New York City is known for its fashion, theater and food scene, but did you know that NYC also has an unparalleled cocktail scene? Yeah, I didn’t either. So when I received my copy of New York Cocktails, I was super excited to delve right in.
Authored by Amanda Schuster, Editor-in-Chief of online drink site The Alcohol Professor, New York City Cocktails is not your run of the mill cocktail recipe book. This ode to New York is a stylish compilation of cocktail recipes, lore, bartending techniques, histories of the bars that created the cocktail scene, profiles of industry veterans and beautiful photographs.
Whether you want to know the real story behind the famous New York City Cosmopolitan or the history of New York’s most iconic cocktail––the Manhattan, New York Cocktails takes you on a journey into the borough’s most famous cocktail lore. Perhaps you call them bartenders? Or maybe mixologists? I like to think of them as visionaries. However you like to refer to them, Schuster talks with the city’s most influential people whose creative visions are responsible for the famed cocktail culture.
What’s your favorite subway line? You might have a new favorite after reading this book because New York Cocktails even breaks down a drinking tour that is accessible by a single subway ride. Schuster also dishes on a few of the city’s most exclusive and not-so exclusive speakeasies. Seasonal drinking is not just for wine connoisseurs. Not only does the guide introduce you to some unique seasonal libations, the elegant cocktail book features the perfect rooftop bars, pubs, watering holes and whisk(e)y bars for seasonal imbibing.
New York City might be the epicenter for nightlife, but after a long day sometimes you just want to stay in and enjoy a cocktail or two. Whether it’s a Gatsby-esque dinner party or girls’ night in, New York Cocktails includes recipes for your favorite time-honored cocktails, as well as new twists on old classics. As to Schuster’s favorite New York bar and cocktail, she writes: “When I set out to write this book, I was tasked with writing a “best of” chapter. It made me uncomfortable. That’s because when it comes to bars and the cocktail industry, I don’t like to play favorites. My favorite drink or bar is whichever happens to be delighting my senses or providing sanctuary at any given time.” You can purchase New York Cocktails at your favorite bookstore or online.
Twisted Talk: What’s your favorite cocktail? Do you have a favorite watering hole in the city? Discuss below!
