I Created a New Drink, “The Librarian”: Cocktail and Mocktail Cookbooks
I created a new cocktail the other day and am calling it "The Librarian". To celebrate, here are cookbooks for cocktails and mocktails to help you cool off this summer.
The Librarian is made with as much gin as you like, some traditional lemonade, and six mulberries that I took from the public lane way mulberry tree overhanging near me. You know mulberry trees. They make a mess all over the sidewalk, on your shoes, you hate to walk through that mess. Then the birds eat them and poop mulberry mess everywhere else.
Well, now you can'take some (from the tree – not the ground!) and you can make The Librarian.
Crush them in the glass and the drink becomes a pretty pink/purple color and the sweet piquant flavor is pretty darned nice. It's a riff on making lemonade from lemons – make The Librarian from messy mulberries. It helps to have a heavy bottom cut crystal glass but I think this would look good in anything you can see through. Enjoy and you're welcome!
If you're interested in making some delicious, cooling beverages this summer, you may enjoy some of these books.
Cocktails
A Field Guide to Canadian Cocktails
"A collection of over 100 recipes inspired by a bounty of homegrown ingredients and spirits that will appeal to armchair bartenders and professionals alike. From the Yukon's Sour Toe Shot to a Prairie Caesar to New Brunswick's Fiddlehead Martini, each beautifully crafted recipe…features quintessentially Canadian ingredients."
The Essential Cocktail: The Art of Mixing Perfect Drinks
"Dale DeGroff is widely regarded as the world's foremost mixologist… Known especially for crafting unique cocktails, reviving classics, and coaxing superior flavor from his ingredients, DeGroff has selected his 100 essential drinks and 100 of their best variations – including many of his signature cocktails – for this premier mixology guide."
Drinking French: The Iconic Cocktails, Apéritifs, and Café Traditions of France, with 160 Recipes
"Bestselling cookbook author, memoirist, and popular blogger David Lebovitz delves into the drinking culture of France in Drinking French…And because the French can't imagine drinking without having something to eat alongside, David includes crispy, salty snacks to serve with your concoctions."
With Alcohol Anything is Popsicle: 60 Frozen Cocktails. Ebook only.
"This book provides 60 recipes for popsicles, slushies and ice-creamy frozen drinks… The sun is out, the mercury is finally hitting 30 degrees… what better way to toast the start of summer than with a frozen cocktail – on a stick!"
Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail
"Featuring more than 120 recipes and nearly 450 color photographs, Liquid Intelligence begins with the simple – how ice forms and how to make crystal-clear cubes in your own freezer – and then progresses into advanced techniques… For devotees seeking the cutting edge, chapters on liquid nitrogen, chitosan/gellan washing, and the applications of a centrifuge expand the boundaries of traditional cocktail craft."
Cocktail Culture: Recipes & Techniques from Behind the Bar
"World-class bartenders Shawn Soole and Nate Caudle compile cutting-edge recipes for the experienced bartender and beginner mixologist alike. The ultimate cocktail book, Cocktail Culture boasts over 110 original recipes, from Classic-inspired Drinks and Tikis to Weird, Experimental & Mainstays and Flips."
And if you like books from bartenders you may also enjoy:
- Mulligan's Bar Guide
- The Geeky Bartender Drinks: Real-Life Recipes for Your Favorite Fantasy Cocktails
- The New York Bartender's Guide : Nearly 1,300 Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic Drink Recipes for the Professional and the Home
- Meehan's Bartender Manual
Drink What You Want: The Subjective Guide to Making Objectively Delicious Cocktails
"A non-judgemental, back-to-basics approach to cocktails that's as fun as it is definitive."
The Wildcrafted Cocktail: Make Your Own Foraged Syrups, Bitters, Infusions, and Garnishes
"Meet the natural lovechild of the popular local-foods movement and craft cocktail scene. It's here to show you just how easy it is to make delicious, one-of-a-kind mixed drinks with common flowers, berries, roots, and leaves that you can find along roadsides or in your backyard."
So, I am a bit suspect of this author just based on his old guy hipster beard, but I'm going to give him a pass as it was published in 2018 and back then it may have been cool. Now summer of 2020 … not so much, notwithstanding barbershops aren't trimming beards yet locally.
