Awesome Cocktail Album and Music Offers

Dale DeGroff is widely regarded as the world’s foremost mixologist. Hailed by the New York Times as “single-handedly responsible for what’s been called the cocktail renaissance,” he earned this reputation during his twelve years at the fashionable Promenade Bar in New York City’s Rainbow Room. It was there in 1987 that he not only reintroduced the cocktail menu to the country but also began mixing drinks from scratch, using impeccably fresh ingredients instead of the widespread mixes used at the time. 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.

The Essential Cocktail features only those drinks that stand out for their flavor, interesting formula, or distinctive technique. These are the very ones every amateur and professional bartender must know, the martinis, sours, highballs, tropicals, punches, sweets, and classics, both old and new, that form the core of a connoisseur’s repertoire. Throughout the book are DeGroff’s personal twists, such as a tangy Grapefruit Julep or a refreshing Yuzu Gimlet.

To complement the tantalizing photographs of each essential cocktail, DeGroff also regales readers with the fascinating lore behind a drink’s genesis and instructs us on using the right ingredients, techniques, glasses, and garnishes. As Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking was the classic compendium for home chefs and gourmands, so The Essential Cocktail will be the go-to book for serious mixologists and cocktail enthusiasts..
Price: $19.11 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Inspired by the bounty of Sonoma County's organic farms and local distilleries, Scott Beattie shakes up the cocktail world with his extreme twists on classic bar fare. In "Artisinal Cocktails", Beattie reveals his intense attention to detail and technique with a collection of visually stunning and astonishingly tasty drinks made with top-shelf spirits, fresh-squeezed juices, and just-picked herbs and flowers. In creatively named recipes such as Meyer Beautiful (My, You're Beautiful), Hot Indian Date, and the Grapes of Roth, Beattie combines flavours and aesthetics as meticulously as a chef to produce party-worthy concoctions guests won't soon forget..
Price: $12.47 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Cocktails are bigger than ever, and this is the first real cookbook for them, covering the entire breadth of this rich subject The Craft of the Cocktail provides much more than merely the same old recipes: it delves into history, personalities, and anecdotes; it shows you how to set up a bar, master important techniques, and use tools correctly; and it delivers unique concoctions, many featuring Dale DeGroff’s signature use of fresh juices, as well as all the classics.

Debonair, a great raconteur, and an unparalleled authority, Dale DeGroff is the epitome of Perfect Bartender, universally acknowledged as the world’s premier mixologist. From Entertainment Weekly and USA Today to the Culinary Institute of America and the nation’s best restaurants, whenever anybody wants information or training on the bar, they turn to Dale for recipes, for history, for anecdotes, for fun—for cocktail-party conversation as well as for cocktails.

That’s what The Craft of the Cocktail is—the full party, conversation and all. It begins with the history of spirits, how they’re made (but without too much boring science), the development of the mixed drink, and the culture it created, all drawn from Dale’s vast library of vintage cocktail books. Then on to stocking the essential bar, choosing the right tools and ingredients, mastering key techniques—hints worthy of a pro, the same information that Dale shares with the bartenders he trains in seminars and through his videos. And then the meat of the matter: 500 recipes, including everything from tried-and-true classics to of-the-moment originals. Throughout are rich stories, vintage recipes, fast facts, and other entertaining asides. Beautiful color photographs and a striking design round out the cookbook approach to this subject, highlighting the difference between an under-the-bar handbook and a stylish, full-blown treatment. The Craft of the Cocktail is that treatment, destined to become the bible of the bar..
Price: $19.97 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Guesstimation is a book that unlocks the power of approximation--it's popular mathematics rounded to the nearest power of ten! The ability to estimate is an important skill in daily life. More and more leading businesses today use estimation questions in interviews to test applicants' abilities to think on their feet. Guesstimation enables anyone with basic math and science skills to estimate virtually anything--quickly--using plausible assumptions and elementary arithmetic.

