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Women's Libation!: Cocktails to Celebrate a Woman's Right to Booze
"Finally, a celebration of strong women and strong cocktails! How rare is the book that will educate you on authors, artists, philosophers, revolutionaries, and make you a better host? Lovingly hand-drawn and deliciously punny, Merrily Grashin's collection of enhanced classic cocktails and original artwork is a tribute to women - like Grashin herself - who inspire us to break all the rules."
-Stephanie Danler, New York Times bestselling author of Sweetbitter
The perfect mix of punny humor, feminist verve, and practical instruction, Women's Libation! is a cocktail guide for the lady who likes to shake things up (and not just her martinis). In it, Brooklyn-based illustrator and long-time bartender Merrily Grashin toasts the feminist heroes who've come before us and the social movements that have helped shape us, honoring each with a delicious, imaginative cocktail. Beautifully appointed in a paper-over-board package with two-color interiors, each spread features an original illustration for every boozy beverage and a brief reflection on the historical figure, event, or movement in women's history on which the drink is based. With new twists on classic cocktails as well as inventive new libations, Grashin's recipes will educate you as you imbibe, including such gems as:
- Joan of Arc & Stormy
- Emma Gold-Manhattan
- Rose the Riveter
- Mosc-N.O.W. Mule
- Margaret Sanger-ia
Featuring 75 recipes that even the novice bartender can make at home, Women's Libation! is the perfect host gift to share at a party or to give to a feminist friend in need of some cheer.
-Stephanie Danler, New York Times bestselling author of Sweetbitter
The perfect mix of punny humor, feminist verve, and practical instruction, Women's Libation! is a cocktail guide for the lady who likes to shake things up (and not just her martinis). In it, Brooklyn-based illustrator and long-time bartender Merrily Grashin toasts the feminist heroes who've come before us and the social movements that have helped shape us, honoring each with a delicious, imaginative cocktail. Beautifully appointed in a paper-over-board package with two-color interiors, each spread features an original illustration for every boozy beverage and a brief reflection on the historical figure, event, or movement in women's history on which the drink is based. With new twists on classic cocktails as well as inventive new libations, Grashin's recipes will educate you as you imbibe, including such gems as:
- Joan of Arc & Stormy
- Emma Gold-Manhattan
- Rose the Riveter
- Mosc-N.O.W. Mule
- Margaret Sanger-ia
Featuring 75 recipes that even the novice bartender can make at home, Women's Libation! is the perfect host gift to share at a party or to give to a feminist friend in need of some cheer.
192 pages, Hardcover
Published November 7, 2017
9 people are currently reading
459 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
September 11, 2018
I have a small collection of quirky drink books and this will go in that collection, by Brooklyn bartender, illustrator and activist Grashin (maybe a perfect book for her to write, given her interests?!) Every drink recipe features a feminist, a key quote, a short anecdote, and a name for the drink that puns, such as the title Women's Libation featuring a Rosie the Riveter type hefting a bottle, so it's just fun, but hey, you can make the drinks when you favorite feminists come over!
*Morning Glory Steinem "A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle."
*Anne Sexton the Beach
* Margaret Sanger-ria
*Saison Beer Anthony
and on and on. The recipes are familiar, don't seem to be her special take on them, just funny names, but this is a sweet novelty book. To Gin-cess Leia! (Gin Fizz).
This is another one I have, Hemingway's (also punning title!), To Have and Have Another:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
*Morning Glory Steinem "A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle."
*Anne Sexton the Beach
* Margaret Sanger-ria
*Saison Beer Anthony
and on and on. The recipes are familiar, don't seem to be her special take on them, just funny names, but this is a sweet novelty book. To Gin-cess Leia! (Gin Fizz).
This is another one I have, Hemingway's (also punning title!), To Have and Have Another:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
October 15, 2017
I received this book as a digital advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I love quirky niche cookbooks. According to the publisher’s blurb, this one was about as quirky and as niche as they come – expressing women’s history through alcoholic beverages – so I had high hopes for the entertainment factor of the book. Unfortunately, as I’ve learned through past experience, cookbooks that are entertaining don’t necessarily have the most desirable recipes.
According to the Introduction, this book gathers a collection of “some of the most beloved classic cocktails of all time” and dedicates each one to a bad ass woman or a moment in the history of women’s liberation. The Introduction goes downhill from there as the author keeps tying it all back to drinking and getting drunk. At one point, the author also makes the completely unfortunate statement that “I can’t think of a better way to pay homage to your heroes than by getting totally drunk in their honor!” (Hmm… how about continuing their work?) Fortunately, the Introduction gets better when it takes the autobiographical turn and the author describes the genesis and evolution of this book.
