Product Description

Cocktail enthusiast A.J. Rathbun has collected 450 classic and contemporary drink recipes featuring an incredible variety of spirits, mixers, and garnishes. Accompanied by stunning, full-color photographs and written in a fresh, lively tone, this is the definitive guide for anyone who appreciates the art of the cocktail. With chapters organized themes including Cool it Down, Gold Standards, and Pacifying a Crowd, it's easy to find the perfect drink for every mood and occasion. With entertaining and informative sidebars such as Top Five Movie Star Mixes and Four Drinks Not to Serve the In-laws, it's easy to see Rathbun's extensive knowledge and his passion for a great drink. And for anyone who wants to go beyond mixing a few new cocktails and become a home bartender, a thorough introduction provides information on all the different varieties of liquors and mixers, glassware, and essential equipment. Good Spirits is like the perfect party: the drinks go down easy and everyone will have a great time.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #157029 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-01
• Released on: 2007-09-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 496 pages

Review
In this gorgeous guide to every cocktail imaginable, Rathbun breaks out the 12 chapters not by ingredients but by useful, or at least amusing, categories. These include Dinner for Two, which is a chapter of romantic drinks such as the French Connection (brandy and amaretto) and the Kiss in the Dark (cherry brandy and dry vermouth). A section entitled An Obscure Reliquary features creepy concoctions, like a Brain Hemorrhage and a Corpse Reviver. There's a voluminous chapter on martinis, including a questionable Bacontini, as well as others on shots, frozen drinks, hot drinks and blended drinks. There are 450 recipes in all-and, fortunately, an excellent index. Not only is there a general index to let you know on which page to find a Purple Python, there is also an index of Drinks by Primary Liquor, which lists, for example, all the book's 29 bourbon-based options at a glance. The scores of full-page color photos by the aptly named Melissa Punch, each with dazzling Day-Glo backgrounds, are thirst inducing and add an irresistible retro charm to the proceedings. (Oct.) --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

About the Author
A.J. Rathbun is a freelance food and entertaining writer and the author of Party Drinks! His work has appeared in numerous national publications. A.J. also teaches mixology classes at cooking schools.

Customer Reviews

An Indispensable Guide For Dandy Dispensables
As a big fan of A.J. Rathbun's previous cocktail book, Party Drinks, I have to admit that I had high expectations for his comprehensive guide, Good Spirits. But as I cracked open the new book, I immediately knew that he had knocked this one out of the park. The recipes are easy to follow, and the descriptions make me want to shake, stir, and sip almost every drink in the book. (The mouthwatering photos in Good Spirits add to the attraction too!) But, most importantly, since this is a book about good times and good fun, A.J. has taken great care to make sure that the book itself is part of the joy of entertaining. Like the cocktails in the book, Good Spirits is perfectly mixed!

Recipes, revelations, refreshments, and romance, INDEED
This enormous box just arrived from Amazon! It only had ONE book in it! This one! Wow! It's so beautiful, it's so heavy, it's so full of gorgeous pictures and even MORE gorgeous writing and recipes.

I love all the lists ("Five drinks to serve to the in-laws" "Six obscure facts to bring up at the bar"). I love that all the French I've seen so far is correct. Of course, I love that the Rebecca gets another shot at greatness. I love the index by primary alcohol. I love the list of specific gravities of different liqueurs so I can make fancy layered drinks. And ohmigoodness, I just love that there is an obscene number of recipes in this book--some for crowds, some for a twosome, some for summer, some for winter. It goes on and on and on.

I was going to have wine tonight, but that's out the window now. There's pineapple juice in the fridge--sounds like it's time for a French Martini!

Guaranteed to raise your spirits
Three cheers for the Bacontini! This is just one of the many interesting drinks profiled in this enchanting book. Chock full of recipes and fun anecdotes, Good Spirits is indispensable when it comes to looking for the perfect drink to serve for just about any occasion. The only issue I had with it was getting distracted by the hilarious commentary when trying to quickly reference a recipe--it's just too good to put down! I have my cookbooks and cocktail books displayed in my kitchen and this one always gets commented on by guests because of its good looks. Beauty and brains--a great find! I bought several copies--for myself and as gifts since it makes a great coffee-table book too!