From the world's best bartender, comes the perfect companion to his bestselling Classic Cocktails . Finish off dinner with luxurious brandies, armagnacs, and cognacs; smooth and earthy malt whiskies; and rich, distinguished port. Linger with luscious liqueurs, savoring a fine cigar with your drink. Calabrese dishes up recipes for classic treats, plus his own much praised originals; history; definitions of different varieties; and advice on choosing a brand, tasting, testing, and serving. Throughout, there are boxed sidebars, a multitude of color photographs, vintage posters, advertisements, and drawings. "Information and recipes in a beautifully illustrated volume..."-- Chicago Tribune .
So I picked this up at a sale at my library, and have really enjoyed reading small sections over the last couple of months. Calabrese is clearly an expert, but also comes off as friendly instead of pretentious, happy to share knowledge and allow the reader to look like they know more than they likely do. The art is fantastic. Deeply enjoyed the posters and advertisements from various times and regions. I was so glad he included those, they were very fun. The drinks are tricky. Clearly tastes have shifted in the quarter century since this was published. So many recipes include items like egg yolks, and I can’t recall one with an egg white. It sounds so heavy. The majority include fresh cream, which also I think could be a little heavy, but also, what do I use? Whipping cream? Anyway, it creates an interesting contrast to the drinks I see offered at modern speakeasies. I have only made one. It didn’t have egg yolks or fresh cream, and it really was delicious. So, I’m curious to try a few. Or maybe Salvatore and I can bring back the 90s as I try some of these in the future.