Cocktails A-Go-Go: Favorite Drinks from the 60s and Beyond [Hardcover]

Susan Waggoner (Author), Bob Markel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 19, 2003

Remember sipping a Mai Tai, perhaps with a lei around your neck while lounging to a Burt Bacharach song at a seventies shindig? Or dousing your thirst with a Tequila Sunrise after a turn on the disco floor boogying to Barry Manilow's Copacabana? Like Proust's madeleine, there are certain drinks that can take you back to a perfect time of pure pleasure. Cocktails A Go-Go sends you on that trip, with more than one hundred recipes for favorite drinks from the past along with the stories behind their invention, and nostalgic visuals that evoke the era.

With the recent revival of cocktail culture at home gatherings, bars, and restaurants, drinkers have developed an ever-expanding and more demanding palate. Cocktails A Go-Go rediscovers a slew of long-lost concoctions to quench the unending thirst for the hot new drink. While several books have tapped into this craze, none offers this combination of historical information, practical real drink recipes, and kitschy images. Filled with fun TV and film stills, posters, and vintage advertisements, the book hits the Generation X nostalgia nerve that is rooted in a past of tiki-mania, pu pu platters, disco music, and lounge lizards. It also serves as an entertaining sourcebook, with tips throughout for planning theme cocktail parties complete with music, food, and décor suggestions. This fun and affordable gift book is as essential as a cocktail shaker or a 10-speed blender.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Mixology experts Waggoner and Markel offer this follow-up to their Vintage Cocktails: Authentic Recipes and Illustrations from 1920-1960. Complete with 1960s designs and photos, this witty, modish book is sure to catch the attention of would-be drink stylists. After listing the bartending basics (types of glasses, mixes, and condiments), the authors break out the blender with recipes for Frozen Daiquiri (which "got a big boost... when John Fitzgerald Kennedy became president") and the Grasshopper. A chapter entitled "Lounge Lizards" offers a photo of Liberace and postcard illustration of The Tropicana. Here, "no-frills drinks are the hallmark of lounge culture"-and highballs rule, whether it's a Seven and Seven, Bourbon and Branch (water) or Vodka and Tonic. On the West Coast, surfing reigned, and refreshing drinks included the Harvey Wallbanger and Sangria. With the '60s came a blast of color, and the authors don't ignore those fun technicolor drinks, such as the Creamsicle and the Cosmopolitan.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Susan Waggoner is the author of several books, including I Do! I Do, The Old-Time Blue Ribbon Gardener's Handbook, Nightclub Nights, and Vintage Cocktails

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Universe; First edition (March 19, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789308460
• ISBN-13: 978-0789308467
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,756,332 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun A Go-Go, July 16, 2003

By 

S. M. Hogan (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cocktails A-Go-Go: Favorite Drinks from the 60s and Beyond (Hardcover)

This is a book you'll want to buy at least two of -- one to have on hand whenever you tend bar and one (or more) to give as a present to a cocktail-loving friend. It's especially fun for people who remember the era covered, but it's also intriguing for the post-Disco Era generations, a great way for them -- literally -- to get a taste of everything they missed.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pour Me Another!, June 1, 2006

By 

L Smith "acozylover" (Macomb, MI) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Cocktails A-Go-Go: Favorite Drinks from the 60s and Beyond (Hardcover)

Like a lot of people, I enjoy a good cocktail. We all have our favorites, and oftentimes become stuck in a rut with the same old standby at every cocktail party and social event. Wanting to become a bit more educated and try some new "beverages" I picked up this book.

Containing 100 different recipes for cocktails, the book also includes background information on how the drink was invented, and also tips to improve your next get-together. The recipes included in this book contain classics from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, so don't expect to find the latest craze here. However, these are classics...you should be able to find most in any bar at any time.

Ever wonder how to make a Bahama Mama? How about a Brandy Alexander? This book contains these recipes plus many more! My favorites include: Grasshopper, Planter's Punch, Peppermint Patty, and B-52 Shooter.

Enjoy!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'll drink to that!, July 16, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Cocktails A-Go-Go: Favorite Drinks from the 60s and Beyond (Hardcover)

It's great to have all these drink recipes in one handy reference book, but it's also a lot of fun to page through this book. I loved all the pictures and the nostalgic trivia.