Vintage Cocktails

If you like trying drinks that you're not likely to find in many bars, or are simply interested in the origin and original recipes for some wonderful but mostly forgotten cocktails, this book is a home run. These recipes are mostly from the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, so you won't see much vodka, but rather many gin, bourbon, and whiskey drinks, along with some liqueurs you've probably never heard of. I've given this book to at least 3 other people, it makes a wonderful gift for someone who enjoys cocktails and experimenting.

This book is fun to read, well illustrated and very entertaining. I find this book useful because you can use the book as a menu of drinks for your friends and guests. My guests leaf thru it and we talk about what we'd like to drink at the next party. It is fun to know little bits of history or trivia about the drinks, and hopefully some of the errors will be corrected in a future edition. I also own the Savoy Bartender's guide and several other drink books and I find there is not as much agreement as you would expect on the ingredients in many famous drinks, so I'm not too concerned about variations - you get to try the different recipes and see what you like. I've never seen a bartenders guide with the correct recipe for a singapore sling - the one from Raffle's Hotel where the drink was invented.Cocktails are like a lost art form. If you've never had a Ramos Fizz, or a whiskey sour you will marvel at the wonderful tastes and fun ways people have invented for drinks.

Before specialty beers and wines that had to breathe, Americans enjoyed "the occasional cocktail." These wonderful libations were a tribute to a people who knew how to take a few moments out to socialize with each other, without a TV on, perhaps in evening dress, or after work. Cocktails took some effort to prepare, and they were to be sipped over conversation. More than just drinks, cocktails were a reflection of the times, good and bad. This book isn't so much a collection of recipes, but a snapshot of those bygone days. And a fascinating read, as well. Some of the recipes conflict with those from other sources, but like discussions about wine vintages, the reader should leave plenty of leeway. Whether you enjoy cocktails or not, "Vintage Cocktails" is a cool look at an era we may never see again.

I got this book for a murder mystery party set in 1928 Chicago. What a perfect cocktail book. I chose 3 recipes as drinks of the night, and gave the background on each drink. I liked the book so much, I bought another one to give as a prize to the player who solved the murder first!

Tons o' fun for retroheads -- a must-have for the vintage enthusiast to add to his or her home bar. Not only does it contain terrific vintage drink recipes (as you'd probably expect), but fascinating and wittily written stories about the origins of various libations, complete with anecdotes and classic illustrations. This is a great gift book.