Atomic Cocktails: Mixed Drinks for Modern Times [Hardcover]

Gideon Bosker (Author), Karen Brooks (Author), Reed Darmon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1998

From a glittering Stardust Martini to a Cognac Zoom, Atomic Cocktails blasts into the ether with more than 50 Space Age cocktails. Tonic to tequila, mood music to maraschino cherries, this book's for everyone who isn't sure what goes into a Gimlet and thinks Angostura is a kind of sweater. It reveals the secrets that ardent swingers have spent years discovering, including the fundamentals of mixology and how to master all the classics. The repertoire includes cosmic concoctions, tropical exotica, summer coolers, hot shots, some real originals, and specials from the alcohol-free zone. The authors also add a guide to essential ingredients and tips on mixing a drink with a knowing flick of the wrist -- plus how to serve it in the perfect glass with the perfect garnish. Come on you birds and hot daddies, it's happy hour!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

What cocktails do you think people enjoyed in the Polish Middle Ages? You don't know, do you? Neither does anyone else. That's because no one bothered to write such things down. But if you had to write about American culture from, say, Prohibition to the current fin de siècle, you would be hard pressed to leave out the cocktail.

So hats off to Karen Brooks, Gideon Bosker, and Reed Darmon, who have taken it upon themselves to gather up the arcana while it is still fresh and available and save it between covers for this generation and many more to come. Design, recipes, and writing all stand out in this cocktail lovefest that courts kitsch while all but taking itself seriously. You'd certainly have trouble doing much better for a collection of cocktail recipes than those provided herein. The design gathers all that was hip and cool in the '50s, '60s, and '70s, by about which time the cocktail was fading in the face of wine on the one hand and party drugs on the other. This book is a nice sharp stick in the eye of the New Puritanism--as the authors point out, the mighty American industry that rose up in the 1950s was built on the three-martini lunch. We can, of course, only hope that decisions affecting a wider population--who's going to drive, for example, or where to dump that toxic waste--are no longer being made after three martinis, no matter what the time of day.

And speaking of martinis, while the authors make good with tasty drink recipes such as the Stardust Martini and the Cognac Zoom, sadly missing is the Cajun Martini made popular by chef Paul Prudhomme. Now that's a cocktail to tangle with. --Schuyler Ingle

Review

Reviews From:

Chicago Tribune

Bon Apetit

Roam

Atomic Cocktails brings back the glamour such as it is of tippling a-go-go. Written by nostalgia buffs Karen Brooks, Gideon Bosker and Reed Darmon, the book delivers dozens of cocktails with a 50s and 60s point of view. The 50 recipes include classics such as martinis and Manhattans to libations such as Guava Daiquiri of the Party Gods and Hot Buttered Rumba. Rookies will find the basics (equipment, techniques, ingredients) here too, not to mention a very amusing read.

Also useful is Atomic Cocktails by Karen Brooks, Gideon Bosker and Reed Darmon. This one focuses on mixed drinks from the fifties and sixties and the array of products and accessories they inspired. Where else are you going to find out how to mix up a batch of Ray Guns or Angry Red Planets?

Start the summer parties off with a bang, with Atomic Cocktails, a bright new collection of drinks, vintage graphics and detailed bayside reference. Surefire hits like the Brazen Martini (violet liqueur and an orange twist in the place of vermouth), Neon Watermelon Margaritas and the fearsome-sounding Angry Red Planet (bloody mary with wasabi), just might wreak everlasting havoc on cocktail life as we know it.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (April 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811819264
• ISBN-13: 978-0811819268
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 7.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,287,130 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An extreemly good introduction to cocktail culture, November 17, 1998

By 

R.Scott Taylor ([e-mail]) (Bloomington, IN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Atomic Cocktails: Mixed Drinks for Modern Times (Hardcover)

Atomic Cocktails is nicely designed and serves a novice very well. The pictures and drinks included are pure 50's, stylish and fun. The recipes presented are detailed and easy to duplicate at home. Contained in the back of the book is a glossary of liquors telling which have a better taste at better prices. All in all a very good book one that will spur the intrests of beginers. I wish, however, that it had given more recipes.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nifty retro look at the elixir of life., March 9, 1999

By 

J M Roegner (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Atomic Cocktails: Mixed Drinks for Modern Times (Hardcover)

This was a fun read. Quick too. I found some new drink recipes, and some nostalgia for a time I am too young to remember. If anything, the book was too short as I could have done with a few more drinks, and some more nostalgia. At least some Cole Porter or Noel Coward. Rick, Nora. Somebody. Still, it was fun while it lasted, and clearly understood and conveyed the romance, grace, and promise of a Martini.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Head For The Lounge, December 20, 2000

By 

Thomas Magnum (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Atomic Cocktails: Mixed Drinks for Modern Times (Hardcover)

Atomic Cocktails is a great book if you are interested in mixing up some potent potables, but you can find a thousand other books that give you the same information. What separates this book from the pack is the retro-packaging. Done up in a kitschy, campy style, the book harkens back to the lounge lizard days of the 50's & 60's. The book honors the time when drinking a martini was the height of cool and does the fine art of mixing drinks proud.