The Introduction is followed by approximately seven pages of “The Essentials.” This section describes the basic tools, like jiggers and shakers, and the basic glassware that are required for a home bar. The section also includes “bar tips” and “bar terminology,” which both explain common terms that may be used in the book recipes and used in a bar to order drinks. Finally, there is a page of explanation on bitters, infusions, and syrups as additives to drinks. Overall, I felt like this section gave a decent grounding in the topics it covered to prepare a reader to proceed to the recipe sections of the book.
The heart of the book are over 160 pages of recipes, which are divided into six sections according to the main spirit used in the drink: Whiskey; Vodka; Tequila & Mezcal; Rum; Brandy & Cognac; Wine, Beer, & Cider; Other Spirits. The vast majority of the drinks are easily recognizable standards, from the whiskey-based Old Fashioned to the Pimm’s Cup. There are also a handful of curious additions to the list, like the Deception, the Amaro Sour, Zombie Housewife, and the nebulously named After Dinner Drink. However, each drink has a “punny” name with some basis in women’s history. The hot toddy recipe is named “Our Toddies, Ourselves;” the martini recipe is named “Vermouth Bader Gin’sburg;” the dirty martini recipe is named “Dirty Bettie-ni Page;” the tequila pina colada recipe is named “Frida Kahl-ada;” the tiki drink is named “The Feminine Mys-tiki;” the shandy is named “Saison Beer Anthony;” the Pimm’s Cup is named “Pimm’s DivaCup;” and so on.
Each recipe consists of a two-page spread: the left page is the recipe in a graphically designed representation of its name and the right page is an informational write up about the person or event that inspired the cocktail name. The recipe instructions can at times be a little difficult to follow because they can be incorporated into graphic design and other flourishes. The majority of the recipes are fairly standard, although some are off the beaten path. Like a Negroni with equal parts of London dry gin, sloe gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth or a Bloody Mary finished with a stout beer float or a Cosmopolitan with a full ounce of Campari or a Fuzzy Navel with a bar spoon of pomegranate molasses or a Tequila Sunrise finished with a strawberry shrub float instead of grenadine or a Dark & Stormy topped with a drop of absinthe or a Pimm’s Cup without any gin or even a Snakebite with a float of crème de cassis. For the most part, the recipe ingredients are common home bar bottles, although falernum, orgeat syrup, absinthe, and a few different amari do make their appearances.
The write ups about the people and events that inspired the cocktails are all interesting, although they vary in the level of detail. The range of choices is very broad: from the ancient Hindu deity Kali and the classic Greek drama Antigone to the very modern/topical Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elizabeth Warren. In addition to the well-known American political figures and activists, there are representatives from the art world such as Judy Chicago and the Guerrilla Girls, from the music scene such as Debbie Harry and Patti Smith, from the science world such as Mae Jemison and Dian Fossey, from the literary world such as Margaret Atwood and Toni Morrison, and from the international realm such as Hooligan Sparrow and Wangari Maathai. I was a little surprised by the number of leftists, Marxists, and socialists who were chosen for the book – Rosa Luxemburg, Alexandra Kollontai, the Weather Underground, to name a few. Each write up is concluded with a few lines of blue italics “punny” silliness to tie the individual back to the drink offered.
The Resources section is actually pretty serious as it offers suggestions for ways to get involved or to learn more about the topics discussed in the book. Websites are grouped by topic, to include a section on the author’s personal NYC favorites.
Overall, I did enjoy reading this book and would order it for some of my girlfriends for holiday gifts. The write ups of inspirational people and events were the best part of the book for me, as I didn’t quite appreciate the “let’s get drunk” theme that was running through the author’s allegedly silly commentary. The collection of cocktail recipes was very good, as I haven’t seen so many useful classic recipes organized in a single book in a long time.
I have yet to attempt any of the recipes from this book. When I do I will update this review.
I love quirky niche cookbooks. According to the publisher’s blurb, this one was about as quirky and as niche as they come – expressing women’s history through alcoholic beverages – so I had high hopes for the entertainment factor of the book. Unfortunately, as I’ve learned through past experience, cookbooks that are entertaining don’t necessarily have the most desirable recipes.
