 | |
| Author | Steven Grasse |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Abrams Books |
Publication date | September 2016 |
| Media type | Hardcover |
| Pages | 224 |
| ISBN | 1419722301 |
| OCLC | 958574007 |
| Website | colonialspiritsbook |
Colonial Spirits: A Toast To Our Drunken History is a book written by Steven Grasse. It was first published in September 2016 by Abrams Books. [1]
The book is a survey of the drinking habits of the 18th century United States, with chapters on beer, cider, rum, punch and other beverages popular in Colonial America. [2] It includes both historical and modern cocktail recipes, some from historical figures such as Martha Washington, interwoven with historical anecdotes from colonial history. [3] [4] The book's illustrations, drawn by Reverend Michael Alan, were inspired by Pennsylvania Dutch folk art. [5]
Colonial Spirits received generally positive reviews. Elise de los Santos of the Chicago Tribune described it as: "Part history lesson, part drink recipe book, Colonial Spirits imparts fun facts and anecdotes about our forefathers’ drinking habits with a 21st-century sense of humor." [6]
Kristen Hartke of NPR wrote: "With witty illustrations by Reverend Michael Alan — think Pennsylvania Dutch folk art crossed with Edward Gorey — Colonial Spirits thumbs its nose, ever so slightly, at the American obsession with mixology and fussily precise 12-ingredient cocktails." [7]
The book was featured in publications such as The Wall Street Journal , [8] Smithsonian, [5] Imbibe , [9] and CBS 5 San Francisco. [10] Colonial Spirits was nominated for "Best New Spirits Book" at the 2017 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards. [11]
A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink. Most commonly, cocktails are either a single spirit or a combination of spirits mixed with other ingredients, such as juices, flavored syrups, tonic water, shrubs, and bitters. Cocktails vary widely across regions of the world, and many websites publish both original recipes and their own interpretations of older and more famous cocktails.
The old fashioned is a cocktail made by muddling sugar with bitters and water, adding whiskey, and garnishing with an orange slice or zest and a cocktail cherry. It is traditionally served with ice in an old fashioned glass.
A margarita is a cocktail consisting of tequila, triple sec, and lime juice. Some margarita recipes include simple syrup as well and are often served with salt on the rim of the glass. Margaritas can be served either shaken with ice, without ice, or blended with ice. Most bars serve margaritas in a stepped-diameter variant of a cocktail glass or champagne coupe called a margarita glass. The margarita is one of the world's most popular cocktails and the most popular tequila-based cocktail.
The Sazerac is a local variation of a cognac or whiskey cocktail originally from New Orleans, named for the Sazerac de Forge et Fils brand of cognac brandy that served as its original main ingredient. The drink is most traditionally a combination of cognac or rye whiskey, absinthe, Peychaud's Bitters, and sugar, although bourbon whiskey is sometimes substituted for the rye and Herbsaint is sometimes substituted for the absinthe. Some claim it is the oldest known American cocktail, with origins in antebellum New Orleans, although drink historian David Wondrich is among those who dispute this, and American instances of published usage of the word cocktail to describe a mixture of spirits, bitters, and sugar can be traced to the dawn of the 19th century.
A shot glass is a glass originally designed to hold or measure spirits or liquor, which is either imbibed straight from the glass or poured into a cocktail. An alcoholic beverage served in a shot glass and typically consumed quickly, in one gulp, may also be known as a "shooter" or “shot”.
Eggnog, historically also known as a milk punch or an egg milk punch when alcoholic beverages are added, is a rich, chilled, sweetened, dairy-based beverage. It is traditionally made with milk, cream, sugar, egg yolks, and whipped egg whites. A distilled spirit such as brandy, rum, whisky or bourbon is often a key ingredient.
A dark 'n' stormy is a highball cocktail made with dark rum and ginger beer served over ice and garnished with a slice of lime. Lime juice and simple syrup are also frequently added. This drink is very similar to the Moscow mule except that the Dark 'n' Stormy has dark rum instead of vodka. The original Dark 'n' Stormy was made with Gosling Black Seal rum and Barritt's Ginger Beer, but after the partnership between the two failed and the companies parted ways, Gosling Brothers created its own ginger beer.
