A short course in wine appreciation that’s easy, practical, and fun

What’s the difference between a Chardonnay and a Sauvignon Blanc? Can you ever serve red wine with fish? In this fast, focused primer, wine experts Ian Blackburn and Allison Levine answer these and dozens of other basic wine questions, sharing their enthusiasm and giving people the know-how they need to stop worrying about wine and start enjoying it.

Ian Blackburn (Los Angeles, CA) has taught more than 10,000 people about wine through his courses and seminars. He is a consulting wine educator for Cordon Bleu California School of Culinary Arts and founder of the LearnAboutWine Web site.
Allison Levine (Los Angeles, CA) is the Director of Marketing, Public Relations, and Events for the LearnAboutWine Web site and also holds a position on the local board of the American Institute of Wine and Food.

In this fascinating little book, John DeMers tells the story of the Vieux Carre cocktail against the evolving backdrop of the ever-rich cocktail culture of New Orleans. Mixologist Walter Bergeron created this distinctive drink in the 1930s at the Hotel Monteleone; it was later dubbed "the Cocktail that Spins" in honor of the slowly turning Carousel Bar at the hotel. It's an iconic cocktail that, in recent years, was rarely ordered or prepared, though that is changing as a new generation of cocktail enthusiasts rediscover the old ways. The Vieux Carre draws on the local proto-cocktail, the Sazerac, as well as several booze-forward classics including the Manhattan, the Old Fashioned, and, from Italy, the Negroni. DeMers tells all that is known of Walter Bergeron's early life and also examines the ingredients in this cocktail and how each of them made its way to the Crescent City.

A delightful romp through America's Golden Age of Cocktails The decades following the American Civil War burst with invention-they saw the dawn of the telephone, the motor car, electric lights, the airplane-but no innovation was more welcome than the beverage heralded as the "cocktail." The Gilded Age, as it came to be known, was the Golden Age of Cocktails, giving birth to the classic Manhattan and martini that can be ordered at any bar to this day. Scores of whiskey drinks, cooled with ice chips or cubes that chimed against the glass, proved doubly pleasing when mixed, shaken, or stirred with special flavorings, juices, and fruits. The dazzling new drinks flourished coast to coast at sporting events, luncheons, and balls, on ocean liners and yachts, in barrooms, summer resorts, hotels, railroad train club cars, and private homes. From New York to San Francisco, celebrity bartenders rose to fame, inventing drinks for exclusive universities and exotic locales. Bartenders poured their liquid secrets for dancing girls and such industry tycoons as the newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst and the railroad king "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt. Cecelia Tichi offers a tour of the cocktail hours of the Gilded Age, in which industry, innovation, and progress all take a break to enjoy the signature beverage of the age. Gilded Age Cocktails reveals the fascinating history behind each drink as well as bartenders' formerly secret recipes. Though the Gilded Age cocktail went "underground" during the Prohibition era, it launched the first of many generations whose palates thrilled to a panoply of artistically mixed drinks.

Volcanic vineyards listed as UNESCO World Heritage, a peace wine blending over 600 varieties from around the world, vines standing 15 metres tall in Italy and Portugal, ice wines from Quebec, a wine from the Gobi desert, Taiwan's huge yields, harvesting on 31 December, classical music among the vines, a Bordeaux made with dry ice, a sparkling wine for disgorging at home. This book features the viticultural techniques of many countries; they are far enough off the radar to delight anyone who loves originality and hates standardization. The book covers eight topics: Climates, Terroirs, Grape varieties, Work in the vineyard, Winemaking, Colour, Ageing, Packaging.

Holiday Cocktails provides dozens of foolproof ideas for successful entertaining at home, including the basics of cocktail making, choosing the right drink for the right occasion, and serving cocktails for a crowd. It's packed with easy-to-follow recipes for seasonal favourites, from nogs to grogs, as well as classics with a twist that work year-round, such as old-fashioneds and martinis, coffee-based drinks to serve in lieu of dessert, and even nonalcoholic cocktails that are a treat unto themselves. This is the perfect book to pull off the shelf year after year when you want to make any occasion a little more festive. Holiday Cocktails, Holiday Cookies, and Party Food, three new titles in the Artisanal Kitchen series, provide an indispensable arsenal of recipes that cover all the bases for a delicious holiday season.

