It can't Be August Already
Here we go August!
Hello and welcome to my booze-soaked newsletter! If you’ve found your way here through a search, share, or some other means but are not subscribed let’s get you signed up:
Mid-summer signings. Both books hit 2-month anniversaries! New manuscript is underway. Negronis. Upcoming events. Summer Cocktails. Tokyo.
Before we get to late — is it late? — summer cocktails, a recap: July was actioned packed. I traveled to the Midwest and had a shakin’ Booze Cruise event at Maduro Cigar Bar in Madison, WI. This was especially meaningful because Maduro was the subject of my very first cocktail article 20 years ago. The bar made 3 cocktails from book: the Original Punch from Delhi, the Za’atar Fix from Beirut, and the Pinoy Sour from the Philippines — all adventurous drinks. We’d conservatively shipped three cases of Booze Cruise to Madison and SOLD OUT at the event. A huge thanks to Maduro and to DJ Nick Nice who brought the summer vibes.
Madison is such a great cocktail town and it was fantastic to visit Plain Spoke Cocktail Company, Muskellunge and Sporting Club, and more. Sadly, Settle Down Tavern, the newish restaurant by fellow cocktail writer Brian Bartels (you’ve seen me interview him on Instagram) was closed for the July 4 holiday. Next time!
While I was in Madison, Booze Cruise hit its 2 month anniversary! — the first 2 months of a book are hugely important, and it was an amazing gift to celebrate the milestone among friends. I shot a segment for Philly Live from Madison with Aunyea Lachelle, which will air soon (it’s not live during COVID). I also did a radio segment for Philadelphia’s top food radio show, Small Bites Radio. That can be heard here. I was also invited on Blue Vinyl Tuesdays with Jahar Glover. I’ve been watching Glover’s show since he started — he seemingly knows everything about vinyl — and it was a thrill to be a part of it all at Jiggy Jamz (a fantastic vinyl shop, check them out).
Back on the ground in Philly, I was able to connect with Hope Cohen of CravePhilly. We did a fun live segment with BillyPenn/WHYY talking Negronis.
Gotham City Cocktails celebrated its two month anniversary on the 18th! I was a guest on the Comic Book Club with Bret Macris, chef de cuisine of Cochon in New Orleans. What a great time! We had a lively conversation about Batman-inspired food and drinks, which you can view here. I cannot wait to get back down to NOLA and visit Cochon again.
July 17th was another 2021 Record Store Day. At the same time, the manuscript for Booze & Vinyl II came back from the editor. Cosmic. The new volume is looking amazing (same team), and I am excited to share it with you next April. BVII is now back with the publisher for printing. Look for a cover reveal SOON.
The cardgame based on both books has been delayed and is now expected November 9th. In the meantime, Booze & Vinyl I has been picked up by Urban Outfitters and is available nationally in all their stores.
This recap is fun and all, but the real news of the past few weeks is I am buried in my next manuscript — a global cocktail food guide. This is, unbelievably, book seven for me. This is a giant manuscript that was put on hold by Booze & Vinyl II, so it’s been challenging getting back into it after months on the back burner. I’m at it again with the help of a couple professional editors/readers (aka angels with attention to detail). Huge thanks to my team Deana Coddaire and Elizabeth Rubin — selected from 60 applicants around the US. They have been amazing and I’m so glad I took the step to grow and hire on for team Darlington & Co. The book is due October 1, so if I’m silent on social media this is why. And yes, send flowers for my funeral because I’ve had two book launches, a book photoshoot, edits for Booze & Vinyl II, and a new manuscript all this spring. It is the heaviest load I’ve had yet, and it has been — well, not ideal. Is it Martini time yet?!
However, just because I’m in my writing chair 10 hours a day now buried in a new book doesn’t mean I don’t have events on deck. People! Clinking glasses! Yes! There will be a shindig on the Moshulu September 16th — the giant boat docked on the Delaware River in Philadelphia. Join me as we set sail to some fun cities in Booze Cruise!
The Booze Cruise book tour continues this fall, and I’m excited to be back at Park House Dallas October 13th. I will likely then continue on to stops in San Francisco and Los Angeles as well. Stay tuned.
I have been watching the Olympics at night and thinking about Tokyo, where I celebrated New Years 2020 as the final stop on my circumnavigation of the globe. Wild to think. Olympic fever was already in the air in Tokyo then, and it has been such a tragedy that the world could not experience this amazing city first-hand for the games. Like so many, I’ve been incredibly impressed by Sunisa Lee —who won an olympic gold in gymnastics—and her inspiring story. I lived in the Hmong belt that runs roughly from Minneapolis to Milwaukee. The Hmong farmers come into the Madison Farmers’ Market, and I got to know a few families. I was also part of a group that rebuilt and dropped off laptops to Hmong high schoolers— and was lucky enough to be invited into a few homes. They were often a one-bedroom apartment with multiple children. The parents rarely spoke any English. Invariably, a male child was in jail. The community has had such an extraordinarily difficult time in the US and this feels like such a big win. Hmong are a people that extend beyond the borders of any one nation, but the flavors of their food are recognizably Southeast Asian— think Laotian and Vietnamese. This breezy Lemongrass-Cardamom cooler from Booze Cruise is the just the fit. In fact, many Hmong make a livelihood as cardamom harvesters.
Lemongrass-Cardamom Cooler
2 ounces gin
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
3/4 ounce lemongrass-cardamom simple syrup (recipe below)
2 ounces club soda
Lime wheel, for garnish
Shake gin, lime juice and simple syrup with ice. Strain into a highball glass with ice and top with soda. Garnish with a lime wheel.
For the Lemon-Grass Cardamom Simple Syrup:
Cut two lemongrass stalks into 1-inch pieces. Using the flat side of a knife, crush stalks. Using the side of a knife again, crack ten cardamom pods. In a sealable container, add lemongrass and cardamom to 1 cup hot water and 1 cup sugar. Shake until sugar is dissolved and let the mixture rest in a refrigerator overnight. Strain and keep refrigerated for up to a week.
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THANK YOU FOR READING! STAY COOL OUT THERE.