Jeremiah "Jerry" P. Thomas was an American bartender who owned and operated saloons in New York City. Because of his pioneering work in popularizing cocktails across the United States as well, he is considered "the father of American mixology". In addition to writing the seminal work on cocktails, Bar-Tender's Guide, Thomas displayed creativity and showmanship while preparing drinks and established the image of the bartender as a creative professional. As such, he was often nicknamed "Professor" Jerry Thomas.
Dale DeGroff, also known as "the King of Cocktails" or "King Cocktail", is an American bartender and author. The New York Times in 2015 called DeGroff "one of the world's foremost cocktail experts", and wrote that his book The Craft of the Cocktail is considered an essential bartending reference. From 1987 to 1999 DeGroff rose to prominence as the original chief bartender in the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center in New York City, where his then-unusual emphasis on classic cocktail recipes and high-quality ingredients led to substantial acclaim and emulation by many other bars in New York City and beyond, and helped influence the creation of the craft cocktail movement.
Old Tom Gin is a gin recipe popular in 18th-century England. In modern times, it became rare but has experienced a resurgence in the craft cocktail movement. It is slightly sweeter than London Dry, but slightly drier than the Dutch Jenever, thus is sometimes called "the missing link".
A buck is a cocktail that is made with ginger ale or ginger beer, citrus juice, and any of a number of base liquors. Buck cocktails are sometimes called "mules" due to the popularity of a vodka buck that is known as a Moscow mule.
The Chicago cocktail is a brandy-based mixed drink probably named for the city of Chicago, Illinois. It has been documented in numerous cocktail manuals dating back to the 19th century. Chicago restaurant critic John Drury included it in his 1931 guide Dining in Chicago, noting that it had been served at the American Bar in Nice and the Embassy Club in London. Whether it originated in Chicago is unknown.
In terms of mixed drinks, shrub is the name of two different, but related, acidulated beverages. One type of shrub is a fruit liqueur that was popular in 17th and 18th century England, typically made with rum or brandy and mixed with sugar and the juice or rinds of citrus fruit.
Derek Brown is an American entrepreneur, writer, and bartender. He owned the bars Columbia Room, The Passenger, Mockingbird Hill, Eat the Rich, and Southern Efficiency in Washington, D.C., Brown serves on the board of directors for the Museum of the American Cocktail and is the Chief Spirits Advisor for the National Archives Foundation. Brown also teaches seminars on the importance of alcohol in shaping society.
Robert Simonson is an American journalist and author.
Steven Grasse is an American advertising executive, author, distillery owner and the founder of Quaker City Mercantile. Throughout his career, Grasse has cultivated an avant-garde image, and he was called the "punk rock prince of small-batch spirits" by Alex Halberstadt. On March 14, 2023, Grasse was recognized as one of the "Drinks Innovators of the Year" by Food & Wine for his work with Tamworth Distilling.
Tamworth Distilling is a small-batch distillery located in Tamworth, New Hampshire. The distillery is known for producing small batch spirits with local ingredients.
Imbibe! is a book by cocktail historian David Wondrich. It was first published in November 2007 by Perigee Books.
Natasha David is a German-born American bartender, mixologist, and author. In 2014, David opened the critically acclaimed cocktail bar Nitecap on New York's Lower East Side. David has also competed on Iron Chef America. In 2022, David authored the cocktail recipe book Drink Lightly. Her cocktail recipes have been featured in many publications and books, such as New York Times, Bon Appetit, and The Essential Cocktail Book. David has also been awarded as Zagat's 30 under 30, Eater's Bartender of the Year, StarChef's Rising Star, and Imbibe Bartender of the Year. Her consultancy company You & Me Cocktail is responsible for notable projects such as Paul Sevigny’s Baby Grand and the revamp of Pravda‘s cocktail program.