THAT'S THE SPIRIT (Hardie Grant, 2019, 176 pages, ISBN 978-1-78713-264-1 $22.99 USD hardbound) is by Jonathan Ray, who has been drinks/wine editor of the Spectator (UK), GQ, and the Daily Telegraph in his lifetime. Plus, he's the author of several wine books. He's selected 100 of the best spirits, liqueurs and digestifs to drink with style. His coverage is alphabetical, from Absolut Elyx Single Estate Handcrafted Vodka through Pimm's No. 6 Cup to Wynand Fockink Citroen Likeur. Each is described on a page, with a bottle shot. There are features throughout, such as material about cocktails through the ages, how spirits are made, cognac, essentials for a home cocktail, mixers, top international cocktail bars (including one from Toronto, BarChef, with its 5000 bitters), and, of course, recipes. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements. His book comes complete with comic quotes from great drinkers, old advertisements, an alphabetical index, and a listing of the 100 spirits by type (Scotch, Cognac, Calvados, Grappa, Rum, et al.
Audience and level of use: bartenders, drinkers, millennials, reference libraries.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: Classics – The Old Fashioned, The Dry Martini, The Manhattan, The Sidecar, Margarita, The Daiquiri/Mohito, The Negroni, et al.
The downside to this book: what, Fernet Branca did not make the cut? WOW
The upside to this book: a good collection of 100 bottles for your bar, if you have the room or if you are a restaurant/hotel bar.
Quality/Price Rating: 91.
Chimo! www.deantudor.com
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