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anokieabroad's review
4.0
Note: I received this book as an ARC from NYU Press.
As an avid lover of ‘classic’ cocktails as well as American history, this book was right up my alley.
In this book the author dives into the history of cocktails during midcentury America (post WWII to 1960). Among the backdrop of a booming nation, cocktail culture explodes onto the scene. No longer are we relegated to whisky neat, but now we have *gasp* ingredients! And lots of them.
Tichi also delves into issues revolving race and the looming Cold War, and how these issues manifest in the popular libations and their accessibility.
This was a fun read filled with anecdotes and recipes that I will have to try out as soon as possible.
The primary audience would be: Cocktail lovers, history enthusiasts, and bartenders.
As an avid lover of ‘classic’ cocktails as well as American history, this book was right up my alley.
In this book the author dives into the history of cocktails during midcentury America (post WWII to 1960). Among the backdrop of a booming nation, cocktail culture explodes onto the scene. No longer are we relegated to whisky neat, but now we have *gasp* ingredients! And lots of them.
Tichi also delves into issues revolving race and the looming Cold War, and how these issues manifest in the popular libations and their accessibility.
This was a fun read filled with anecdotes and recipes that I will have to try out as soon as possible.
The primary audience would be: Cocktail lovers, history enthusiasts, and bartenders.
bookdrgn's review
4.0
I really enjoyed the snippets of American history woven in with the recipes.
There were some cocktails I’ve never heard of that I’m looking forward to trying.
There were some cocktails I’ve never heard of that I’m looking forward to trying.
kairosdreaming's review
3.0
*This book was received as an Advanced Reader's Copy from NetGalley.
When you think of cocktails, what do you think of? Fruity tiki drinks, someone in a business suit sipping a Manhatten or a bourbon on the rocks? Or maybe a martini, shaken, not stirred?
For Midcentury Cocktails, the history behind various uses of alcohol and its place in literature or other media is explored. From understanding the origin of tiki to thinking about air travel in the mid-century, various area of history are covered in this book.
That being said, it's all very rushed and sporadic. I had a hard time keeping up with the book's jumps and leaps from topic to topic, with a lot of information being covered very quickly. Samely, alcohol's involvement itself was either apparent, or you wondered just how loosely based the subject was in some sections. At the end of each chapter was a cocktail, and while quite a few repeated themselves throughout the book, it was interesting to see the various forms they could take.
A nice quick read, although if you really want to go in-depth on alcohol's history, you might have to search out a more holistic read.
Review by M. Reynard 2022
When you think of cocktails, what do you think of? Fruity tiki drinks, someone in a business suit sipping a Manhatten or a bourbon on the rocks? Or maybe a martini, shaken, not stirred?
For Midcentury Cocktails, the history behind various uses of alcohol and its place in literature or other media is explored. From understanding the origin of tiki to thinking about air travel in the mid-century, various area of history are covered in this book.
That being said, it's all very rushed and sporadic. I had a hard time keeping up with the book's jumps and leaps from topic to topic, with a lot of information being covered very quickly. Samely, alcohol's involvement itself was either apparent, or you wondered just how loosely based the subject was in some sections. At the end of each chapter was a cocktail, and while quite a few repeated themselves throughout the book, it was interesting to see the various forms they could take.
A nice quick read, although if you really want to go in-depth on alcohol's history, you might have to search out a more holistic read.
Review by M. Reynard 2022
annarella's review
5.0
I found it a highly entertaining and informative book of social history. I never thought that cocktails could be related to historical facts or changes in the way of living.
It was entertaining but it also made me think.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
It was entertaining but it also made me think.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
artemishi's review
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.5
Credibility/Research: 7, the book feels trustworthy, though it doesn't cite many references beyond publications it quotes from. It certainly comes across as thorough, and I suppose the cocktail recipes themselves came from direct sources, but it would've been nice to have that confirmed for the sake of understanding the 1960s palate for alcohol (which seems to trend toward sweet orange liqueurs as mixers).
Authenticity/Uniqueness: 8, presenting history alongside the boozey beverages consumed during that era is not a wholly unique concept, but this is the first time I've encountered one aimed fully at the midcentury years (not a specialty niche of them, like tiki culture or Madison Ave culture). It also included the lives and cocktails of not just white men, but Black communities and women as well, and pointed out the differences between them.
Writing: 7, it took me a bit of time to get into the writing, which is organized in a way I couldn't decipher (grouped appropriately by subculture, though). There's a bit of tense switching and I didn't care for the method of numbering the ingredients (instead of using bullet points). But the cocktail making methods were clear, and the information was presented seemingly without bias.
Personal Impact: 6, this provided what I was curious about- an idea of what people were drinking in the atomic age, beyond scotch and gimlets. There were a handful of recipes I'll likely try, and I learned a few things about the history of an era that doesn't much call to me. But overall, this is unlikely to stay with me for any particular reason.
Intrigue: 5, I kept reading to finish it, but also forgot I was reading it several times. It's a good thing this is a short book! I expect part of the disconnect is that each chapter is fairly self-contained, so the through-line to keep interest is the cocktails themselves, and unlike tiki-era cocktails (a few of which appear here), most of these historic recipes sound arbitrary and for the aim of getting tipsy rather than a gastronomic enjoyment.
Logic/Informativeness: 8, there's clearly a lot of information about major events, players, subcultures, and ambitions of the years from the end of WWII to 1970 in America. Some was known, some was new to me, but it was more information than filler.
Enjoyment: 7, a lot of the book just didn't capture my attention, but it is also a pretty niche concept and executed well. My biggest takeaway is both wondering whether many people in the country actually lived the life purported by advertising and tell-alls that are our primary sources (the author does point out the blue collar folks at the time drank beer more than cocktails). Also wondering how anyone actually had a job or a social life or a liver, with the expectation of drinking that much (surely there must've been an age bracket which soundly ignored the pressure to drink every night and all weekend to stave off anxiety?)
kristin_boren's review
informative
relaxing
fast-paced
3.0
This book is certainly a thorough memory of the mid-century with cocktails that finish off each section. The cocktail recipes coordinate well with the chapter themes and give a sense of the time as told through drinks. This was a quick read full of interesting information!
tearexmama's review
This book feels mistitled. I felt misled going into it. This book is not about mid century cocktails it is about mid century American history with some cocktail recipes added as footnotes to each chapter.
I was expecting a book of cocktails with colourful pictures of retro accents and drinks highlighted with interesting stories about where these cocktails got their names from. I expected fun anecdotes about famous people drinking cocktails as highlights to the pictures and recipes.
Instead those anecdotes were hidden under mounds of unrelated history, there were no pictures, and the recipes were dry lists of ingredients with "mix well" as instructions. The first chapter is about cars and roadtripping
I was expecting a book of cocktails with colourful pictures of retro accents and drinks highlighted with interesting stories about where these cocktails got their names from. I expected fun anecdotes about famous people drinking cocktails as highlights to the pictures and recipes.
Instead those anecdotes were hidden under mounds of unrelated history, there were no pictures, and the recipes were dry lists of ingredients with "mix well" as instructions. The first chapter is about cars and roadtripping