The Cocktail Guy: Infusions, Distillations and Innovative Combinations. Ebook only.
"Meet Rich Woods, a.k.a The Cocktail Guy… In this, his first book, Rich unlocks the secrets of making creative cocktails at home, from mastering classic techniques, to flavouring alcohol through simple infusions and more complex distillations and making your own home-made bitters from herbs, spices, fruits and roots."
So, I am not a big drinker. Basically one glass of wine puts me to sleep and I can't finish a bottle of beer. Sad, but true. Those stories about librarians being hard drinkers, staying up all night carousing in the stacks are myths. But I do like cider and I make a mean Sangria (white or red). Both are great for summer and you get some extra seasonal fruit. Extra bang for buck, so to speak.
101 Sangrias and Pitcher Drinks
"Welcome to the wonderful world of sangrias and punches, names that conjure up good times with great friends. Go get some wine, hit the local produce market, grab a few spirits and ice, and have at it. Enjoy!"
The Joy of Brewing Cider, Mead, and Herbal Wine: How to Craft Seasonal Fast-Brew Favorites at Home. Ebook only.
"Broken into three sections–mead, cider, and herbal wine–you'll learn what basic equipment you'll need, what ingredients to have on hand, and author Nancy Koziol will walk you through each step of the process."
Non-Alcoholic Drinks / Mocktails
One of co-workers, Roman P., said that if you didn't have alcohol in The Librarian it could then be called "The Children's Librarian" instead. I thought that was pretty darned funny, so I promised him I would add that joke into my blog. Let's see if he reads down this far.
Summer Drinks A Collection of Delicious Non‑alcoholic Beverages With Recipes from Canada's Best Cafes and Restaurants. Regular print only.
"This collection of more than 40 tantalizing and tasty non-alcoholic beverages presents both traditional and innovative refreshment. The recipes, from great Canadian cafes and restaurants across the country, demonstrate the creative approach taken by chefs and bartenders to serve mocktails, iced teas and coffees, fresh fruit shakes and original variations on punch and lemonade."
You may also enjoy Cooking Well: Alcohol-Free Beverages: Over 150 Easy & Delicious All-Occasion Drink Recipes.
Making Soda at Home: Mastering the Craft of Carbonation. Ebook only.
"Crafting a great carbonated beverage is easy! This informative guide to making soda at home is perfect for anyone looking to create delicious artisan drinks with or without a soda machine. Jeremy Butler breaks down the science of carbonation so you can discover recipes that are easily adapted for each of the three methods for carbonation."
You may also enjoy:
Mocktails, Punches, and Shrubs: Over 80 Nonalcoholic Drinks to Savor and Enjoy. Regular print only.
"What to drink when you're "not drinking"? Mix up refreshing mocktails with more than 80 unique, delicious non-alcoholic drink options for everyday and any occasion."
"The Boba Guys will show fans and novices alike how they can make their (new) favorite drink at home through clear step-by-step guides."
"Infusing Flavors features recipes to infuse mind-blowing flavors into teas, tisanes, bitters, liqueurs, aguas frescas, waters, vinegars, oils, gastriques, shrubs, ice creams, soft drinks, and more. Each section in the book is packed with unique recipes. You'll learn which herbs, fruits, flowers, vegetables, and even seeds can be prepared and infused into all-natural food and drink recipes."
"Provides recipes for adding flavors and nutrients to water for healthier alternatives to sugary drinks."
Water Infusions: Refreshing, Detoxifying and Healthy Recipes for Your Home Infuser. Regular print only.
"Instead of chemical-enhanced, calorie-packed store-bought water, the 75 recipes in this book pack flavorful fruits, veggies, herbs and essential oils into thirst-quenching, detoxifying waters that are 100% natural."
So whatever your drink is, I encourage you to raise a glass and have a toast to good health just like 100 year old Adele Holford below. And if you'd like to, tell us about your favourite drink in the comments below!
3 thoughts on “I Created a New Drink, “The Librarian”: Cocktail and Mocktail Cookbooks”
Brilliant as ever Bill! CHEERS!!
I second that!
I just love trying new cocktails when I travel, although I try to make them at home, it’s not easy to replicate the taste, but still, I try following the recipe. By the way, thanks for this recipe. Trying this weekend.