concoctions and their recipes. Guaranteed to make you grab a martini glass and shaker at least by mid point, it is an enlightening coming of age tale about the joys of the local bar where everyone knows your name and they're always glad you came. Cheers to the publisher for the advance copy.
April 22, 2022
I absolutely loved this book and am very grateful to have won it through a giveaway! A great quick read, could be light while at the same time touching on so many issues in our society. I really enjoyed learning more about cocktails and recipes also. Would highly recommend to others to read!
July 3, 2022
Thanks to @flatiron_books for an electronic copy of #TheBartendersCure.
Enjoy a nice cocktail every now and then? If so, I’ve got the perfect book for you: 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑’𝐒 𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐄 by debut author Wesley Straton. At its heart this is a coming-of-age story about a woman in her mid-twenties, who after graduating from Columbia and working a couple years as a paralegal, has finally been admitted to Harvard Law. That’s when Samantha’s seemingly perfect life begins to crumble at her own hand. She takes a one year deferral and finds a job bartending at a neighborhood bar in Brooklyn.
I loved the way Straton structured her story. Each chapter begins with the recipe for a classic cocktail and then somewhere within the chapter a little history of that cocktail is woven in. Some might find this a little gimmicky, but I loved it and found 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 classic cocktails that I really need to try. (Honestly, I was craving a drink the entire book!🍸) Along the way we get to know Samantha and what drove her to this particular spot in her life, plus the many other industry workers in her sphere. Having worked as a cocktail waitress for a brief stint in college, I loved all of the inner workings and emotions running through her story. There are some rough spots in Samantha’s life, things that are difficult to read and might be triggering for some. (So, do your research or DM me.) For me though, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘊𝘶𝘳𝘦 was a fun, fast read that left me thirsty for more! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Enjoy a nice cocktail every now and then? If so, I’ve got the perfect book for you: 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑’𝐒 𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐄 by debut author Wesley Straton. At its heart this is a coming-of-age story about a woman in her mid-twenties, who after graduating from Columbia and working a couple years as a paralegal, has finally been admitted to Harvard Law. That’s when Samantha’s seemingly perfect life begins to crumble at her own hand. She takes a one year deferral and finds a job bartending at a neighborhood bar in Brooklyn.
I loved the way Straton structured her story. Each chapter begins with the recipe for a classic cocktail and then somewhere within the chapter a little history of that cocktail is woven in. Some might find this a little gimmicky, but I loved it and found 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 classic cocktails that I really need to try. (Honestly, I was craving a drink the entire book!🍸) Along the way we get to know Samantha and what drove her to this particular spot in her life, plus the many other industry workers in her sphere. Having worked as a cocktail waitress for a brief stint in college, I loved all of the inner workings and emotions running through her story. There are some rough spots in Samantha’s life, things that are difficult to read and might be triggering for some. (So, do your research or DM me.) For me though, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘊𝘶𝘳𝘦 was a fun, fast read that left me thirsty for more! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
August 19, 2022
2⭐️ this was okay, I really liked the inclusion of the drinks at the beginning of the chapters and the history behind the making of them. I just didn’t really love the characters and the development of the story. I didn’t really feel like the book had a meaning other than a girl works at a bar and quits law school.
October 23, 2022
Full disclosure - I am aficionado of craft cocktails and really enjoying mixing unique drinks. This is a fun book for cocktail fans - Sam, a young woman coming off a bad breakup and some serious personal problems moves to New York and takes a gap year as a bartender. She really tries to learn the craft and find herself creatively in the profession. She keeps her personal issues locked inside and has difficulty sharing her true self as she develops friendships with her coworkers, roommates and new boyfriend. Throughout the book, we learn a lot about working in a bar, craft cocktails, recipes, etc. as Sam considers this as a potential profession. Sam’s issues are not easy, but they are woven throughout her journey as a bartender with some tips on delicious drinks. You find yourself rooting for her while looking to break out your cocktail shaker.
September 14, 2023
I need to stop reading books about edgy girlies with depression.
(Completely stolen from Anna)
It moved very slowly but I learnt an awful lot about bartending and cocktails. It gets to a point where the main character genuinely believes that bartending is the centre of the universe and that bars solve everybody’s problems.
Ending got pretty good actually.
