Mindful Mixology: A Comprehensive Guide to No- and Low-Alcohol Cocktails with 60 Recipes

by Derek Brown, Julia Bainbridge (Foreword by)

Overview

From Dry January to Sober October, moderation is having a moment. This book from spirits expert Derek Brown (newly mindful drinker himself) will show the sober and sober-curious how to mix complex, sophisticated low- and no-proof drinks. It will include recipes, techniques, and sources.


Not long after his son was born, Derek Brown decided to cut back on his drinking. But as a bartender, bar owner, and cocktail and spirits expert, he wanted do so using the techniques and expertise of mixology to create a new arsenal of libations that were sophisticated, satisfying, and tasty.

Creating these drinks isn’t as simple as removing the alcohol. No- and low-proof cocktails still have to be balanced and still have to be delicious, but they don’t operate exactly like cocktails with alcohol. The drinks Brown presents in this book are meticulously choreographed around taste, texture, body, and piquancy to result in surprisingly complex “adult beverages” minus the booze. Drawing on historical research, meticulous tweaking of classic cocktails to create lower-proof versions, and entirely new concoctions inspired by an evolved home bar, in this book, Derek shares sixty recipes for no- and low-proof cocktails, as well as a guide to the ingredients and equipment you need to imbibe in Mindful Mixology at home.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780847871278
Publisher:	Rizzoli
Publication date:	01/18/2022
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	216,797
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Derek Brown is a leading spirits and cocktail expert best known for his work at Washington, D.C.’s 2017 Spirited Award-winning "Best American Cocktail Bar," Columbia Room. He is the author of Spirits, Sugar, Water, Bitters: How the Cocktail Conquered the World—which earned him "Author of the Year" at the 2020 Nightclub & Bar Show Awards. Equally recognized for his palatable non-alcoholic creations, Derek has become an advocate of non-alcoholic cocktails and the sober curious movement as a whole and, in 2020, joined Spiritless to serve as a brand champion and advisor for the budding distilled non-alcoholic spirits brand. Brown is also a Distinguished Fellow at Catholic University’s Ciocca Center for Principled Entrepreneurship and, in 2020, Drinks International named him one of the Bar World 100, a list of the top beverage figures effecting positive change in the global bar industry.

Table of Contents

Foreword 10

Introduction Mindful Drinking 14

Mindful Cocktails Camille Vidal / Founder, La Maison Wellness 20

Chapter 1 Overview of Mindful Mixology 22

Bye Bye Mocktails, Hello AF Cocktails Lorelei Bandrovschi / Owner, Listen Bar 26

Chapter 2 If We Don't Use Alcohol, Then What? 30

No-Alcohol Spirits are Just as Hard to Make as Alcoholic Spirits, If Not Harder Monique ten Kortenaar / Head Distiller, Lucas Bols 34

Exploring Flavor Without Alcohol Ryan Chetiyawardana / Founder, Mr Lyan 42

Chapter 3 When They Go High, We Go Low-Alcohol 52

Shochu Isn't Fussy Julia Momose / Partner and CD, Kumiko/Kikko 56

Chapter 4 Mixology Basics 58

Chapter 5 No-Alcohol Cocktails 70

Sober Entertaining: Lights, Music, Cocktails! Chris Marshall / Owner, Sans Bar 144

Chapter 6 Low-Alcohol Cocktails 146

Mindful Wine is More Than Just Low-Alcohol Maria Bastasch / Creator, Disco Mary 210

Chapter 7 Putting it All Together 212

Spirits, Sugar, Water, Bitters (Sometimes Acid) Lauren Paylor / Co-founder, Focus on Health 214

Afterword 220

Acknowledgments 222

Editorial Reviews

"The drinks visionary who helped usher in the era of craft cocktails beyond his hometown of Washington, D.C., Derek Brown has a new book out that reflects where he’s at as far as drinking is concerned: It’s Mindful Mixology: A Comprehensive Guide to No- and Low-Alcohol Cocktails, and it speaks to a decision to drink booze in moderation or to cut it entirely — while still enjoying drinks." —BROKENPALATE.COM

" Brown’s book is a wonderfully balanced mixture of a recipe book, historical text and introductory barguide with suggestions for tools, drinking glass styles and mixing methods. In the vein of exploring the history of American cocktail culture, Mindful Mixology builds upon Brown’s first published work, 'Spirits, Sugar, Water, Bitters: How the Cocktail Conquered the World.'" —DISTRICT FRAY MAGAZINE

"Derek Brown’s Mindful Mixology offers some fascinating history behind NA drinks, as well as recipes and tips for making no- and low-alcohol cocktails." —WIRECUTTER

From the Publisher