Hollywood Cocktails

A debonair book about the great era of Hollywood classics and the cocktails typically served in films, from those in Rick's Bar in Casablanca to the vodka martinis in My Man Godfrey. Each chapter lists recipes for festivities or for an evening, pre-dinner cocktail hour. It also includes a compulsory section of morning-after concoctions. The recipes, with entertaining anecdotes linking drinks to specific films, give readers a true taste of Hollywood. Beautifully presented in period typography with elegant duotone, vintage photos of specific actors and drinking-related scenes.

First, a disclaimer: drinking does not make you cool, and emulating people who drink in order to be cool is a foolish thing to do. That said, if you're going to be drinking anyway, why not do so with a little style? Hollywood Cocktails makes a good case for bringing back the swanky cocktail-party-as-an-event, complete with nattily dressed movie stars to set the example. After a few words on the best way to stir ice without breaking it and the absolutely crucial importance of proper garnish selection, we're off to a fantasyland of shiny dresses and muddled cherries. Each cocktail comes with a step-by-step recipe and sample movie scene to set the mood. We start, as God intended, with the classic dry martini and a scene from the Clark Gable/Constance Bennett caper After Office Hours. The book then moves on to now-rare classics like the Champagne Cocktail (Casablanca) and the Rusty Nail (The Lost Weekend--not recommended viewing for a cheerful cocktail party). In the event of a particularly good party, fear not: hangover cures are thoughtfully included, such as the entertainingly named Corpse Reviver, featured in the appropriately titled Remember Last Night? Ben Reed's recipes are well-proportioned for flavor and come annotated with tips for proper service, such as waiting until the mixing cup has frosted before pouring your martinis and using real, fresh lime juice for the perfect daiquiri. If making cocktails look this cool is wrong, you may not want to be right. --Ali Davis