Get out your cocktail shaker and re-live the speakeasy experience with this collection of authentic cocktails. Gatsby Cocktails features more than 20 classic cocktails inspired by the 1920s. Try re-creating the classic Sidecar, comprising brandy, lemon juice and Cointreau. Or discover the secret to Jay Gatsby's tipple of choice; the cooling Mint Julep. Perfect the classic martini or try a tempting Raspberry Rickey from the sparkling selection of recipes. With more than 20 classic recipes, this collection captures the iconic elegance of the Prohibition era.

The world of wine is more welcoming than ever in this short but comprehensive guide! Calling all wine newbies and wine nerds: This illustrated guide is refreshing as a rose and flavourful as a merlot. As Madelyne Meyer would be the first to tell you, you don't need a book to enjoy wine . . . but knowing more about your favourite glassful can be a pleasure all its own. In Welcome to Wine, Meyer pairs her expert knowledge with 200 witty, whimsical illustrations that make all the essentials crystal clear - so you can get to the good part sooner! Food pairings and the art of wine tasting Serving temperature (without getting hung up on precision!) Key wine regions and exactly how wine is made From choosing wine for a date night to training your nose to pick up "notes," this is the friendliest guide to wine.

You're probably tired of asking the same old question, "What should we make for dessert?" The answer is simple--cocktails! In Liquid Dessert, professional bartender and mixologist Bryan Paiement invites you to join him on a trip around the world to discover cocktails inspired by the best desserts on the planet. Liquid Dessert is not your average cocktail or dessert book but a unique combination of the two. Traditional desserts, though delicious, can be heavy and overwhelming after a big meal. Or you may be wavering on whether or not to have another beverage or dessert--now it doesn't have to be one or the other! From cocktails-inspired favorites like Bananas Foster or Cannoli, whether you're a fan of rich, decadent chocolate or you have more of a citrusy-tart palate, the simple-to-follow recipes in Liquid Dessert have you covered, no matter your craving.

Jay McInerney on wine? Yes, Jay McInerney on wine! The best-selling novelist has turned his command of language and flair for metaphor on the world of wine, providing this sublime collection of untraditional musings on wine and wine culture that is as fit for someone looking for “a nice Chardonnay” as it is for the oenophile.

On champagne: “Is Dom Pérignon worth four bottles of Mo‘t & Chandon? If you are a connoisseur, a lover, a snob, or the owner of a large oceangoing craft, the answer . . . is probably yes.”
On the difficulty of picking a wine for a vegetarian meal: “Like boys and girls locked away in same-sex prep schools, most wines yearn for a bit of flesh.”
On telling the difference between Burgundy and Bordeaux: “If it’s red, French, costs too much, and tastes like the water that’s left in the vase after the flowers have died, it’s probably Burgundy.”
On the fungus responsible for the heavenly flavor of the dessert wine called Sauternes: “Not since Baudelaire smoked opium has corruption resulted in such beauty.”

Includes new material plus recommendations on the world’s most romantic wines and the best wines to pair with a meal

Develop your palate and become your own beer expert.

Beer is brewed in a dizzying variety of styles, available to enjoy like never before. Let's drink to this diversity with a new appreciation of just how complex, mind-expanding, and delicious beer can be. Crack open this book and enjoy a series of guided tastings of more than 50 different beer styles - from smoked black lager to funky and sour wild ales, triple green-hopped citrussy IPAs and cask-matured barley wines.

With each tasting you will learn to identify how aroma, taste, texture, and finish all combine to create the distinctive flavour profile of the particular beer style. You will discover which unique ingredients and aspects of the brewing process combine to produce each style. While quick reviews of the best examples from around the world will set you exploring further. To help establish your beer palate, the course starts with a solid grounding in the range of flavours found in beer and the art of detecting them - opening your nose, mind, and throat to the complete sensory experience of flavour and pouring the perfect glass!

Travel through time and across the globe to grasp the on-going story of beer, its heritage, and innovation. Learn how to pair beer with food and cook with it. But always return to what really matters: that miraculous glass of cold, liquid joy.

Champagne: Wine of Kings and the King of Wines guides you through the astounding history of how this delicious drink became the hallmark of celebrations, commiserations and partying across the globe. It covers the process of making champagne and the vintage years and the special cuvees; the history of champagne; individual entries on all the major Champagne Houses, the lesser estates, co-operatives, growers and variations of sparkling wine; the social and cultural impact of champagne - how it has become a part of certain traditions; by a man with great knowledge of the drinks business, the beautifully illustrated Champagne: Wine of Kings and the King of Wines is for the connoisseur and the newcomer alike.

