Mix Shake Stir: Recipes from Danny Meyer's Acclaimed New York City Restaurants

I'm not much of a drinker, but when we had neighbors in the other day, I thought it would be fun to make some kind of drink that everyone could enjoy. We pulled out Mix Shake Stir, a beautiful book full of cocktail recipes with a few appetizer recipes thrown in for fun. This book contains recipes from Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group which includes some of New York's most well known restaurants. With 130 recipes and beautiful illustrations, this book is sure to have something for everyone. The recipes are grouped by type - favorite classics, new classics, inspired flavors, elegant sips, casual libations, and bar fare (appetizers). There's a section in the front that includes tips on ice, garnishes, bar tools and glassware and a reference section in the back that covers simple syrups, salt and sugar rims, etc. Since it was the last weekend of the summer, we decided we'd have Summer Sangria and Carl found the recipe easy to follow. This drink was a big hit with everyone who came!

Any home cook who would create and mix cocktails beyond the norm will want to consult Mix Shake Stir: Cocktails for the Home Bar. It comes from the author's acclaimed New York City restaurants and offers recipes for some unique, original cocktail creations, from Blue Smoke and Shake Shack to the classic party drink Rickshaw. Drink recipes come from Union Square Cafe, Gramery Tavern, and more and are fine picks.

I bought this book as a gift, but I had it sent to me first, I was going to give it in person. It is a beautiful book, and I looked through it to see what I was giving away. Wonderful. The most unusual drinks and the person I gave the book to loves to entertain. I know she will be able to find the perfect drink for every guest. I think this book is a winner!!

We can't think of the last time two wine lovers like us got this excited about a cocktail book -- but then again, most everything Danny Meyer and his team touch seems to turn to gold. MIX SHAKE STIR is a (professional *or* amateur) mixologist's delight, showcasing through gorgeous four-color photos and mouthwatering recipes both classic and cutting-edge flavor combinations -- like cucumber + cilantro, peach + Prosecco, rhubarb + ginger -- in cocktails that look as great as they sound. Ever the thoughtful host, Meyer even includes recipes for accompanying bar snacks -- from Gramercy Tavern Bar Nuts to the betcha-can't-eat-just-one Hot Garlic Potato Chips we ourselves can't get enough of at his Union Square Cafe. After a respectful nod to classic cocktails, the book documents some of Meyer's renowned restaurants' most popular contemporary cocktails -- which surely include a future classic or two.

My father once ate --- by mistake --- a bourbon ball and nearly passed out. My mother has a glass of Manischewitz Cream Red Concord --- "a sweet but balanced wine with a velvety mouth feel" --- once every decade or so. Me? Two drinks and I get giddy, then sleepy. There is no cheaper date. But every once in a while someone makes an exotic drink that hides the taste of the key ingredient, and I suddenly see how I could develop a serious liking for darkened bars and delicious libations. Do not, if you have a problem with alcohol, open this book --- the pictures alone will have you in the gutter. Really, these beverages are as shiny as jewels. From the glassware to the ice cubes, everything is spectacular. A rim of salt is so even you'd suspect a surgeon applied it. Fruit isn't cut, it's carved. Open this book to any page and you'll find yourself thinking, "Well, it's 5 PM somewhere." Which is more or less what you'd expect from Danny Meyer, whose New York restaurants include Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, 11 Park Madison, Table, Blue Smoke, The Modern and the Shake Shack --- every one a winner. This man knows how to please his customers, and if you think that's foodie hype, just dip into his memoir, 'Setting the Table'. Not that you can go to your liquor cabinet and whip up most of these 100 drinks. There's a slight trick to these potions: uncommon ingredients. Freshly made ice cubes are the least of it --- we're talking flavored vodkas, obscure syrups, herbs like Thai basil. And then it's just a matter of nicely tweaked recipes. Like a mojito made with champagne and rose water. Or Blue Smoke's Dirty Pete, a martini that calls for olive brine and hot-pepper sauce instead of vermouth. The proof's in the tasting. From modest experience: I'll have another, bartender.