Synopses & Reviews
A lick of salt and the sour tang of lime balanced by a hint of sweet make the margarita the perfect summer thirst quencher. Fresh cane juice or tamarind puree makes it better than perfect.
The Seasonal Cocktail Companion is a season-by-season toolkit for stocking your bar straight from the farmers market. From rhubarb bitters in the springtime to Horchata nog in the summer, spirits expert Maggie Savarino gives you the tools to infuse your bar with flavorful character.
This book will not only feature recipes based around specific seasonal ingredients of a culinary bent but also show how certain cocktails can transition through the seasons — winterizing tequila and getting nog out in the sun. The book will be organized by seasons, with drink recipes geared towards the particular season as well as classic recipes — like the Champagne Cocktail or punch — reimagined for each season.
Review
"Savarino, based in Seattle, has always been one of the most refreshing and irreverent drinks mavens in America....If there is such a thing as a punk cocktail geek, Savarino is it. The Seasonal Cocktail Companion is full of cool, unique cocktails — who knew brandy, nocino and stout tasted so weirdly good together? — and DIY recipes for liqueurs, bitters and amari." The Washington Post
Review
"With the craft cocktail renaissance in full-swing, who better to give us a shot of DIY-confidence than Seattle's high priestess of hooch, Maggie Savarino? In her Seasonal Cocktail Companion: 100 Recipes and Projects for 4 Seasons of Drinking,... the longtime bartender — and former cocktail columnist for Seattle Weekly — is as much at home in the kitchen as she is behind the bar. Either/or, she spills her secrets (grapefruit-juice ice cubes for a summery negroni!), sasses back at snobbery (Jagermeister, anyone?), shows her amore for amaro (with a recipe, natch), and tempts with a tinkerer's treasure-trove of ideas for homemade garnishes." The Seattle Times
Review
"Shake up your drink routine with help from former booze columnist and current master mixologist (Madison Park Conservatory) Maggie Savarino. In her new book, The Seasonal Cocktail Companion: 100 Recipes and Projects for Four Seasons of Drinking, you'll find twists on the classics, DIY liqueur and infusion recipes (red pepper tincture, Nocino), plus other tasty activities." DailyCandy Seattle
Review
"Among the number of cocktail books being published these days, Savarino, a bartender and sommelier who wrote a beverages column for the Seattle Weekly, here takes a seasonal approach to drinking. Instead of focusing on how to make martinis or gimlets, she emphasizes using fresh, seasonal ingredients and encourages creativity with spirits. The book is broken into two parts. The first reviews the basics, including a brief discussion on spirits, equipment, and tools, but shines in its extensive information on using fresh herbs and spices in beverages, with flavor profiles and weight-to-volume measurements. The guide stands out here with its recipes for flavored syrups, infusions, liqueurs, vinegars, and bitters. The second, seasonal section of the book features additional recipes for Brewed Ginger Beer, Mead (Honey Wine), and other DIY beverages. While the recipes call for some hard-to-find ingredients (Savarino includes source lists), the instructions vary from the easy (e.g., combine spirits and herbs and let it sit for three weeks) to more hands-on (e.g., sieving herbs through cheesecloth). Library Journal