September Cocktail Season
Here We Go September
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:
<iframe src="https://andredarlington.substack.com/embed" width="480" height="320" style="border:1px solid #EEE; background:white;" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>Crossing the Finish Line: New Book Nearing Completion. Booze & Vinyl II Cover Reveal! Booze Cruise On NBC. Late Summer Cocktails.
Friends, I ain’t gonna lie; summer in Philly is hard. I promised myself I’d never be here in July and August again — but because I’m writing and recipe testing, I’m stuck. It’s hot. It’s treeless. The neighbors are doing construction. Another neighbor got a puppy that barks (no, screeches) all day outside my office window. A bright spot this summer is our banana tree, which is now gigantic at over 10’ tall. But also — the TOMATOES & PEACHES are incredible this year. I don’t know if they’re better than ever, but they certainly seem to be. I’ve had some mind-blowing BLTs, caprese salads, and peach . . . everything.
This has been crunch month — my new manuscript came together in draft last week. 142 recipes. That’s big. You know those books that proclaim “More than 100 recipes!” on the cover? They mean 103, not 142. It became clear writing this book — a global cocktail food compendium — that I was heading into uncharted territory. . . no book like it exists. . . that this is going to be a statement — i.e., cocktail party culture has changed over the past few decades and we are doing things differently now. In brief: fussy, bland finger food is out and big, bold global flavors are in. The problem is that if you’re writing a statement book it has to be done thoroughly. That means there are sidebars on just about everything, including the origin of the shrimp cocktail. Ever wonder why the word “cocktail” appears alongside shellfish on menus?— buy the book and find out! Just kidding. It likely developed from a popular oyster shooter in San Francisco in the late 1800s.
I go deep on research. Some of you may have seen my posts about scouring the internet for all the Fanny Farmer Cookbooks published during the Prohibition years. I wanted to know exactly when the chapter “First Courses, Including Cocktails, Canapés, and Hors d’Oeuvres” appeared in print— to find out, you’ll have to read my book! Kidding — I can tell you it’s not there in 1925 but it is included by 1931. I find that fascinating; cocktail party recipes appeared in a home cookbook during Prohibition — makes sense, doesn’t it? Cocktailing didn’t stop. It just went into private homes.
It feels good to have accomplished something I have been working on for a very long time: a food recipe book. It’s not hyperbole to say I’ve been steadily making my way toward this project for 20 years. I’ll share more when the working title is confirmed. This book is slated for fall ‘22.
COVER REVEAL. It’s exciting to share that Booze & Vinyl II is looking amazing and is now available for pre-sale wherever books are sold. You can pre-order it here. It launches April 19, 2022. 70 more of the greatest listening albums set to an A-side & B-side cocktail!
The card game is also launching April 19, 2022. You can pre-order it here.
Back when I was in Madison, I shot a spot for NBC-10 in Philadelphia. It was truly a blast making drinks with host Aunyea Lachelle. She has good energy!
Watch me demo a Paloma and a Toki Highball here.
LATE SUMMER COCKTAILS
September is a transition time. Cooler nights mean that we’re leaving tropical drinks for cocktails that feel fall. I think this makes the month fun for imbibing, full of anticipation and change. One of my favorite classics that works well during September is Dick Bradsell’s Bramble — it’s still a little fruity but can play as a cold-weather drink. The Bramble is one of the great modern cocktails — created as an English answer to the Singapore Sling. It appears as one of the two London drinks in my book Booze Cruise: A Tour of the World’s Essential Mixed Drinks.
BRAMBLE
2 ounces gin
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/4 ounce simple syrup
1/2 ounce crème de mûre
3 blackberries, for garnish
Lemon wheel, for garnish
Shake gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup with ice and strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Pour crème de mûre over the top of the drink and garnish with blackberries and a lemon wheel.
Note: Crème de mûre is blackberry liqueur and is widely available in liquor stores and online.
By the time you read the next newsletter, I’ll be done with “the book.” And now I’ll leave you with a teaser — I’m in talks with the estate of a deceased American actor about a new book. Can you guess who?
What I’m Reading: Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams
What I’m Watching: An Inspector Calls (based on the play by J. B. Priestley)
SEE YOU NEXT MONTH - IN THE MEANTIME FIND ME ON INSTAGRAM AND TELL ME WHAT YOU’RE DRINKING.
THANK YOU FOR READING! STAY COOL OUT THERE.