THE OXFORD COMPANION TO SPIRITS & COCKTAILS  To say this book is an exhaustive exploration of the world of Spirits and Cocktails would be an understatement. Part encyclopedia, part history, part recipe book and possibly even a door stop, this book is huge coming in at 834 pages and a fairly hefty price tag at $65.00 (USD) but worth every penny if you enjoy a good cocktail and want to learn it’s history and enjoy the journey that comes from discovery.
This mighty collection of alcoholic drinks and bartending techniques from around the world gives clear descriptions of all the myriad methods of distillation, fermentation and ageing and includes a plethora of details on the cocktail renaissance of the past 20 years. Covering drinks from Absinthe to Zombies, it’s all about the history, culture and consumption of cocktails from around the world. You have so much to learn, and the authors are dream teachers that drive you to want to keep turning the pages. What’s in this glass? That really is the question the authors try to answer for us. There’s chemistry, engineering, science and history in every glass of spirits we consume, and we learn those stories and our lives are better for it. While not a book that you will simply sit down and read, it’s a “rabbit hole” kind of book. You read one entry and find out a little part of the story and then you are off searching for the next part. It’s a beautiful book filled with illustrations and photographs and over 1,000 entries. It’s encyclopedic and readable and downright fun. A great addition to any foodie library. Cheers!
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 TASTE: My Life Through Food If you ever wanted to sit down with the incredible Stanley Tucci, drink a glass of wine, share a meal, and hear stories of his life and adventures of discovery then this is the book to savor. It is filled with the anecdotes, recipes, joys, sorrows, ups and downs of a life well-loved as well as an exploration of his ongoing love of food. Especially, his love of Italian food, the food of his ancestors.
We started our introduction to with TASTE: My Life Through Food while enjoying a @smithsoniaSA webinar featuring the incredible Barefoot Contessa: @inagarten as she interviews @stanleytucci at his home in London. The book had not yet been delivered but we were hooked. Ina Garten is such a joy, yet to watch her literally “fan girl” over Stanley Tucci was fantastic and worth the cost of admission. By the way, if you’ve never experienced a @smithsonianSA webinar, do yourself a favor and check them out! We picked up this copy at our favorite bookseller, THE WEBSTER GROVES BOOKSHOP - Home and we devoured it just as we have devoured many of the recipes held inside. It’s one of those books. Hard to categorize. Cookbook? Yes! Memoir? You bet! But really, it’s like sitting down and having an intimate conversation with a true legend and being taken on a ride through their lives all while enjoying wine and food vicariously through them. What could be better? Stanley Tucci’s life could and should be a movie. He’s lived so much for someone who is just now entering his 60s. He still has so much to give, and we look forward to watching his continued journey. |
AuthorJust a super cool old couple who love to cook and eat and drink and read in their Carondelet Kitchen in South Saint Louis, Missouri! Archives
January 2024
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