The Independent's 2017 Book of the Year and a 2020 London Eater recommended read for lockdown 'If Malcolm Gladwell were to write a book about wine, the results wouldn't linger much more pleasurably on the palate than this accessible, adventurous, amusing and informative book by Bianca Bosker' - The Times Professional journalist and amateur drinker Bianca Bosker didn't know much about wine - until she discovered the world of elite sommeliers who dedicate their lives to the pursuit of flavour. Fascinated by their fervour and seemingly superhuman sensory powers, she set out to uncover what drove their obsession, and whether she, too, could become a 'cork dork.' With boundless curiosity, humour and a healthy dose of scepticism, Bosker takes the reader inside underground tasting groups, exclusive New York City restaurants, mass-market wine factories and even a neuroscientist's fMRI machine as she attempts to answer the most nagging question of all: what's the big deal about wine? Funny, counterintuitive and compulsively readable, Cork Dork does for drinking what Kitchen Confidential did for dining out, ensuring you'll never reach blindly for the second cheapest bottle on the menu again.

A Perfect Gift for the Cocktail Lover Inspiring, practical, and designed for entertaining, this beautifully designed deluxe box set includes two cocktail books and matching coasters-- The Negroni Book: More than 30 recipes, including both the classic that achieved cocktail perfection in Florence, Italy, and dozens of variations, deviations, and delicious reinterpretations. The Martini Book: A celebration of the timeless, sophisticated, and iconic cocktail of choice among generations of writers, actors, politicians, bon vivants--and of course, 007--and more than 30 recipes. 8 Coasters: Serve your perfect drinks in style. Eight cocktail-bar quality coasters are included in the set, four Negroni and four Martini, each featuring a striking image over a strong cork base.

"Kingsley Amis's drink writing is better than anybody else's, ever..." Esquire Kingsley Amis was one of the great masters of comic prose, and no subject was dearer to him than the art and practice of imbibing. Everyday Drinking brings together the best of his writing on the subject: Kingsley Amis in Drink, Everyday Drinking and How's Your Glass? In one handsome package, the book covers a full shelf of the master's riotous and erudite thoughts on the drinking arts; along with a series of well-tested recipes (including a cocktail called the Lucky Jim) are Amis's musings on The Hangover, The Boozing Man's Diet, The Mean Sod's Guide, and (presumably as a matter of speculation) How Not to Get Drunk - all leavened with fun quizzes on the making and drinking of alcohol all over the world. Mixing practical know-how and hilarious opinionation, this is a delightful cocktail of wry humour and distilled knowledge, served by one of our great gimlet wits. With an introduction by Christopher Hitchens.

Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book is the essential reference book for everyone who buys wine - in shops, restaurants, or on the internet. Now in its 42nd year of publication, it has no rival as the comprehensive, up-to-the-minute annual guide. Hugh Johnson provides clear succinct facts and commentary on the wines, growers and wine regions of the whole world. He reveals which vintages to buy, which to drink and which to cellar, which growers to look for and why. Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book gives clear information on grape varieties, local specialities and how to match food with wines that will bring out the best in both. This new edition also contains a special supplement on Organic, Natural and Biodynamic wines.

Visit your dark side with 60 frightfully delicious plant-based comfort-foods, baked goods, and cocktails inspired by your favorite horror movies and TV shows. From the mad mind of acclaimed chef Zach Neil comes this killer plant-based cookbook inspired by your favorite horror movies and TV shows. The follow-up to his best-selling cookbook, Nightmare Before Dinner, the Death for Dinner Cookbook delivers gruesome goodness in 60 stick-to-your guts comfort-food recipes, from startling starters and monstrous mains to depraved desserts and cursed cocktails, including: Crystal Lake BBQ Sliders, inspired by Friday the 13th - The only thing better than warm sunshine, campfires, and working up an appetite after escaping the clutches of Jason Vorhees are these pulled mushroom sliders. Children of the Hominy, inspired by Children of the Corn - An ancient recipe from Gatlin, Nebraska, this pozole will make anyone rise up from the stalks. The Hills Have Fries, inspired by The Hills Have Eyes - This hill of hand-cut french fries smothered in a bechamel and chili sauce and topped with fresh scallions, red onion, fakon, and cilantro and lime sour cream will have everyone watching you. Blood Orange Cheesecake Trifle, inspired by Dexter - Complete with blood orange, vegan cream cheese, and hints of lemon, this dessert is the right amount of sweet and airy-no gloves or plastic wrap are required to make. Never Sleep Again, inspired by Nightmare on Elm Street - Stay awake (and alive!) with this alternative take on an old-fashioned cocktail made with a shot of espresso. Though the recipes may look terrifying, they are easy to make and will impress even the most stubborn carnivores. So, get ready to throw the ultimate Halloween party or some epic movie nights. Let's just hope Freddy, Michael, and Jason stay on the screen and off the guest list. [cue the beet-juice splatter]

Port and sharries, whites, reds, roses and melomels -- make your own wine without owning a vineyard!

