Product Description

From a glittering Stardust Martini to a Cognac Zoom, "Atomic Cocktails" blasts into the ether with more than 50 Space Age cocktails, revealing the secrets that ardent swingers have spent years discovering, including the fundamentals of mixology and how to master all the classics. 60+ color illustrations.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #396569 in Books
• Published on: 1998-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 96 pages

Amazon.com Review
What cocktails do you think people enjoyed in the Polish Middle Ages? You don't know, do you? Neither does anyone else. That's because no one bothered to write such things down. But if you had to write about American culture from, say, Prohibition to the current fin de siècle, you would be hard pressed to leave out the cocktail.

So hats off to Karen Brooks, Gideon Bosker, and Reed Darmon, who have taken it upon themselves to gather up the arcana while it is still fresh and available and save it between covers for this generation and many more to come. Design, recipes, and writing all stand out in this cocktail lovefest that courts kitsch while all but taking itself seriously. You'd certainly have trouble doing much better for a collection of cocktail recipes than those provided herein. The design gathers all that was hip and cool in the '50s, '60s, and '70s, by about which time the cocktail was fading in the face of wine on the one hand and party drugs on the other. This book is a nice sharp stick in the eye of the New Puritanism--as the authors point out, the mighty American industry that rose up in the 1950s was built on the three-martini lunch. We can, of course, only hope that decisions affecting a wider population--who's going to drive, for example, or where to dump that toxic waste--are no longer being made after three martinis, no matter what the time of day.

And speaking of martinis, while the authors make good with tasty drink recipes such as the Stardust Martini and the Cognac Zoom, sadly missing is the Cajun Martini made popular by chef Paul Prudhomme. Now that's a cocktail to tangle with. --Schuyler Ingle

Review

Reviews From:

Chicago Tribune

Bon Apetit

Roam

Atomic Cocktails brings back the glamour—such as it is—of tippling a-go-go. Written by nostalgia buffs Karen Brooks, Gideon Bosker and Reed Darmon, the book delivers dozens of cocktails with a Œ50s and Œ60s point of view. The 50 recipes include classics such as martinis and Manhattans to libations such as Guava Daiquiri of the Party Gods and Hot Buttered Rumba. Rookies will find the basics (equipment, techniques, ingredients) here too, not to mention a very amusing read.

Also useful is Atomic Cocktails by Karen Brooks, Gideon Bosker and Reed Darmon. This one focuses on mixed drinks from the fifties and sixties and the array of products and accessories they inspired. Where else are you going to find out how to mix up a batch of Ray Guns or Angry Red Planets?

Start the summer parties off with a bang, with Atomic Cocktails, a bright new collection of drinks, vintage graphics and detailed bayside reference. Surefire hits like the Brazen Martini (violet liqueur and an orange twist in the place of vermouth), Neon Watermelon Margaritas and the fearsome-sounding Angry Red Planet (bloody mary with wasabi), just might wreak everlasting havoc on cocktail life as we know it.

From the Inside Flap
Turn off the TV, cue up Old Blue Eyes, and turn on the night with this complete guide to classic and contemporary drinks. The ultimate invatation to swank refreshment, Atomic Cocktails takes you deep inside the rituals and mythology of the fabulous fifties and swingin' sixties.

Tough day at the office? Unwind with a nice, cool Urban Bourbon. Looking for the perfect martini? Authors Brooks, Bosker, and Darmon shed light on the shaken vs. stirred theories and introduce you to six savvy versions. Party time? The Guava Daiquiri of the Party Gods will have you dancing in the moonlight.

Atomic Cocktails reveals the secrets ardent swingers have spent years discovering, including the fundamentals of mixology and how to master all the classics: the Manhattan, Side Car, Old-Fashioned, Mint Julep. The Atomic Cocktails repertoire includes space-age selections, tropical exotica, summer coolers, hot shots, some real originals, and specials from the alcohol-free zone. It even includes a guide to gadgets and glassware. And you'll find an indispensable shopping section that covers all the essential ingredients from flavored vodkas to fine rum, complete with recommendations for both high-end and budget options.

So break out the swizzle sticks and get yourself ready, it's time for a little liquid libation, atomic style.

Customer Reviews

An extreemly good introduction to cocktail culture
Atomic Cocktails is nicely designed and serves a novice very well. The pictures and drinks included are pure 50's, stylish and fun. The recipes presented are detailed and easy to duplicate at home. Contained in the back of the book is a glossary of liquors telling which have a better taste at better prices. All in all a very good book one that will spur the intrests of beginers. I wish, however, that it had given more recipes.

Nifty retro look at the elixir of life.
This was a fun read. Quick too. I found some new drink recipes, and some nostalgia for a time I am too young to remember. If anything, the book was too short as I could have done with a few more drinks, and some more nostalgia. At least some Cole Porter or Noel Coward. Rick, Nora. Somebody. Still, it was fun while it lasted, and clearly understood and conveyed the romance, grace, and promise of a Martini.

Head For The Lounge
Atomic Cocktails is a great book if you are interested in mixing up some potent potables, but you can find a thousand other books that give you the same information. What separates this book from the pack is the retro-packaging. Done up in a kitschy, campy style, the book harkens back to the lounge lizard days of the 50's & 60's. The book honors the time when drinking a martini was the height of cool and does the fine art of mixing drinks proud.