Okay, so yes, I got to review yet another cocktail book – by choice! Why, you may ask, as I have about a dozen or more so far, would I want another? Because I love recipe books, and not just because, as you may think, easy read/easy review. It does make for a quick read over say, The Wine Bible, but there is also – usually – something fun to learn for cocktail lovers.
This was the case with The Cocktail Guide to the Galaxy by Andy Heidel. I’d never heard of Heidel, his Way Station bar in Brooklyn (that has a TARDIS – Google Dr. Who if you don’t know what this is – for a bathroom that is, indeed, larger inside than it appears from the outside, just like the <real> thing) or his verifiably geek media inspired cocktail book.
So I ventured into this freaky “galaxy” created by Heidel that was inspired by his love for both old and new science fiction. I found some drinks I wanted to try – The Evil Dead, Repo and Metropolis – and others that I don’t think anyone is really meant to try – Fantastic Pour, Bender’s Bender and the Blood of Enemies. On the latter it’s because the recipes were delivered…like a punch line. Here’s one I’ve abbreviated a bit – so buy the book if you want the whole thing:
Game of Thrones
George R. R. Martini
2 parts gin
¼ part dry vermouth
Let sit on shelf for a year. Add ice, stir and contemplate. Come back to it later….garnish with one olive stabbed through the heart with a lemon wedge.
Other equally entertaining bits are Heidel’s Hints, Ander’s Anecdotes, clever illustrations, his feeling about The Mix Tape, Idiot Proof Instructions, almost ten pages of recipes dedicated to all of The Doctors from Doctor Who, Alissa May Atkinson’s essay on The Quaffing Dead to remind us how to treat our hard working bartenders and finally Heidel’s Why that he explains in his entertaining forward. I dog-eared a few pages for further reflection – and to try crafting myself.
This book is one I will be displaying on my home bar. Something guests can ponder while they wait for their cocktail, and wonder if they are being poisoned or just the subject of a mild jest.
Abbreviated Info From the Publicist:
The Cocktail Guide to the Galaxy by Andy Heidel, the notable owner of The Way Station in Brooklyn, NY. A true mecca for nerd culture, The Way Station has found its way on to numerous lists of the best sci-fi bars and is even complete with a TARDIS themed bathroom.
Including over 100 fun and easy to make recipes – these cocktails are simple to make with no crazy ingredients – The Cocktail Guide to the Galaxy features more of the themed cocktails Heidel’s patrons know and love and is filled with pop culture references from Metropolis, to Guardians of the Galaxy, to Star Wars, and everything in between. Some of the recipes include:
- Doc B’s Wakeup Juice (Back to the Future)
- Sonic Screwdrivers (Doctor Who)
- Shirley Temple of Doom (Indiana Jones)
- Jameson T. Kirk (Star Trek)
- Blue Milk (Star Wars)
Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video, authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.