Lawrence Weinstein and John Adam present an eclectic array of estimation problems that range from devilishly simple to quite sophisticated and from serious real-world concerns to downright silly ones. How long would it take a running faucet to fill the inverted dome of the Capitol? What is the total length of all the pickles consumed in the US in one year? What are the relative merits of internal-combustion and electric cars, of coal and nuclear energy? The problems are marvelously diverse, yet the skills to solve them are the same. The authors show how easy it is to derive useful ballpark estimates by breaking complex problems into simpler, more manageable ones--and how there can be many paths to the right answer. The book is written in a question-and-answer format with lots of hints along the way. It includes a handy appendix summarizing the few formulas and basic science concepts needed, and its small size and French-fold design make it conveniently portable. Illustrated with humorous pen-and-ink sketches, Guesstimation will delight popular-math enthusiasts and is ideal for the classroom.

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Price: $11.78 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Cheers! Here is to cocktails! Mix them, drink them, enjoy them. Includes more than 150 recipes, a comprehensive glossary, and amusing anecdotes. 160 pages; 4-1/4'' wide x 5-3/4'' high; concealed wire-o binding; book lies flat for ease of use; elastic band place holder..
Price: $5.25 [Notify me when price goes down.]

“How to recapture those blissful holidays of yore? What’s the secret? I searched and searched and –after a whole hour on the Internet– I found the answer: liquor.”

Yes, says Valerie Peterson, the antidote to holiday stress is, quite simply, to keep good spirits in you. Whether you need to ease the friction at the Thanksgiving table, dull the guilt of smashing one of Great-Grandmama’s heirloom Christmas ornaments, or take the bite out of a New Year’s Day hangover, the collection of cocktails and tips in Peterson’s Holiday Helper will keep you afloat. With festive, original concoctions (such as Pilgrim Sangria and the Ginerous Regift) as well as time-honored classics (Mulled Wine and Eggnog), Peterson administers easy and delicious pick-me-ups for holiday humbugs and soothing calm-me-downs for the inevitable celebratory crises.

Whatever your seasonal malady, Peterson’s Holiday Helper has the cure:

Heading home for the holidays stuffed  into a coach-class center seat?
Fly the skies in a friendlier fashion with Whatever Gets You Through the Woods, prepared with $10 of onboard liquor and other ingredients handily available from your cooperative flight attendant.

Run out of transparent tape with  twenty-seven more presents to wrap?
Hold yourself together with a Double-Stick Scotch Coffee, made with Drambuie, butterscotch schnapps, and piping-hot coffee.

Memories of Christmases Past have you wishing you could change a few things (your choice of an ex-husband or your high-school hairstyle, perhaps)?
Skip the ghastly recollections and go right for the spirits with a citrus-and-spice-infused Dickensian Smoking Bishop.

In addition to these tasty and therapeutic cocktails, Peterson’s Holiday Helper is filled with vintage photographs and holiday ephemera that capture the jolly old days, as well as helpful tips to further your merry frame of mind. With easy instructions for making basics such as simple syrup and infused vodka, along with more than fifty scrumptious recipes, Peterson’s Holiday Helper will help you maintain that old-fashioned feeling of peace and tranquilization–er, tranquillity–for the entire season..
Price: $8.19 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Ultimate Bar Book is the first and only guide to classic and new drink recipes Loaded with essential-to-know topics such as barware, tools, and mixing tips, this book has it all. As a mistress of mixology, the author has the classics down to a T -- the Martini, the Bloody Mary, plus the many variations (the Dirty Martini, the Virgin Mary). And then there are all the creative new elixirs the author brings to the table, like the Tasmanian Twister Cocktail or the Citron Sparkler. Illustrations show precisely what type of glass should be used for each drink. With dozens of recipes for garnishes, rims, infusions, and syrups; punches, gelatin shooters, hot drinks, and non-alcoholic beverages; and -- let's not forget -- an essential selection of hangover remedies, Ultimate Bar Book is nothing short of top-shelf..
Price: $10.51 [Notify me when price goes down.]