(Completely stolen from Anna)
It moved very slowly but I learnt an awful lot about bartending and cocktails. It gets to a point where the main character genuinely believes that bartending is the centre of the universe and that bars solve everybody’s problems.
Ending got pretty good actually.
July 14, 2022
Relaxing. That was my primary reaction to reading this book. It was literary done well, and I found it at the time when I didn't want the manufactured stress of too much conflict from commercial fiction.
Instead, I wanted to sink into the atmosphere of a neighborhood bar, and read about cocktails and the stories behind them. Unlike most literary, though, this book never felt like "nothing" was happening. The MC had enough mysterious troubles in their backstory to keep you curious about their life and how it would turn out, as well as just enjoying the life of a bartender. I didn't feel the arc about their mental health was fully completed, but I did enjoy the themes of trying to find your purpose in life, and when something feels "right" that looks to the rest of the world like settling.
This is not my usual read but I enjoyed it thoroughly and didn't want it to be over! 4.5 stars.
Instead, I wanted to sink into the atmosphere of a neighborhood bar, and read about cocktails and the stories behind them. Unlike most literary, though, this book never felt like "nothing" was happening. The MC had enough mysterious troubles in their backstory to keep you curious about their life and how it would turn out, as well as just enjoying the life of a bartender. I didn't feel the arc about their mental health was fully completed, but I did enjoy the themes of trying to find your purpose in life, and when something feels "right" that looks to the rest of the world like settling.
This is not my usual read but I enjoyed it thoroughly and didn't want it to be over! 4.5 stars.
June 23, 2022
3.5 stars rounded up. The beginning is a bit slow and I would've liked a bit more action, rather than telling at places.
This one is for readers of Sweetbitter and appreciators of New York coming-of-age stories.
While it started a bit slow, it eventually picked up and I enjoyed the in-depth look at bartending as a profession and mixology. This book feels the epitome of what Stephanie Danler has said in interviews about her work, which is along the lines of life is what happens when you're waiting for it to start. Samantha Fisher has a breakup and breakdown in San Francisco and decides to defer law school for a year and move to New York for a temporary change and reset. When she takes a job at Joe's Apothecary, a bar in NY, she tells herself it's temporary and has no intention of letting the experience define her or become permanent.
But, as with many things, the temporary things still make their mark, and we have the opportunity to see Samantha find herself, overcome some of her fears and traumas, and go forth. Straton's writing is descriptive, almost too descriptive, but it serves as a kind of distraction. All the descriptions of drinks, bartending, locations, bars, etc. serve as a prism through which Samantha can see herself more clearly.
I thoroughly enjoyed this one and recommend it to people who like books about the service industry, those little in-between moments before you think your life will start, and anyone who experienced a big life change recently.
Thank you to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This one is for readers of Sweetbitter and appreciators of New York coming-of-age stories.
While it started a bit slow, it eventually picked up and I enjoyed the in-depth look at bartending as a profession and mixology. This book feels the epitome of what Stephanie Danler has said in interviews about her work, which is along the lines of life is what happens when you're waiting for it to start. Samantha Fisher has a breakup and breakdown in San Francisco and decides to defer law school for a year and move to New York for a temporary change and reset. When she takes a job at Joe's Apothecary, a bar in NY, she tells herself it's temporary and has no intention of letting the experience define her or become permanent.
But, as with many things, the temporary things still make their mark, and we have the opportunity to see Samantha find herself, overcome some of her fears and traumas, and go forth. Straton's writing is descriptive, almost too descriptive, but it serves as a kind of distraction. All the descriptions of drinks, bartending, locations, bars, etc. serve as a prism through which Samantha can see herself more clearly.
I thoroughly enjoyed this one and recommend it to people who like books about the service industry, those little in-between moments before you think your life will start, and anyone who experienced a big life change recently.
Thank you to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 1, 2022
A very cleverly written novel using cocktail recipes to start each chapter. I love history and the tidbits of cocktail history woven throughout were fun and enlightening. "The Bartender's Cure" follows Samantha's unintended "Bartending Gap Year" from start to finish. She is struggling, Hard. No money, no job, no boyfriend, recovering from an eating disorder, and away from family and friends so Sam decides to move to New York. Her oldest friend lives there and slowly, very slowly, she builds a life back up one gin & tonic at a time.
