Great Books for Gift Giving!

The holidays wouldn’t be “the holidays” without an annual Holiday Gift Giving post.  And this year, I’m forgoing my usual list of bottles & baubles and focusing on BOOKS!  (If you want, you can see my former gift posts HERE HERE HERE HERE & HERE)

It was quite a year for the literary set who enjoy indulging in a great dram AND a great read and I’ve pulled together a little mix of books that should make one quite happy this winter.  I know I will be curling up fireside with my cozy faux fur blanket (like THIS ONE on sale at Pottery Barn), glass of whisky (Brenne please!)  and these books for the long winter months ahead!

In order of the above photo, here’s the quick list.  All titles click through to their respective pages on Amazon/Createspace.

1. Apothecary Cocktails, Restorative Drinks from Yesterday and Today by Warren Bobrow ~
2. Distilling Rob, Manly Lies and Whisky Truths by Robert Gard (& fellow whisky blogger, Whisky Guy Rob!)
3. Drinking With Men, A Memoir by Rosie Schaap
4. Guide to Urban Moonshining, How to Make and Drink Whiskey by Colin Spoelman & David Haskell (yes, that’s right, these are the awesome duo behind Kings County Distillery)
5. Whiskey Woman, The Untold Story of How Women Saved Bourbon, Scotch and Irish Whiskey by Fred Minnick
6. Savoring the Shore, Simple to Sophisticated Recipes from Chefts and Home Cooks for NJ Sandy Recovery, by Cheryl Larkin & Kate Kurelji

Beyond the fact that I personally know most of the authors and love supporting wonderful & talented people; I also believe in what each author has accomplished, whether it’s to educate, entertain or give back – read below for my quickfire thoughts on why they made the cut:

Apothecary Cocktails: There’s no question the “Classic Cocktail” movement is upon us – and it’s wonderful!  The ever-talented Warren Bobrow takes us back in time with modern upgrades featuring 75 recipes for cocktail libations to soothe the body AND mind!  Give this book with a few bottles of bitters for your favorite home mixologist!

Distilling Rob: An engaging story from “one of our own” whisky bloggers as he takes us through his roller-coaster life where at one point, he left his slick LA life to live and work on Islay in Scotland.  Using whisky-making and the maturation process as an analogy for how boys mature into men – this is a no-brainer stocking stuffer for anyone!

Drinking With Men: I bought this at a book reading of Rosie’s I attended with a friend and left with 1/2 the eye make-up I went in with due to all of my tears from continuous laughing.  This is a wonderfully engaging memoir that will having you wishing to travel through NYC retracing her steps.  Sometimes I fall out of habit reading and need a good “hook book” to get back into it again – this is definitely one of those excellent page turners!

Guide To Urban Moonshining: I just got this and can’t WAIT to get started.  (The fabric and feel of the book alone will give you instant “great gifter” cred).  It’s filled with recipes, distillation techniques, stories, history, and a chapter called “How To Drink Whiskey” in which yours truly, along with Jonathan Wingo and Colin Spoelman, each wrote a couple pages discussing the bottles we’d suggest if we had to build a well rounded whisky bar using only 12 bottles and cover our bases from sipping to cocktails for your novice and experienced drinker.  It was super fun and my first experience having any writings of my own published in a book.  Yay!  Pair this with a bottle of Kings County Bourbon or Moonshine for a great gift set!

Whiskey Women: THE BOOK that ought to be on everyone’s list!  For the first time, Fred is sharing the untold stories of the women who have created & saved this most exceptional industry.  It’s refreshing to have access to real stories that you haven’t heard before, that are not the same ones we know just told in a new way – no – this is fresh.  And fascinating.  And will give you a whole new appreciation for many of the whisky women who you may have met today and many of the distilleries whose drams you’ve probably enjoyed for a very long time.  A true must read for anyone who enjoys a great book.  Pair this with a bottle of Brenne – my own whisky – and support this particular whisky woman’s dream! 🙂

Savoring The Shore: while not a whisky book per se, there are 3 cocktails inside using Brenne Whisky, 2 of which were created by the author of Apothecary Cocktails, Warren Bobrow! But that’s not why it’s on this list.  Instead, it’s because all proceeds benefit Hurricane Sandy relief and that is something that is very near and dear to my heart.  I spent my childhood & teenage summers at my grandparents beach cottage on the NJ Shore which was completely wiped out by Sandy (we have yet to rebuild, but will as soon as we’re able) and so I have a personal connection with the Sandy Relief efforts.  And what a fun way to give back!?  You’ll get a great cook book featuring recipes from long-time local “shore folk” and Master Chefts like Bobby Flay, Tom Colicchio & Mike Jurusz.

**Please note that I do NOT benefit financially from the sale of ANY of these books – regardless of whether or not Brenne Whisky or myself were mentioned or as is the case of Guide To Urban Moonshine where I contributed a couple of pages.  Instead, I promote them here because of my love of reading great books & supporting awesome, hard working people!**

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