BOOK LAUNCH!
The New Cocktail Hour turns ten. On Tour. The summer grill cocktail.
Hi, I’m André Darlington and welcome to my newsletter. It’s wonderful to have you here. If you are not yet subscribed then scroll down and join!
All 14 of my cocktail and culture books are available here. The latest is The New Cocktail Hour: Expanded and Revised Edition now in pre-order for a June 2 release.
Hello June!
I’m writing this newsletter from Madison, WI, where I am kicking off the book tour for The New Cocktail Hour Revised and Expanded Edition at Lola’s Hi/Lo Lounge on June 3.
I haven’t been to Madison (where I lived for a long time) for a few years, so I’ve been busily re-connecting with a city I love. Legendary farmers’ market, amazing outdoor spaces, the UW terrace with its music and water views, too many incredible retail folks to count, and so many great chefs for a city of its size. Madison is an over-performer, an over-achiever, and just generally a rich place to be. I’ve already eaten more cheese curds and suckling pig and trout and morel mushrooms than the past couple years combined - and I just got here.
It’s been a fun journey north - I met up with Denise Kiernan and her husband Joe for lunch at the famed Chani Pani. I love hanging out with Denise and Joe because, as fellow writers in the publishing churn, they make me feel sane because their experiences are so eerily similar. We’re all sharing the same notes on the bewildering author landscape of challenging - well, everything. In the meantime, we feast! As I’ve mentioned before, you should pick up Denise’s books and enter her orbit here.
Magic was in the air in Cincinnati when I passed through. My longtime friend Kathy Merchant set up a rendezvous with her friends, including the newly James Beard nommed Best Chef of the Midwest Sarah Dworak of Sudova. Wow. After a round of burgundy and caviar at the excellent wine bar Hart & Cru plus a throw-em-down-knock-em-out meal at Sudova, I found myself looking at houses for a possible relocation.
After all these years, I also finally made it to the Zaha Hadid-designed contemporary art museum. So - will be returning later this summer hopefully.
I’ll do a separate write-up on Madison later, but I’ll end the trip (so far) with a view of paradise. I picked up my wife from the airport (she chose the 1.5 hour option instead of the 4-day journey) and we headed straight to a supper club. Well, to my mind, one of the supper clubs anywhere ever: The Tornado Club on the square in Madison.
Having a perfectly grilled steak, I was reminded of one a favorite red meat cocktail accompaniments, Remember the Maine.
Essentially, the Remember the Maine reads like a Manhattan with the addition of Cherry Heering as well as a dash of absinthe. But this is one of those mixed drinks that serves as a reminder that even small differences can make for big, stylistic changes. That quarter ounce of Heering loves char. And the absinthe brings lift. So, the next time you throw steaks or burgers on the barbi, I hope you also do yourself a favor and make one of the cocktail world’s (mostly) forgotten classics.
REMEMBER THE MAINE
With a little cherry sweetness and an absinthe undertow, this may be the ultimate burger or steak cocktail.
Charles H. Baker Jr. recounts quaffing this cocktail—which is similar to a Manhattan but with more complexity—during Batista’s military coup in Cuba in 1933. The name references the 1898 sinking of the USS Maine in the Havana harbor, an event that precipitated the Spanish-American War. We’ve fallen for this smoky libation that captures the tension of political upheaval.
Absinthe, to rinse the glass
2 ounces (60 ml) rye whiskey
3/4 ounce (22 ml) sweet vermouth
1/4 ounce (7 ml) Cherry Heering
Cherry, for garnish
Rinse a chilled coupe glass with absinthe. Stir ingredients with ice, and strain into the prepared glass. Garnish with the cherry.
[Excerpted from The New Cocktail Hour by André Darlington and Tenaya Darlington. Copyright © 2026. Available from Running Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, Inc.]
NEW COCKTAIL HOUR TOUR 2026 (SO FAR)
Tuesday, June 2 - United States - Launch: THE NEW COCKTAIL HOUR REVISED & EXPANDED EDITION
Thursday, May 28 - Princeton, IL - True Leaves Books - Signing
Wednesday, June 3, 6-8 PM- Madison, WI - Lola’s Lounge - LAUNCH EVENT
Thursday, June 11 - New York City, NY - Private Launch Event
Saturday, June 13, 1-3 PM - Philadelphia, PA - Barnes & Noble - Signing
Monday, June 15, 7 PM - Washington, D.C. - Bold Fork Books TICKETS HERE
Thursday, June 18, 8 PM - Charlotte, NC - The Pharmacy/Belmont Bookshop
THANK YOU FOR READING. SEE YOU ON BOOK TOUR. THANK YOU FOR PRE-ORDERING THE NEW COCKTAIL HOUR REVISED AND EXPANDED EDITION!
Thanks for your fab fun visit to Cincinnati!! Already looking forward to more great times on your next visit.