The Margarita It’s the drink that puts the "happy" in happy hour. A beguiling elixir of tequila, citrus, and sweetness that’s guaranteed to go down easy—and put a smile on your face.

The Classic Margarita—perhaps named after Margarita Sames, or maybe Margarete, a descendent of Ponce de Leon, but do we really care?—is a delectable blend of tequila, simple syrup, Cointreau, and lime and lemon juices. But as cocktail designer extraordinaire Kim Haasarud proves in this fantastic little guide, the Classic is just the starting point for margarita bliss. Open the book, and you’ll discover 101 heavenly margarita recipes—one for every season, every mood, and every occasion.

All your favorite margarita variations are here. You can chill out with a frozen Strawberry Margarita. Get romantic with an exotic Passionfruit Margarita. Or "berry" yourself in the fruity delights of a delicious Raspberry Margarita. But Haasarud also gives you lots of new and exciting margarita choices. You can take a cocktail party to new heights with the sophisticated Sake Margarita. Tame fiery foods with the refreshing Sweet Ginger Margarita. Or finish off a meal with a divine Hazelnut Margarita or an espresso-infused Margarita du Café.

So invite some friends, get out your shaker, and ready the glasses. With a little help from this book, you’ll be in Margaritaville in no time.

Kim Haasarud bartended her way through college and in 2002 founded Liquid Architecture, a firm that creates signature drinks and bar concepts. Her clients have included Fox Searchlight, Warner Brothers, HBO, Comedy Central, Maxim, the Tribeca Film Festival, Absolut Vodka, Jameson Irish Whiskey, and the Cheesecake Factory. She also writes the "West Coast Cocktails" column for Slammed magazine, a restaurant trade journal. Her Web site is liquid-architecture.com.

Alexandra Grablewski is a well-known food and beverage photographer whose work has appeared in Gourmet, Martha Stewart Living, Real Simple, Better Homes and Gardens, and Wine Spectator as well as in many books..
Price: $8.59 [Notify me when price goes down.]

In this collection of 50 easy recipes, illustrated with gorgeous color photos, master mixologist A.J. Rathbun shows readers how to create their own liqueurs - infusions that meld liquor with fruit, herbs, and spices - for any occasion. Chapters include citrus mixes such as Limoncello and Mandarino; fruit flavors such as A Fair Pear; nutty/spicy liqueurs such as Anisetter and Basil Grappa; exotic mixtures such as Persephonia; and sweet treats such as Mocha Cream. The introduction covers all the basic rules, tips, and necessary tools, as well as information on gift-giving, storing, and packaging, and cocktail suggestions..
Price: $8.28 [Notify me when price goes down.]

In Entertaining Simple, lifestyle and entertaining guru Matthew Mead shows you how to say goodbye to party jitters and say hello to stylish, easygoing gatherings. He gives you everything you need for parties that are wonderfully simple--and simply wonderful.

Packed with beautiful color photographs, this great guide gives you innovative ideas, tasty recipes, and complete game plans for all kinds of get-togethers. To demonstrate how to put his simple entertaining ideas into practice, Matthew gives you complete plans for eight fabulous get-togethers and he provides creative serving ideas and tempting menus for each party.

Complete with source listings and savvy tips on everything from setting up a bar to storing linens, Entertaining Simple is simply indispensable if you want to impress your guests with great food and creative table settings--without spending a lot of time or money.

Photos from Chapter 3: "Make It Your Own: Personalizing the Table" (Click on Image to Enlarge)

Exclusive Recipe Excerpts from Entertaining Simple

Shrimp with Fresh Tomato Salsa

Herb-Roasted Chicken

Roasted Vegetables

Apple Coffeecake

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Price: $13.92 [Notify me when price goes down.]