Based on a series of articles published in The World of Fine Wine, Bursting Bubbles is a ground-breaking new book that offers the reader an alternate history of Champagne and its greatest growers. Often controversial, it is a no-holds barred look at the world's most famous wine region and the sparkling wine that it produces. It has the potential to change the way wine lovers think about Champagne. In his foreword, multi award winning author Andrew Jefford has called Bursting Bubbles, 'The most engaging book about leading Champagne growers I've read, full of insight and detail' and '...the most refreshing, pretension-pricking, myth-busting and amusingly unfrothy book on the subject I've read.'

The 55 spritz recipes in Spritz Fever! are in the cocktail style of the decade. Seeing as most spritzes are low(ish) in ABV (well, certainly lower than wine anyway), they're the ideal companion for any day drinking event. Plus, as most Instagram feeds can attest, spritzes aren't just a drink... They're a lifestyle. These bubbly wonders speak to a careless Italian summer, spent reclining by the beach in fine and flowing linen. What can be so easy to forget is that spritzes are so much more than just Aperol and bubbles. In this book, you'll learn about the classic European liqueurs, like Cynar, Campari, Luxardo Bitter, Meletti, and more. Moreover, you'll discover the nuances between prosecco, cava and champagne can create different textures as the bubbles in each effervesce uniquely. Plus, read up on how citrus garnishes must be matched appropriately to each drink's flavuor profile, and, of course, colour. Above all, follow the perfect ratio of liqueur-to-bubbles changes for each recipe. Spritz Fever! explains all of this, alongside its dreamy illustrations. It's time you get to the very essence of effervescence. Your next party guests will love all the cocktail recipes you glean from Spritz Fever!, and just in time for summer!

Taste your way to whisky wisdom. The best way to find out about whisky is by drinking it. Perfect for the whisky curious, this truly hands-on handbook helps you to discover your own personal whisky style, opening up a world of new whiskies to enjoy. Tailored tasting sessions steer you through the full spectrum of whisky's aromas and flavours - from the smoky tang of Islay peat to the sandalwood scents of Japanese oak. Take a tasting tour and compare whiskies from the world's finest makers, including iconic Scottish distilleries and trailblazing craft producers. Get the very best from your whisky, with insider tips on smart buying, making perfect food matches and mixing killer cocktails. With 20 step-by-step tastings, and brimming with clear infographics and jargon-busting advice - as a gorgeous gift for any fan of the dram, this book hits the spot.

Selected as one of Food Network's "Best Healthy Cookbooks of 2019" and as a "favorite must-read" by The Bump, Drinking for Two is the perfect gift for pregnant women, the health conscious new mom, or any woman just trying to stay healthy! This book features 45+ delicious, plant-based mocktail recipes carefully crafted to deliver essential nutrients and antioxidants, and target common pregnancy symptoms, all leading to a healthy pregnancy. With recipes for flat, bubbly, apres-dinner, and warm comfort drinks, registered dietitians Diana Licalzi and Kerry Criss carefully developed and tested each mocktail to include whole foods and all-natural sweeteners. Quick-to-prepare recipes (including many that are gluten free!) feature plant-based and everyday ingredients that are healthy for mom and baby, accompanied by notes to highlight the benefits of various ingredients with respect to common pregnancy symptoms like nausea and swelling. The book also features other valuable nutrition information to help women modify their diets and stay healthy throughout their pregnancy. Recipes include: - No Way Rose - Mocktail Mule - Ging-osa - Virgin Mary - Sour Mock-a-rita - ...and many more

This title takes us on a definitive tour through the world of wine, with over 500 photographs, maps and wine labels. This is a globetrotting journey through the world's wine regions, from Bordeaux to Rioja, from the Lebanon to California, and from South Africa's Cape to Australia's Barossa Valley, including notes on the top vintages to look for. It focuses on 12 major grape varieties from Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon to Gewurztraminer and Gamay, discussing their aromas, flavours and typical characteristics. It explores the principles of tasting wine - identifying dryness, sweetness, acidity, tannin, oak and fruit - plus how to create your own collection in a cellar, a guide to corkscrews and glasses, how to let wine breathe, and which foods go best with which wines. This is a fully revised and updated edition of a classic reference, with over 460 wine and grape photographs, wine labels and hand-painted maps. Written for those who simply enjoy drinking wine and for connoisseurs looking for a deeper knowledge of a fascinating subject, this book is a comprehensive, authoritative and accessible guide that will provide readers with the confidence and enthusiasm to explore in depth for themselves. Country by country, and region by region, the book journeys around the world to drop in on familiar and lesser-known producers, and studies the world's 12 major grape varieties, describing their aromas and flavours. It is a fully updated major reference on the fascinating world of wines and winemaking.

