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74 ratings, 3.91 average rating, 30 reviews
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published
November 3rd 2008
by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
binding
Hardcover, 320 pages
isbn
0747599785
(isbn13: 9780747599784)
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 180)
recommends it for:
alcoholics, high-functioning alcoholics, drunks, alcophiliacs, the curious
This cute recollection of Kingsley Amis' newspaper columns on the life of a professional drunk is edited by Christopher Hitchens (friend of son Martin and resident avatar of English alcoholism in American letters). The writing is gin-saturated -- themes recurring in their wet wit seem half-remembered; the prose seems dictated, with the loose, conversational imprecision of a drunk and self-satisfied autodidact. But what else would you want, let alone expect, from a collection of brief High Engli...more
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Read in November, 2008
Had I been sentient (and British) during the 1970s, I'm sure I would have been a huge admirer of Amis's weekly newspaper musings on the art and science of drinking. I can definitely see how the constituent parts of this book would work well as columns.
But they fall flat in the anthology format, in large part because Amis is so darn repetitious. We hear the same bon mots re: Scotch time and again, for example. And the first third of the book contains nothing save for wittily phrased drink rec...more
But they fall flat in the anthology format, in large part because Amis is so darn repetitious. We hear the same bon mots re: Scotch time and again, for example. And the first third of the book contains nothing save for wittily phrased drink rec...more
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let's allow a great 20th century dandy and wit to review this book better than i ever could...
Here is a story about a sinner,
He used to be a winner, who enjoyed a life of prominence and position.
But the pressures at the office and his socialite engagements,
And his selfish wife's fanatical ambition,
It turned him to the booze,
And he got mixed up with a floosie
And she led him to a life of indecision.
The floosie made him spend his dough
She left him lying on skid row
A drunken l...more
Here is a story about a sinner,
He used to be a winner, who enjoyed a life of prominence and position.
But the pressures at the office and his socialite engagements,
And his selfish wife's fanatical ambition,
It turned him to the booze,
And he got mixed up with a floosie
And she led him to a life of indecision.
The floosie made him spend his dough
She left him lying on skid row
A drunken l...more
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13 comments
With an introduction by The Hitch. (Customers who bought this item also bought - unsurprisingly - Amy Winehouse's Back to Black). There is, supposedly, a recipe for a bloody mary in here that incorporates ketchup...
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This book is great when youre hungover, when youre fixing a drink, and after youve had too many. I love the insertion of his arbitrary General Principles about booze and guests. hilarious.
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No doubt due to the vaguely illicit nature, there are far more good books about eating than there are about drinking. So I was quite happy to stumble upon Kingsley Amis's Everyday Drinking at the library. It's not everyday that we get musings on drinking by major literary figures. It reads like a serious, if still funny, version of Modern Drunkard. This is the sort of book you flip through and immediately fall upon a gem, like his description of the metaphysical hangover, which I quote below:
...more
...more
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Read in September, 2008
It is probably my tee-totalling upbringing that makes Kingsley Amis' drinking book so appealing to me, because it is an adventure in another world. Amis wrote about drinking in the 70s and in England, so it really is another world. Good wine largely came from France and the drinking lunch was common, not the sign of a problem. But some things do remain the same and as Amis admits he is much more of a beer and especially a spirits man, his advice there (and drink recipes) are less constrained ...more
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Read in August, 2008
I saw a review of this and thought I'd give it a shot. I'd heard of Amis, but had never ready anything he'd written.
This book is really three books in one, being made up of books and essays he wrote between 1971 and 1984. The NYT review I read strongly suggested reading this in bits and pieces, and I can see how a book like this should be sipped and savored. But I don't read that way (and God help me if stop drinking that way), so I consumed this rather more quickly than I should have.
Th...more
This book is really three books in one, being made up of books and essays he wrote between 1971 and 1984. The NYT review I read strongly suggested reading this in bits and pieces, and I can see how a book like this should be sipped and savored. But I don't read that way (and God help me if stop drinking that way), so I consumed this rather more quickly than I should have.
Th...more
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Read in November, 2008
Replete with unabashed opinion and peppered with wickedly worded truisms, this is the sort of food and drink writing that generally grabs me the right way. A collection of his books and essays, there are times when this gets a bit repetitive, and the age of some of them show at times.
