Book Review: Field Guide to Cocktails
Bookage June 27th, 2007
This book surprised me. It was with a pretty skeptical eye that I picked this up while browsing the wine/cocktail/spirits section of the bookstore as I usually do when I visit. I fully expected, since the 'Field Guide to…' series of books is just that, a series, and these types of things tend to be shoddily put together, quickly assembled, and assembled at the lowest possible cost. Now, I love a good Field Guide (my wife's 'Field Guide to Bacteria' is endlessly fascinating) but there's something that smacks of gimmick to applying the concept to all sorts of home economics-style subjects (Meat, Stains, Seafood, Herbs & Spices, etc.). I couldn't have been more wrong.
Rob Chirico does an excellent job of first acknowledging the luminaries of the cocktailian craft that assisted him in his research (primarily Dale DeGroff and Gary Regan) and the bibliography reads like a Who's Who of what books you should have on your shelf if you're serious about studying classic, vintage, or new classic cocktails that honor their culinary and artistic history and nature. So, that out of the way, I delved in and was immediately impressed by two things; how entertaining the book was while being educational (and accurate) about the cocktails' origins and histories, and how he included (in true Field Guide form) information such as flavor affinities (food pairing options), graphic icons beside each cocktail's subcategory for quick reference, and 'Areas and Times of Occurrence' (i.e. when you're likely to 'spot' a particular cocktail). Fantastic!
For me, one of the great opportunities in the ever-growing cocktail appreciation movement is a comprehensive tome about what liquors, spirits, flavor profiles, and mixed drinks pair well with what foods, cuisine styles, and/or courses of meals (and why)1. Now, this isn't it, but I was very pleased to see each cocktail given its own food pairing notes and to see a drink like the Aviation paired with a classic shrimp cocktail or deviled eggs (I couldn't agree more). So, it immediately adds additional value to most cocktail/bar bookshelves in that alone.
Another striking, and pleasing, thing about this book is the humor with which it's written. Regarding the Gimlet's "Areas and Times of Occurrence":
"The proverbial 'old man's bar' is the befitting crusty venue for the Gimlet. The sun must be down, and it helps if someone named Big Al is asleep on the bar top with his head in the pretzel basket."
The book provides simlar and other humorous asides throughout when discussing a drink's 'General Description' and 'Season'. It occasionally goes off the tracks for me when it ventures into modern variations on classic drinks, but at least it's true in being sure the original drink is given its due and attention and is fully understood before moving forward. I think this is an excellent gift and/or 'starter' book for anyone expressing burgeoning interest in cocktails or who doesn't know what to order in a bar (yes, there are 'what to have when going out' ordering tips and tricks) as it reads easily as a cover-to-cover book. Fortunately, what it lacks in depth it makes up for in honesty, humor, and mirth in spades. The color plates in the center of the book (again, true to Field Guide form) are beautiful representations of each drink and give well-drawn examples of each of the icons used throughout the book. I give it four stars only because it lacks depth and isn't something you'll go to as a primary source for drink or spirit information. However, this book goes about what it's trying to accomplish extremely well and it's a fine addition at the price. Click here for an excerpt page or click here to purchase it.
Field Guide to Cocktails Rating: 
- I know some attempts have been made at this such as 'What to Drink with What you Eat' but it's still far too heavy on the wine-side of things for me, and not nearly as exclusive as what I have in mind [↩]
You know, I’ve been thinking a bit about food pairings with cocktails lately and noticed that there doesn’t seem to be a great deal of discussion out there (or it could be that I simply haven’t looked in the right places). My wife enjoyed, the other week, a Hendrick’s martini (2 oz gin, 0.75 oz dry vermouth, two dashes orange bitters with a cucumber garnish) with a fresh-from-the-garden cucumber and tomato salad with a light vinaigrette. It is the only time I can remember looking at my rye Manhattan with a (very good, actually) pub mix (from Sam’s Club)and feeling that I had gotten the short end of the stick.
I guess I just don’t know why wine gets all the food pairing advice. Even beer is getting in on the action.
First off, the Hendrick’s martini sounds very nice. One thing Hendrick’s is known for is its inclusion of cucumber in its infusion process so I imagine as an aromatic garnish the cucumber works wonderfully.
If I were more knowledgeable and further into my exploration of classic and vintage cocktails and spirits and my palate more refined than it is now I would begin working on a book solely dedicated to matching cocktails/spirits to foods. I think there’s a large enough market for it and you’d be leading into the upward curve for its popularity to peak. Wine consumption in America now is so ubiquitous and grown so much with our domestic wines’ availability and ability to compete quality-wise that it’s not surprising to me it’s given so much attention since it’s ‘what you order with dinner’ whereas cocktails are treated as an apertif, digestif, or ‘after dinner drinks’.
It’s a shame, but people have no way of knowing what to order except to talk to a bartender, and the majority of them have no idea. So, it’s no wonder, it’s just dismaying. I know some spirit manufacturers are pushing this subject more (to increase consumption of their product) but I’m surprised it’s not more coordinated.
First off, thanks for the glowing, and thoroughly accurate review. More and more serious “cocktailians” are pairing food with cocktails. Working in a fine dining restaurant, where people will tend to eat at the bar rather than just drink, I am continually striving to match the tastes of pan-seared scallops or rack of lamb with beverages. While most diners will start with a cocktail and move on to wine, almost all will want an appropriate cocktail with their appetizers. At tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans last year, I had the opportunity of pairing cocktails with all four courses served at La Cote Brasserie. Skeptical of the response at first, I found that it was a big hit, particularly my Summer Rain, which is a Mojito redux, made with mint, lime, simple syrup, Rain vodka, Pama pomegranate liqueur, pomegranate juice, and a splash of soda. In the past, most people limited drinks like a Bloody Mary for brunch, but now they are discovering that Negronis or Caipirinhas are extraordinarily food friendly.
[...] writing about The Field Guide to Cocktails and having the author, Rob Chirico, comment on my post with a reference to his ‘Summer [...]