Miki recommends that you "Shake" it up with this new cocktail recipe book

Image courtesy of TatteredCover.com

I am a lover of cookbooks. I think I never really  grew out of picture books, I just found books with yummier pictures.  

One of my favorite types of cookbooks are the ones that separate recipes by the season.  This is why I really wanted to check out Shake by Eric Prum and Josh Williams.  I am not much of a drinker, and I certainly am not a great bartender, but the thought of a seasonal cocktail really intrigued me.  I love salads and fresh fruit during the summer, I love squash and pumpkin in the fall, and I love soups in winter.  Why do some of us not view cocktails in the same way?  Well, most of us don't anyway.  However, the authors of Shake sure do.  

Not only are the recipes seasonal, but they are also somehow elegant and simple.  Most of the drinks only have a handful of basic ingredients.  For example, the "Blackberry Fence Hopper" is vodka, lemon, honey, blackberries, and seltzer.  Not only is the drink refreshing, but it is so easy to shop for.  Yes, some recipes are a bit higher end and require some investment, but a good number of these recipes use basic ingredients.  The thing that makes these recipes special is that the basic ingredients are mixed in an unexpected way.  Most people have strawberry jam in their refrigerator, or maybe they have rosemary growing in their window.  Well, Prum and Williams have created cocktails with those everyday items.  

I highly recommend this book.  I think there are plenty of recipes for the novice bartender, but there are also recipes in this book that dare the adventurous palette.  There is truly a cocktail for every kind of bartender and for every kind of drinker.

"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."