Drink Lightly: A Lighter Take on Serious Cocktails, with 100+ Recipes for Low- and No-Alcohol Drinks: A Cocktail Recipe Book

by Natasha David, Alex Day (Foreword)

“When I think mixing, I usually think music, not drinks. Natasha David’s Drink Lightly made me think twice. This set of recipes for non-alcoholic and low-alcoholic cocktails does the perfect thing, which is to show us how to make our lives a little better, and it does it over and over again.” —Questlove 

Explore the lighter side of serious cocktails with 100 recipes for creative low and no-alcohol drinks from the craft cocktail veteran behind New York City’s beloved Nitecap bar.

ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE Saveur

Drink Lightly presents a relaxed style of drinking that goes down easy but is soundly rooted in the technical precision of craft cocktails. Award-winning bartender Natasha David’s approach to low-alcohol, aperitif-style drinks goes far beyond the formulaic—bitter liqueur plus soda—and takes full advantage of an incredible and vast array of low-proof spirits, liqueurs, and wines, along with flavorful fruit and herbal infusions. The result is a collection of creative, genre-pushing drinks that surprise and delight.

Offerings are effervescent and light in effect, but complex in flavor, ranging from savory and herbal to floral and aromatic, depending on your mood. Inspired by the joyful rhythms of life and gathering, recipes include delights such as the Lillet Rouge-spiked Kitty Cat Chronicles and the Wiggle Room, a vermouth and soda on a tropical vacation. The drinks are organized by refreshing Gulpabale Thirst Quenchers that invigorate the soul, Party Starters for a crowd, Decadent Treats for some frothy indulgence, end-of-the-night Slow Sippers, and non-alcoholic pick-me-ups.
 
Served up with whimsy and a wink, Drink Lightly will delight novices and professionals alike with its joyful spirit and lighthearted offerings.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking

272 pages, Hardcover

Published April 5, 2022

Reviews

[Debra]

I wanted to love this book. I heard an interview with David on The Splendid Table and immediately went out and found the book. The good thing is that I found it at the library. Don't get me wrong. it's a lovely book and I enjoyed the writing. I was excited to find some very sippable summer cocktails.

While I'm sure the cocktails are lovely, the ingredients seemed hard (for me) to source and even with caveats from David about the expense of a particular obscure bubbly wine, I felt let down. (Especially when only 1 teaspoon of said expensive particular obscure bubbly wine was used in the cocktail.)

Of course the problem is that this book is for the serious home bartender. I'm not that serious. I did enjoy the section on glassware and how she classifies all cocktails into seven categories: the Sour, the Daisy, the Highball, the Spritz, the Martini, the Old-Fashioned and the Alexander. From these seven, she lists foundational recipes that could help one mix and match and create. I also appreciated her shout out to using jams in cocktails.

There's a lot of prep involved beyond just sourcing the ingredients. Her cocktails call for infusions and syrups like Jalapeno-Blanco Tequila, Beet Aperol, Cacao Nib Campari, Toasted Coconut Madeira, Salted Lemon-Lime Cordial, Sage White Wine, and Vermouth Limoncello. (I was actually most intrigued by Syrups and Infusions section.

I found one recipe I wanted (and felt confident) to try: "Words Of Wisdom." It involved the aforementioned Sage White Wine, honey syrup, apricot liquor, and "Miracle Mile Bay Rum Bitters." I will be using peach liquor and regular bitters b/c that's what I have on hand.

Bottom line is that these recipes are not simple (and David acknowledges that). I would just prefer to go to a lowly-lit bar and have a master bartender make them for me.

[Lea McMahan]

The title implies light to no drinking, however very few of the recipes in this book were actually zero-proof. Instead, this cookbook offers a lighter... attitude? Towards drinking? And most of the recipes called for spirits, wines, or both. The recipes sounded pretty solid but based on the title and promise of low- and no- alcohol drinks, I was disappointed how little of the book I could actually make for my sober friends. It's not a bad book perse, but it doesn't deliver on the promised front and could do with a retitling or rebranding to make it more relevant to the material actually presented by the author.

[Maksym]

One of the best books on cocktails I have ever read! The author is so eloquent that she coaxed me into buying carrot aquavit. No, seriously, the descriptions in the book are so appetizing that you can’t read it without getting inspired. Thank you, Natasha David!

[Elizabeth]

As heard on The Splendid Table:
https://play.podtrac.com/APM-Splendid...

[Lady Shalott]

I went through this book today looking to snap photos of recipes for future reference. (Only glossed over the narrative beginning bits.) I personally love cordials and liqueurs more than liquor, so I was hoping to find some really scrumptious combinations. Only 30 pages felt relevant to me for future use. Among those 30 pages, I only found 4 recipes that I could make right now with what I have. I have a pretty decent home bar, but I like to rotate through specialty cordials/liqueurs so they don't collect dust. I won't bash my bar or the book, but it should be known that these are quite specialty drinks here. Unless you are a cocktail aficionado with a dizzyingly abundant inventory, be prepared to go shopping (at possibly more than one shop) to find the ingredients.

Shoutout to "Four on the Floor," which is the recipe I have my eye on to try first: Suze, sauterne, banana liqueur, Jamaican rum. My inner Ina Garten says, "How fabulous is that?!" Also loved the "best enjoyed when" phrases. They spark joy and whimsy in all of life's moments.
***EDIT: I made this cocktail, and--being so excited for it--decided to make it for family for the first time. It was quite anticlimactic. For all its vivacious parts, the drink itself tastes more like a martini. Smooth, but kinda boring. But hey, I am now a creme de banane fan and am excited to use it in my winter cocktails.

I also like the recipes at the back for the elevated cocktail ingredients like vermouth limoncello and fennel syrup. I'll definitely be trying these out over time.

Lastly, I love that the book includes pitcher-friendly/punch bowl recipes. I have never served batch cocktails like that, but it certainly looks festive and abundant to see a giant vessel ready to serve.