Old Man Drinks: Recipes, Advice, and Barstool Wisdom

by Robert Schnakenberg, Michael E. Reali (Photographer)

Lose those girly cocktails and start drinking like a real man—a real old man! These Old Man Drinks are guaranteed to put hair on that scrawny baby’s bottom you call a chest. From Boilermakers and Sidecars to Rusty Nails and Satan’s Whiskers, these old-school party starters go down just as rough as they sound. No pink drinks or foo-foo umbrellas here! Just the good stuff—whiskey, rye, bourbon, gin—and some priceless life lessons that only the very old can provide. So man up, quit your bitchin’, and grab a stool, ’cause it’s gonna be a long night.

Genres: Cookbooks, Reference, Food, Nonfiction

160 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2010

About the author

Robert Schnakenberg has been called "the Howard Zinn of nerd pop culture." He is the author of more than a dozen books, including Old Man Drinks, Christopher Walken A-to-Z, Secret Lives of Great Authors, and the New York Times bestseller The Big Bad Book of Bill Murray. His work has appeared in Penthouse.

Reviews

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

l have always maintained that old people drink the best cocktails and this book confirms it. lf you love bourbon, rye and gin (which l do) this book is an essential part of your collection. lt is also very, very funny and informative; the author explains the origins of many of the cocktails and nuggets of golden old man knowledge are distributed throughout. Probably the best cocktail recipe book l've read, and l have read a few. l'm not sure if that makes me a bibliophile or an alcoholic. What the hell, it can make me both.

[Michael Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of humorous quotes from old guys who drink or used to drink, sometimes a lot. Plus there are many recipes of mixed drinks that I’ve heard of but never had the courage or knowledge to order. A quick, immensely satisfying read.

[Rob Underwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

delightful and informative. worth it just for the quotes but the bite size history lessons and recipes are great.

[Evie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A neat little recipe book with all the great classic simple no-nonsense drinks that you can easily make without having to have 50 different liqueurs lying around the house - not that that has ever really been a problem for us.

[Jim Cristini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great drinks and funny comments throughout the book

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short guide to some of the dustier cocktails.

[Elmer Foster · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mildly interesting compilation of alcoholic drinks, alphabetical, with the most popular versions included. If there is a variant, mostly gets name checked. Best part is the requisite ingredients and how to make the drink... um, put the stuff in the glass, mostly.

Very little historical info, notional at best.

The downer is the inclusion on various pages of random old men (depressing looking, road hard, road weary) drinkers along with, I guess, their own life quote. Some are drinking related others, well, they can't all be winners.

Truth be told there are a handful of drinks that caught my attention, not because of Hemingway citing them, or otherwise, but because they sounded delicious.

At best, a side table or bathroom reader, or bar-side reference guide for whatever hard liquor you may have on hand.

No real markers, or thumb index, for say gin, vodka, or whiskey specific drinks, would be a nice touch. Or perhaps divided by section. Alas, not to be.

If you see one, pick it up.

Thanks for reading.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve had this for a little over a year now and have used it as a reference for several drinks I forgot about or just became aware after reading it – it’s not that long of a book and written in a conversational style, and it can really strike up the conversation when guests visit. It would be a nice addition to your home bar or as a gift to someone.

[estar* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute stories about cocktails.

[Chris Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got this book as a gift for Christmas. It may have been more of a gag gift poking at my age. This is a very short read with several classic drink recipes. There were pictures of old men with various quotes spread throughout the book, and they were the most interesting part of the book. Some of the drink recipes included history and origin of the drink.

While I enjoyed some of the comments/quotes in the book, I have a better book with a larger variety of drink recipes. For me, there are better books for drink recipes than this one.

[Jerzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as the title promised. Good, (mostly) simple drinks that a grouchy old man can appreciate, along with photos and quotes from some old men.

Few of the recipes call for rare ingredients you'll never use again. You can make most of these by remixing the basic spirits with a couple of standard extras like bitters, citrus juice, and maraschino cherry or olive for garnish. Some instructions aren't fully clear (with the egg white, do you just pour it in and stir? or shake it in a cocktail shaker? or beat it with a mixer first?) but it's mostly simple.

Each drink recipe also has a bit of info about the history of that cocktail. Some of the jokes/comments in these histories are weirdly a bit offensive, not sure why, but most are funny or informative.

[Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing anecdotes and interesting recipes to try, though I do not have the bar materials for most of the concoctions or room for all the glasses and utensils needed. But I enjoyed learning about the classics and it would be a good gift for an old dad for father's day, especially if he likes going to bars a lot.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic mixed drinks and the guys who drink them. Almost as good as plopping down on the next stool to swap stories.