Food & Wine Cocktails 2006

When this arrived, I thought "That's it?" It's a slender little pocket guide with only a couple of recipes on each page, but after digging onto it, I've been very surprised and pleased by its contents! There have been no clunkers of any of the cocktail recipes I've tried so far, and a couple that I've added to my entertaining repetiore. Some recipes call for less common ingredients, most of which are explained in the 'Spirits Lexicon, a handy bit of knowledge for a layman like me who lacks any bar tending experience. All in all, a great little book for someone who enjoys the artistry of preparing interesting cocktails.

First of all, don't buy this if you want to learn how to make straight-forward cocktails. These are innovative cocktails developed by some of the trendiest bars and eateries in the U.S. You might even have difficulty finding some of the alcohols mentioned in a number of recipes because they're often quite uncommon. With that said, if you have a well-stocked bar, then this book is recommended. It's also better than Cocktails 2005 because it includes recipes for bar food that look really tasty (e.g. sirloin burgers with onion jam). There are a number of drinks you'll probably never make (the squid ink martini with real squid ink!), but the rest should be fun to try!