Sometimes a big thing can come in a small package. New York Cocktails is just 5 ½ by 7 ½ inches. It is thick though, 352 pages thick. And it is powerful.
Author Amanda Schuster is a New Yorker who loves cocktails, loves them so much she lives them, breathes them, and imbibes them with voracity. There is enough content in this one book to fill four volumes: insights on mixology, the best bars and their individually best cocktails, bar tours, distilleries of distinction, and syrup ideas. And, of course, cocktail recipes. Historically correct recipes, like the original Manhattan and Whiskey Sour. The best in cocktails before Prohibition and the best after. The best cocktails from the premier mixologists shaking away today across the city — all the city not just Manhattan. And the best places to find niche cocktails, like the Prettiest Non-Tomato Based Bloody Mary.
Your head will spin with the ideas bubbling here. [Yes, some of the bubbles are due to Cava]. Real estate in Manhattan is not cheap but in Brooklyn it is less not cheap. So, to find the most innovative bars and restaurants, you need to go to Brooklyn. Amanda supplies a subway-tour of bars in Brooklyn that will leave you happy and, perhaps, tottering just a tad.
The detail here will keep you busy for days, if not weeks. I’ve gone through the book twice, page by page. And I’ve compiled a list of 25 top bars to visit, along with the recommended “must try” beverage at each one. It’s cold in New York City. Snow is coming. But a mile from me is The Late Late Bar that features a Wild Hot Toddy. I think though I’ll put off visiting Leyenda, with its armada of tiki drinks, until I can walk there without a winter coat. In short, Amanda has set my drinking schedule for months.
Most of the cocktails recipes here are simple, just a handful of common ingredients. Although, there do appear components like Bonal and Byrrh Grand Quinaquina that are not in my personal bar. Not yet. I am tempted.
The syrup recipes here are quite interesting: cinnamon, pineapple, hibiscus, and toasted black cardamom and cinnamon maple syrup. There’s a two-day project make a Lime Cordial. So, some of these recipes are Ikea-like: some assembly required. But how much fun can it be to make cinnamon syrup with maple syrup and then drink with mezcal, cachaça, pisco, and apricot liqueur. This project achieves a new standard in “home improvement.”
If you are lucky enough to live in or near New York, this is the book to put in your purse or backpack. Wherever you are in the city, there’s somewhere near offering you exceptional beverages. Amanda knows and Amanda has told us all.
New York Cocktails is part of series from Cider Mill Press. I’ve already review Paris Cocktails. I have a copy of New Orleans Cocktails that I’m working on. And there is Texas Cocktails out there too. So many bottles, so little time. These guides, like New York Cocktails, are the best drinking maps you could find. Don’t hesitate!