The author was undoubtedly a bartender at some point, having insider knowledge you just couldn't otherwise know. Shifts drinks, workplace drama, industry standards, loyalty, and regulars. I felt like I WAS a regular at Joe's Apothecary and I'd really like to sample their seasonal cocktail menu!
An entertaining mix of facts and fiction is shaken into the story of the said bar through tales (tall and short). Where Sam discovers more about herself than she ever thought she could. It's a rollercoaster of hangovers and relationships, but the story is all too related.
TW: eating disorders, suicide
The author was undoubtedly a bartender at some point, having insider knowledge you just couldn't otherwise know. Shifts drinks, workplace drama, industry standards, loyalty, and regulars. I felt like I WAS a regular at Joe's Apothecary and I'd really like to sample their seasonal cocktail menu!
An entertaining mix of facts and fiction is shaken into the story of the said bar through tales (tall and short). Where Sam discovers more about herself than she ever thought she could. It's a rollercoaster of hangovers and relationships, but the story is all too related.
TW: eating disorders, suicide
October 21, 2022
I was lucky to win an ARC of this book from the publisher.
The Bartender's Cure is a "slice-of-life," coming-of-age novel about Samantha Fisher, a 24-year-old Columbia graduate who has recently returned to NYC after a year away for health reasons (said reasons are disclosed as the novel progresses). Adrift, broke, and unsure of what to do before she matriculates at Harvard Law the following fall, Sam takes a job at local Brooklyn craft cocktail bar Joe's Apothecary. While the novel only shows us a brief moment in Sam's life, it's clear that her time at Joe's and her transition towards healing and a better understanding of herself and her life's direction are just what she needs.
I finished this novel in two days! I loved how Wesley Straton incorporated classic cocktail recipes and origin stories into the book. The art and passion of cocktail making was such a fun and integral part of the novel, but Sam's story is also quite dark. She's clearly at loose ends (as many of us almost always are in some ways), and she's an unreliable narrator in the sense that she keeps secrets from the reader. For this reason, I found Straton's writing style somewhat choppy, and at the same time, it felt a bit too intentional that Sam revealed specific parts of her backstory at certain moments. Overall, though, I really identified with Sam's anxiety and her sense of unmooring as she aims to figure out where she wants to go next in life.
The cast of characters at Joe's Apothecary are also fun, and it was great to learn about what goes into so many classic cocktails!
The Bartender's Cure is a "slice-of-life," coming-of-age novel about Samantha Fisher, a 24-year-old Columbia graduate who has recently returned to NYC after a year away for health reasons (said reasons are disclosed as the novel progresses). Adrift, broke, and unsure of what to do before she matriculates at Harvard Law the following fall, Sam takes a job at local Brooklyn craft cocktail bar Joe's Apothecary. While the novel only shows us a brief moment in Sam's life, it's clear that her time at Joe's and her transition towards healing and a better understanding of herself and her life's direction are just what she needs.
I finished this novel in two days! I loved how Wesley Straton incorporated classic cocktail recipes and origin stories into the book. The art and passion of cocktail making was such a fun and integral part of the novel, but Sam's story is also quite dark. She's clearly at loose ends (as many of us almost always are in some ways), and she's an unreliable narrator in the sense that she keeps secrets from the reader. For this reason, I found Straton's writing style somewhat choppy, and at the same time, it felt a bit too intentional that Sam revealed specific parts of her backstory at certain moments. Overall, though, I really identified with Sam's anxiety and her sense of unmooring as she aims to figure out where she wants to go next in life.
The cast of characters at Joe's Apothecary are also fun, and it was great to learn about what goes into so many classic cocktails!
June 27, 2022
Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for this ARC.
A coming of age story following Sam, a woman newly returned to New York to spend time there before attending law school at Harvard. Sam finds a job as a bartender and we follow her as she learns more about herself and makes new friends.
As Sam tries to come into her own after leaving recovery in Arizona, we get a captivating glimpse into someone joining in on the bartending scene. I throughout enjoyed this one as someone with zero experience in the restaurant industry. The recipe for a cocktail at the beginning of each chapter was a nice twist for a fiction story and even Sam working with her coworkers to create new cocktails to try to save the bar held my attention.
If you're looking for a coming of age story that doesn't have high stakes - this is it.