According to the Introduction, this book gathers a collection of “some of the most beloved classic cocktails of all time” and dedicates each one to a bad ass woman or a moment in the history of women’s liberation. The Introduction goes downhill from there as the author keeps tying it all back to drinking and getting drunk. At one point, the author also makes the completely unfortunate statement that “I can’t think of a better way to pay homage to your heroes than by getting totally drunk in their honor!” (Hmm… how about continuing their work?) Fortunately, the Introduction gets better when it takes the autobiographical turn and the author describes the genesis and evolution of this book.
The Introduction is followed by approximately seven pages of “The Essentials.” This section describes the basic tools, like jiggers and shakers, and the basic glassware that are required for a home bar. The section also includes “bar tips” and “bar terminology,” which both explain common terms that may be used in the book recipes and used in a bar to order drinks. Finally, there is a page of explanation on bitters, infusions, and syrups as additives to drinks. Overall, I felt like this section gave a decent grounding in the topics it covered to prepare a reader to proceed to the recipe sections of the book.
The heart of the book are over 160 pages of recipes, which are divided into six sections according to the main spirit used in the drink: Whiskey; Vodka; Tequila & Mezcal; Rum; Brandy & Cognac; Wine, Beer, & Cider; Other Spirits. The vast majority of the drinks are easily recognizable standards, from the whiskey-based Old Fashioned to the Pimm’s Cup. There are also a handful of curious additions to the list, like the Deception, the Amaro Sour, Zombie Housewife, and the nebulously named After Dinner Drink. However, each drink has a “punny” name with some basis in women’s history. The hot toddy recipe is named “Our Toddies, Ourselves;” the martini recipe is named “Vermouth Bader Gin’sburg;” the dirty martini recipe is named “Dirty Bettie-ni Page;” the tequila pina colada recipe is named “Frida Kahl-ada;” the tiki drink is named “The Feminine Mys-tiki;” the shandy is named “Saison Beer Anthony;” the Pimm’s Cup is named “Pimm’s DivaCup;” and so on.
Each recipe consists of a two-page spread: the left page is the recipe in a graphically designed representation of its name and the right page is an informational write up about the person or event that inspired the cocktail name. The recipe instructions can at times be a little difficult to follow because they can be incorporated into graphic design and other flourishes. The majority of the recipes are fairly standard, although some are off the beaten path. Like a Negroni with equal parts of London dry gin, sloe gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth or a Bloody Mary finished with a stout beer float or a Cosmopolitan with a full ounce of Campari or a Fuzzy Navel with a bar spoon of pomegranate molasses or a Tequila Sunrise finished with a strawberry shrub float instead of grenadine or a Dark & Stormy topped with a drop of absinthe or a Pimm’s Cup without any gin or even a Snakebite with a float of crème de cassis. For the most part, the recipe ingredients are common home bar bottles, although falernum, orgeat syrup, absinthe, and a few different amari do make their appearances.
The write ups about the people and events that inspired the cocktails are all interesting, although they vary in the level of detail. The range of choices is very broad: from the ancient Hindu deity Kali and the classic Greek drama Antigone to the very modern/topical Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elizabeth Warren. In addition to the well-known American political figures and activists, there are representatives from the art world such as Judy Chicago and the Guerrilla Girls, from the music scene such as Debbie Harry and Patti Smith, from the science world such as Mae Jemison and Dian Fossey, from the literary world such as Margaret Atwood and Toni Morrison, and from the international realm such as Hooligan Sparrow and Wangari Maathai. I was a little surprised by the number of leftists, Marxists, and socialists who were chosen for the book – Rosa Luxemburg, Alexandra Kollontai, the Weather Underground, to name a few. Each write up is concluded with a few lines of blue italics “punny” silliness to tie the individual back to the drink offered.
The Resources section is actually pretty serious as it offers suggestions for ways to get involved or to learn more about the topics discussed in the book. Websites are grouped by topic, to include a section on the author’s personal NYC favorites.
Overall, I did enjoy reading this book and would order it for some of my girlfriends for holiday gifts. The write ups of inspirational people and events were the best part of the book for me, as I didn’t quite appreciate the “let’s get drunk” theme that was running through the author’s allegedly silly commentary. The collection of cocktail recipes was very good, as I haven’t seen so many useful classic recipes organized in a single book in a long time.
I have yet to attempt any of the recipes from this book. When I do I will update this review.