But still, there is no way to resist a book that features delightfully scathing comments like this (regarding "the atrocity of the Pina Colada"): "Just the thing for a little 95-IQ female, fresh f...more
But still, there is no way to resist a book that features delightfully scathing comments like this (regarding "the atrocity of the Pina Colada"): "Just the thing for a little 95-IQ female, fresh f...more
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Read in July, 2008
A very nice birthday present from Jordan! The first half of the book is a hilarious manual on how to spend your life drunk. I couldn't wait to get started. Amis's technical knowledge, especially when it comes to spirits and mixed drinks, is impressive. Also his ability to avoid bullshit.
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To read this book is to see a true view of drinking. Drinking in America became a dirty secret in the eighties. I remember a teacher telling me that if you got drunk at all you were an alcoholic, which is ridiculous.
Kingsley Amis loves drinking and writes about it with wit and clarity. His ideas on the metaphysical hangover are brilliant. They are small depressions and by plunging yourself fully into them, you can purge yourself. He even gives a list of poetry and music to listen to and help...more
Kingsley Amis loves drinking and writes about it with wit and clarity. His ideas on the metaphysical hangover are brilliant. They are small depressions and by plunging yourself fully into them, you can purge yourself. He even gives a list of poetry and music to listen to and help...more
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Read in June, 2008
i'm just about done with this and it has been a joy. a compilation of previous articles, this book is for anyone who enjoys a good drink. Amis clearly knows how to enjoy drinks of all kinds and how to appreciate them for something other than their mind-altering abilities. a great book for anyone who views drinking as an experience rather than a past time. and we happen to share the opinion that the Old-Fashioned is one of the best drinks ever invented. when i get through the end of the book whic...more
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Read in November, 2008
Amis will make you laugh out loud -- and you'll find yourself at home some given weekend trying all kinds of new, Sparkling, mixed Drinks... especially those with Gin.
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Read in June, 2008
recommends it for:
nerdy drunks.
Not a fantasy novel, but rather a non-fiction directive from a self-made expert in the field of dipsomania. The first third of the book is a collection of recipes and opinions and should be consumed straight. The next section is a compendium of entries in Amis' newspaper column on drinking; it repeats the important points from the first part but doesn't stand well on its own. The third section is Amis' presentation of an overwhelming amount of trivia on the subject, made in the form of a quiz. F...more
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Read in August, 2008
This book sparkles with wit on every page. The title does it an injustice, however. It's not only about the art of drinking, understanding, evaluating and appreciating libations - it's also a how-to guide on proper socializing, entertaining, communicating and living.
On a minor note - I won't ever host a party again without consulting this for ideas. There are some fantastic cocktail & punch suggestions included. The book also proposes a definition of a successful party which is brillian...more
On a minor note - I won't ever host a party again without consulting this for ideas. There are some fantastic cocktail & punch suggestions included. The book also proposes a definition of a successful party which is brillian...more
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Fun, light reading with Kingsley Amis' wonderful dry, British humor throughout. And about drinking. There are a large number of fun quizzes at the end which you may find suddenly that you have wasted an entire evening on. My only complaint about these is that their answers are found in one section, and the questions in another. It would have been slightly less time-consuming if the answers had been at the end of their respective quizzes. It also would have been much easier to cheat.
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Read in September, 2008
Everyday Drinking by Kingsly Amis
Everyday Drinking is a classic look at the world of cocktails told by a master writer and drinker. Amis covers the history of certain drinks, the philosophy of the drinking man and recipes for company. Highly enjoyable.
Everyday Drinking is a classic look at the world of cocktails told by a master writer and drinker. Amis covers the history of certain drinks, the philosophy of the drinking man and recipes for company. Highly enjoyable.
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This is a dangerous book to read, as it makes me want to drink all the crazy drinks Amis writes of (humorously--but maybe it's an inside joke for drinkers?), and then I'll probably just go to sleep.
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Forewarning: much specific information and recommendation is outdated. However, the largish issues and advice remain sound. Delightful reading.
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Read in September, 2008
recommends it for:
read-alouders, Anglophiles
I'm reading this one in bits and pieces. The hangover section is priceless and includes cures for both physical and metaphysical hangovers.
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