Cocktail Parties with a Twist: Drink + Food + Style

If you're looking for a recipe for a Singapore Sling, turn to Mr. Boston's. And if party pictures of young people upset you for some reason, this isn't your book. But if you're looking for truly distinctive, really impressive, great tasting cocktails and food to go with it, this book is for you. While it's masquerading as something of a lifestyle book, I found it to be a suprisingly serious and well-researched effort. I've had a lot of memorable nights thanks to the ideas in here, and I've never seen another book like it -- it's almost like the French Laundry Cookbook, but focused on drinks. I'm very glad I trusted the positive reviews here.

This book is simply gorgeous. It will inspire you to dream up some excuse to throw a party and enjoy it. It is a "must-have" for every kitchen bookshelf and certainly worthy of display on the coffee table. I bought one for myself and am now buying a few more to give away as Christmas presents.

This book is a breath of fresh air in the sometimes overly fussy genre of entertaining books. The parties all have a fabulous air of fantasy about them, but the authors really show you how you can get the same feel. My favorite is the Impossibly Small Apartment party, which shows how a less-than-perfect pad can be transformed into a cool spot for a glamorous get-together. Actually, the best part is the original cocktail recipes, which are sophisticated and delicious. Too many cocktail books are just encyclopedias of drinks, many of which are awful. The authors have done a great job of presenting excellent classic recipes, and their original recipes are killer! Overall, this is a younger, hipper version of Colin Cowie or Martha. This book is a must-have for bartenders or aspiring mixologists, and would be a perfect present for a young person starting out in party-giving (maybe for a 21st b-day) or for anyone who's get-togethers could use an infusion of fun, funky ideas.

A friend of mine got me this book because I am having a Christmas party, and the book is awesome. Being a single guy, most of my parties consist of your basic beer, wine, vodka and tequila. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but this book has really fantastic drink recipes - speakeasy-type drinks from the Prohibition era and other cool cocktails. It also teaches you how to mix excellent drinks and about different kinds of alcohol, etc.., as well as how to make many different kinds of party food. I highly recommend it. It's laid out like a coffee table book, with very cool pictures (including several good looking girls, which is a bonus, at least for me). I am about to buy it for some friends and wanted to stop off and give it a good review. Check it out!

Most books on cocktails focus exclusively on how to make the drinks. This book takes a more atmospheric approach. It has great examples of what drinks and food to serve for different kinds of cocktail parties. I highly recommend this book.