In honor of our spring books issue, here’s a roundup of interesting titles that have crossed my desk lately.
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The Modern Mixologist | Tony Abou-Ganim with Mary Elizabeth Faulkner | Surrey Books, $35
Las Vegas barkeep Abou-Ganim, a 30-year-veteran who began working near the dawn of the classic cocktail resurgence, has written a useful manual for anyone considering a home mixology self-improvement course. Or at least the first half—concerned with history, fundamentals, equipment, and technique—works that way. What follows are 40 cocktail recipes of the author’s own creation. Those most likely to tackle these appealing but nontraditional formulas, lavishly photographed and presented with deep backstory, aren’t likely to have much use for the introductory info. Novices ought to at least have been offered instructions for the manhattan, the margarita, and other classics before being unleashed on Abou-Ganim’s Blond Mary, Vanilla Gorilla, or Bluegrass Cobbler.
Pig: King of the Southern Table | James Villas | Wiley, $34.95