In his second book for the connoisseur of whiskies and spirits, whisky expert and enthusiast Fernand Daquin has gathered 43 amusing, surprising, and memorable anecdotes about the most beautiful and luxurious bottles of whiskey he has encountered. For almost 40 years, he has been travelling through this wonderful whisky world, in search of the most striking stories and images. At close to 400 pages, with enticing illustrations, he shares these stories in his own engaging style, offering the ideal entertainment for the reader with a glass of whisky in hand.

Few pleasures are more gratifying than pouring a glass of fine wine, admiring its clarity and color, savoring its rich bouquet, raising it to your lips, and knowing that you made it yourself. With this complete guide to home winemaking, such pleasures can be yours with little fuss and lots of fun. The Home Winemaker's Companion will guide you as you progress from making your very first batch of kit wine to mastering advanced techniques for making wine from fresh grapes. Included are Gene Spaziani's tried-and-true recipes for 115 delectable wines -- even port and champagne!

Making consistently great wine at home is easy; the hardest part is being patient while your wine ages!

With 60 recipes, Three Ingredient Cocktails demonstrate that all the best cocktails are made with no more than three ingredients - think martini, old fashioned and margaritas. Divided by main ingredient - gin, vodka, tequila, whisky, rum and sparkling wine - each drink can be whipped up in five minutes or less, with simple snack suggestions at the end of each chapter to pair with them. Three Ingredient Cocktails shows you also how to make the most of a simple home bar set up, and how to turn your living room into an on-trend cocktail lounge. With make ahead and batch cocktails, as well as renowned classics, this book is everything you need to bring elegance and style to your cocktail hour.

The ubiquity of gluten-containing grains, such as barley, wheat, and rye, in modern-day brewing has prevented many potential consumers from fully enjoying the craft beer revolution. Individuals who have celiac disease, nonceliac gluten intolerance, or gluten sensitivity (as well as those who simply feel better when they avoid gluten) have historically been unable to enjoy today's characterful beers. But many other types of grain can be used to brew beer of all styles; such alternative grains greatly expand the options available to beer lovers and brewers who cannot or choose not to ingest gluten, or those who just want to experiment with new and interesting flavors. Gluten-Free Brewing includes a discussion of available gluten-free ingredients, how to source them, and how to malt them. Explore the world of ancient grains and adjuncts and learn how today's malted and roasted varieties can be used to brew to-style beers. Learn about different mashing techniques, when to use them, what additional ingredients and enzymes can help throughout the brewing process, and how they can deliver specific flavors in your beer. Take a deep dive into recipe formulation and fermentation challenges, as well as flavor, body, head retention, and color considerations when using these not-so-alternative grains to create mainstream flavors. More than 30 tested recipes are included to help brewers explore British, German, Belgian, New World, and ancient-style beers. Gluten-Free Brewing will teach you how to brew full-flavored, world-class gluten-free beers.

From the popular blog, Creative Green Living, comes eighty delectable recipes for smoothies so good that your kids, friends, and veggie-hating spouse will be begging for more! Imagine curling up on the couch with your favorite bowl piled high with a delicious frozen treat topped with fresh fruit and nuts-and what's in that bowl is actually good for you! Smoothie bowls make this dream a reality. If you can operate a blender, then you can make a smoothie bowl. Carissa walks you through everything you need to know to produce Instagram-worthy creations in your own kitchen. Every recipe tastes as good as it looks and fills you up, making smoothie bowls the perfect choice for any meal or midday snack. You'll find recipes for how to turn acai, avocado, banana, beets, blackberries, blueberries, carrots, chia, coconut, flaxseeds, ginger, green tea and matcha, honey, kale, kiwi, and so much more into a fabulous treat! Focusing on a variety of colorful superfoods, Carissa also discusses the nutritional benefits of these beautiful ingredients. Organized using the colors of the rainbow, flipping through these pages will leave you feel inspired and motivated to create these beautiful, healthy bowls.

Winner of the 2007 IACP Cookbook of the Year Award
Winner of the 2007 IACP Cookbook Award for Best Book on Wine, Beer or Spirits
Winner of the 2006 Georges Duboeuf Wine Book of the Year Award
Winner of the 2006 Gourmand World Cookbook Award - U.S. for Best Book on Matching Food and Wine
Prepared by a James Beard Award-winning author team, "What to Drink with What You Eat" provides the most comprehensive guide to matching food and drink ever compiled--complete with practical advice from the best wine stewards and chefs in America. 70 full-color photos.