If you can follow a simple recipe, you can create delectabletable wines in your own home. It's fun, it's easy-and the resultswill delightfully complement your favorite meals and provide unparalleledpleasure by the glass when friends come calling. You don't have tore-create Bordeaux in your basement to be a successful home vintner-you can make raisin wine and drink it like sherry, or use it to accent yourChinese cooking. Raspberry or apricot wine lend themselves to deliciousdesserts. And if you are interested in more exotic concoctions,rhubarb champagne is the ultimate treat.

The Joy of Home Winemaking is your comprehensive guide to:

• the most up-to-date techniques and equipment
• readily available and affordable ingredients and materials
• aging, bottling, racking, blending, and experimenting
• dozens of original recipes for great-tasting fruit wines,
• spice wines, herb wines, sparkling wines, sherries, liqueurs
• even homemade soda pop!
• a sparkling brief history of winemaking
• helpful illustrations and glossary
• an extensive mail-order resource section

With over 200 recipes, Home Cocktail Bible tells you everything you need to know - from the essential spirits, mixers, syrups and kit that will open up the world of cocktails, to every recipe you could possibly ever want. Great cocktails should be simple to make, look fabulous and taste extraordinary. Award-winning drinks writer Olly Smith offers up all the classics (Martinis, Collins, Manhattans, Margaritas, Cosmopolitans and beyond), plus some delectable new concoctions and variations to make you feel truly special. Illustrated with colour photography and handy flavour wheels throughout, and with clear instructions for the flawless cocktail, Home Cocktail Bible is an indispensable addition to your home bar. Time to take your taste buds into orbit!

Behind the Bar: Tequila transports you to 50 bars around the world, and shares their tequila-based cocktail recipes for you to try at home.

Behind the Bar: Tequila contains tequila-based cocktails recipes from a collection of iconic, as well as new and exciting, bars around the world. Think along the lines of a Smoky Margarita from Barro Negro in Athens, or a Paloma Margarita from Sabine Sabe in Oaxaca, or even The Gimlet El Maiz from El Primo Sánchez in Sydney.

The recipes range from simple to more laborious, but all can be made by curious home bartenders. Along with the recipes, you will uncover the history and modern-day scene of tequila.

Written in an accessible manner, Behind the Bar: Tequila will appeal to cocktail lovers and history enthusiasts, as well as armchair travellers looking to explore the bars from the comfort of their homes.

The world's best-selling annual wine guide.

Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book is the essential reference book for everyone who buys wine - in shops, restaurants, or on the internet. Now in its 47th year of publication, it has no rival as the comprehensive, up-to-the-minute annual guide.

Providing clear succinct facts and commentary on the wines, growers and wine regions of the whole world, the book also reveals which vintages to buy, which to drink and which to cellar, which growers to look for and why. Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine 2024 gives clear information on grape varieties, local specialities and how to match food with wines that will bring out the best in both.

This latest edition of Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine includes a colour supplement on Chardonnay, the world's most obliging grape, discussing everything from history and taste to texture, fashion and the role oak plays - and of course who makes the best Chardonnays around the world.

Translated into English for the first time, the 1927 Cuban classic El Arte de Hacer un Cocktail y Algo Mas: The Art of Mixing a Cocktail & More documents the creative genius of the legendary Cuban cantineros. Within these pages you'll find 788 recipes that were shaken, stirred, thrown, and frappeed during the 1920s in the hotels, restaurants, casinos, bodegas, and bars of "the Little Paris of the Caribbean"-Havana, Cuba. A very rare book that has achieved legendary status amongst cocktail book collectors, the recipes found in El Arte have never been available in English, making this book an essential resource and a collectible on its own. Complete with its original illustrations and a foreword by Cuban rum and drinks historian Anistatia Miller, El Arte de Hacer un Cocktail y Algo Mas: The Art of Mixing a Cocktail & More is not merely a peek into Cuban cocktail history. El Arte demonstrates the Cuban passion for complex yet subtle flavours accentuated a hint of sweetness as well as the cantineros' awareness of their audience (both local and international) and of prevailing trends. That is a lesson that none of us should ever forget. Drinks and food must appeal to the people who consume them. It's a skill that Havana 's cantineros from those legendary days continue to teach us very well.