I highly recommend this one to anyone who enjoyed Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler and would like to pair this with Taste by Stanley Tucci.
TW: eating disorder, drinking
A coming of age story following Sam, a woman newly returned to New York to spend time there before attending law school at Harvard. Sam finds a job as a bartender and we follow her as she learns more about herself and makes new friends.
As Sam tries to come into her own after leaving recovery in Arizona, we get a captivating glimpse into someone joining in on the bartending scene. I throughout enjoyed this one as someone with zero experience in the restaurant industry. The recipe for a cocktail at the beginning of each chapter was a nice twist for a fiction story and even Sam working with her coworkers to create new cocktails to try to save the bar held my attention.
If you're looking for a coming of age story that doesn't have high stakes - this is it.
I highly recommend this one to anyone who enjoyed Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler and would like to pair this with Taste by Stanley Tucci.
TW: eating disorder, drinking
September 10, 2022
Equal parts charming and electric.
Did someone say give me a book with a California girl finding herself in new york? In yet another industry dominated by men? Nursing a heartbreak and avoiding her impending return to harvard law?
After weeks of spending her days on her best friends couch, Samantha Fisher realizes it’s finally time to find a job. Randomly, she stubbles onto bartending. Here Sam wonders if becoming a lawyer is what she truly desires or if it was tied to a life with a man she thought she wanted. A life with a past she seems to guard closely.
This book was right up my alley. A unique mingling of cocktail core and tales. Each chapter opened up with a cocktail recipe and throughout that chapter you get trivia and bartender lore interweaved within the story. — A refreshing elixir that will have you drinking the words right off the pages.
I thinks that’s why books like sweetbitter, happy hour and this one have a deep place in my heart. I resonate deeply with these evocative stories of longing and fleeting youth.
Did someone say give me a book with a California girl finding herself in new york? In yet another industry dominated by men? Nursing a heartbreak and avoiding her impending return to harvard law?
After weeks of spending her days on her best friends couch, Samantha Fisher realizes it’s finally time to find a job. Randomly, she stubbles onto bartending. Here Sam wonders if becoming a lawyer is what she truly desires or if it was tied to a life with a man she thought she wanted. A life with a past she seems to guard closely.
This book was right up my alley. A unique mingling of cocktail core and tales. Each chapter opened up with a cocktail recipe and throughout that chapter you get trivia and bartender lore interweaved within the story. — A refreshing elixir that will have you drinking the words right off the pages.
I thinks that’s why books like sweetbitter, happy hour and this one have a deep place in my heart. I resonate deeply with these evocative stories of longing and fleeting youth.
August 15, 2022
I found the Bartender's Cure to be a cure I was looking for: a book that's smart, but also funny, and a spirit lifter (get it?). The narrator of the story is Sam, a young woman whose quarterlife crisis lands her in an incredibly dark place. What brings her back is love, and not romantic love, but rather love for a bar where, first she bartends, and later, finds her sense of home. At the risk of sounding like an alcoholic, this book very much took me back to my mid-to-late 20s and the discovery of my own neighborhood hang where everybody knew my name. There's something very comforting when you find a community like that.
The recipes at the start of each chapter and the stories behind the cocktails add another element of fun to the storytelling. It reminds you of how storytelling has been passed down, the oral tradition, shared over a communal table (or in this case, a bar).
The recipes at the start of each chapter and the stories behind the cocktails add another element of fun to the storytelling. It reminds you of how storytelling has been passed down, the oral tradition, shared over a communal table (or in this case, a bar).
February 3, 2023
3.5 rounded up to 4 for this reason- This book resonated with me as a bartender myself with a shiny degree that never got me a shiny job. I loved reading about Sam’s journey into cocktail creation and not just fast and boring bartending. What I didn’t love was the no quotes. That’s a harder style for me to read. Wait, did someone just say that or is that the narrator again? That style slows me down a bit. But overall, a great debut and I would love to read something else by the author.
July 23, 2022
Really enjoyed the story and characters, I felt like all of the regulars at Joe's were old friends. The old drink tales were a bit wordy and broke up the flow of the story for me, which is why I only did 4 stars
July 25, 2022
I enjoyed this book.
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October 28, 2022i did actually learn a lot about cocktails so that was fun
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