Signature Cocktails invites readers to pull up a seat at the bar and partake in the intoxicating history of a series of world-class bespoke cocktails. To attain the title stature of "signature," says author Amanda Schuster (New York Cocktails; Drink Like a Local: New York), a drink must "[express] the nature of the time, person, venue, city, or country for which it was created."
Arranged in chronological order, this generous volume provides a varied assortment of 200 beautifully photographed handcrafted libations and their respective origins and recipes. Schuster has assembled her roster of drinks from around the globe: Thailand ("Siam Sunray," a vodka highball), Indonesia (the nonalcoholic "Pletok"), Colombia, and Atlanta, Ga., as well as the better-known cocktail capitals of New York and London.
The journey starts with "Atholl Brose," a New Year's Eve drink that dates back to 1475 and features unpeated Highland single malt Scotch, and concludes 398 mouth-watering pages later with the "Phaidon 100," a drink created to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the publisher, a gin-based herbaceous marvel; its elegant simplicity in the photograph belies its extensive ingredient list.
This is an outstanding, elegant, and inspirational guide for even the most seasoned of mixologists. --Elizabeth DeNoma, executive editor, DeNoma Literary Services, Seattle, Wash.