In this timely book, John Parkes demystifies the brewing process and explains in easy-to-follow terms how anyone can produce delicious beer with the help of just some basic equipment and a few key skills. Those new to home brewing will love the easy-to-follow instructions and the detailed explanations of the brewing process and anyone already adept at home brewing will be delighted by the original recipes. Made without unnecessary chemicals and additives, the beers featured here will appeal to anyone seeking a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Randy Herrod accomplished what some say is the greatest deed one can perform - risking his life to save another. The life he saved was Oliver North's, dragging his wounded leader out of the line of fire to safety. Later, when Herrod was on trial for the accidental deaths of Vietnamese civilians, North assisted with his own investigation and helped prove his innocence.

Hot Dinners Best Cookbooks of 2022 The Times 'Best Food Books of 2022' The Daily Telegraph 'Best Drink Gifts' "Beautiful... a classy, classic book." - Diana Henry "A really lovely and well thought out piece of work that will be well used." - Dave Broom, author of The Way of Whisky "We don't have the cupboard full of recondite bitters and liqueurs that so many mixologists expect of us. So Alice Lascelles has tackled the problem straight-on and produced a neat edit of more than 100 drinks that rely on just a few core ingredients." - Tony Turnbull, The Times Cocktails should be simple. Acclaimed drinks writer Alice Lascelles knows everything there is to know about making delicious drinks at home with minimal equipment and fuss. The Cocktail Edit is built around a 'capsule collection' of 12 classic cocktails - each of these is followed by six twists, plus tips and inspiration for creating many more. The book also offers essential advice on getting your home bar set up - and shows how easy it is to make amazing cocktails with just a few basic tools, ingredients and techniques. It's a guide brimming with trade secrets on everything from choosing the best-value spirits to making cocktails for a party; written in a conversational style, and illustrated with beautiful photography, The Cocktail Edit is practical, opinionated and fun.

With this easy-to-use, indispensable guide, readers will learn how to mix classic as well as exotic drinks like the pros. Here are all the tricks of the trade-including how to taste, flavor, and garnish as well as when and how to shake, stir, and whirl a drink. The New American Bartender's Guide features:

..".a very valuable book...Lie any good book, this one raises as many questions as it answers. It is a solidly anthropological volume, combining biological and cultural dimension of the discipline. I recommend the book highly." . American Anthropologist

Over the last decades quite a few studies have been devoted to drinking. Most of these were concerned with alcohol and written by social anthropologists. This book presents multidisciplinary aspects of the ingestion of liquids at large, addressing many of the overt and covert meanings of drinking: from satisfying biological needs to communicating with humans and the hereafter, attempting to reach a differential emotional state or seeking good health and longevity through the ingestion of appropriate beverages. It includes papers from both biological and social scientists and covers a fair range of societies from rural and urban environments, and in continents and countries ranging from Europe, Africa, and Latin America to Malaysia and the Pacific.

Igor de Garine, Emeritus Director of Research, CNRS, Paris, and President of the International Commission for the Anthropology of Food

Over the last decades quite a few studies have been devoted to drinking. Most of these were concerned with alcohol and written by social anthropologists. This book presents multidisciplinary aspects of the ingestion of liquids at large, addressing many of the overt and covert meanings of drinking: from satisfying biological needs to communicating with humans and the hereafter, attempting to reach a differential emotional state or seeking good health and longevity through the ingestion of appropriate beverages. It includes papers from both biological and social scientists and covers a fair range of societies from rural and urban environments, and in continents and countries ranging from Europe, Africa, and Latin America to Malaysia and the Pacific.

Would Queen Victoria have been good value over a pint? Where can you find the most northerly pub in the UK? Which pub was run by a member of the mafia?

Britain is famed, above all else, for two things: a great literary tradition, and truly superb pubs. It should naturally follow that there are lots of great books about pubs, right? Wrong.

Now, we are correcting that with this miscellany of the fascinating, the quirky, the exciting, the novel and the downright odd that you will want to sit down with a pint and dive in. Here you'll find stories, quirks, essays, deep-dives, listicles and more - everything but the pint - for you to immerse yourself in the wonderful, weird, funny and witty history of British pubs.

Collected by The Fence, with contributions from the brilliant Tom Parker Bowles, William Hanson, John Banville, Róisín Lanigan, Clive Martin, Katy Hessel and many more.