November 6, 2017
This was a fun little book that would make a great gift for the feminist in your life. It includes short histories of real and fictional woman (sorry but Princess Leia is not real), along with basic bartending terminology and the appropriate equipment to stock a bar at home. With each of the histories is a wonderful illustration and a mixed drink with a feminist take, Slow Gin-der Equiality or Vagina Como-nologues for example. The recipes did not seem very unique but the presentation was nice. I also question the appropriateness of having an alcoholic beverage for Malala Yousafzai, a minor and a Sunni Muslim. Perhaps this would have been a great place to offer a non-alcoholic cocktail? Though I do give Ms. Grashin credit for recognizing the situation. So while this book is neither a deep look at feminist history and nor is it an exhaustive guide to bartending, it is a fun and quirky book that would be great on a table top at your next N.O.W. gathering!
A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Blue Rider Press & Plume in exchange for an honest review.
A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Blue Rider Press & Plume in exchange for an honest review.
September 27, 2017
You want a fun interesting book with drink recipes? This one is for you. I enjoyed the stories on the women she made the drinks after and how it came to be. You will be amazed at the history of some of these great ladies.
Lots of humor and fun thrown into the drink making mix so you will enjoy the whole book. Gives easy to follow directions for making the drinks, definitions of bar lingo and the how to's.
Fun to have for a girls party!
Lots of humor and fun thrown into the drink making mix so you will enjoy the whole book. Gives easy to follow directions for making the drinks, definitions of bar lingo and the how to's.
Fun to have for a girls party!
January 14, 2022
I like quirky books and this one hit my eye as I was perusing the cocktails. The puns get to much for me at times but I love the idea and all the women she describes in this book minus one. I really don't like that the Nazi sympathizer Coco Chanel is in there. To be fair, she does acknowledge that in this book. Other than that, this book is great for drinkers and non-drinkers alike, although it would be more fun to be a drinker and makes the drinks in tribute to these amazing women.
November 27, 2017
This is a great book. This book has a charming, quirky cocktail book that raises a toast to our feminist heroes, featuring easy-to-follow recipes alongside famous figures, events, and touchstones of women's history. I am looking forward to trying the recipes in this book!
February 7, 2018
What a fantastic way to learn about the heavy hitters in the women’s movement (and even some lesser-known ones)! While some of the puns were a little far-reaching, I really loved the creativity in the writing and the drink recipes.
April 27, 2018
Love the illustrations and copious puns! A fun thing to bring out at gatherings, but know going into it that the cocktail recipes are a bit more on the standard spectrum (eg, Fuzzy Navel). They're not the new-age cocktail recipes with infusions and shrubs and what have you.
July 12, 2019
Awesome. :)
This is a good read. Cocktails with kick, there are drinks made from rum, tequila, brandy, etc. All paired with stories about key figures and events of feminism. The illustrations are cool.
This is a good read. Cocktails with kick, there are drinks made from rum, tequila, brandy, etc. All paired with stories about key figures and events of feminism. The illustrations are cool.
January 10, 2023
Great recipes, really creative tie-ins to important women, and very informative write-ups on said women. I wish I could give half stars to make it 3.5, but I just can’t put brief biographies, drink recipes, and terrible (though quite clever) puns up there at 4 with my more well-liked reads.
November 14, 2017
Clever, funny, informative, great gift for special friends that like booze and bravada.
November 29, 2017
Super fun book about strong women and drinking. Love all the beautiful drawings and clever puns. For sure going to gift this to all my friends. =)
December 19, 2017
Alcohol, feminism, puns - what more could you possibly want from a cocktail book?!
January 18, 2019
Fun and useful little book. Full of women’s history along with decent cocktail recipes.
October 1, 2019
SUCH a clever little cocktail book. Organized by spirit, includes entertaining illustrations, & updated feminist cocktail names ❤
February 28, 2023
I loved this book <3 really interesting to read about different women that impacted women’s rights while also learning about fun cocktails. A great combination of two things I love
Want to read
September 24, 2017Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
November 15, 2017
This book totally cracked me up! Love it! First of all, just glancing at the recipes in search of one of my favorite cocktails (French 75), it had been renamed to "Dolly Parton My French 75" and second, it's always nice to see the proper glasses for each cocktail, tips & tricks, and stories behind inspirational women. It reminded me more of a handmade book for friends (could be the illustrations) rather than other fancy cocktail books I've read. The author's puns could almost be groan-worthy (as you chuckle of course), and I think this makes a great present for women all around. Cheers to to Ms. Grashin.
January 29, 2018
When I was in university, our women’s resource center would have a charity event every year called Women Who Rock. It was, essentially, a band show at a bar that featured female music groups of all sorts, and the bar also sold drinks with amazing names like Menstruation Sensation. When I finished reading Women’s Libation! Cocktails to Celebrate a Woman’s Right to Booze by Merrily Grashin, my immediate reaction was to mail a copy to each of my former volunteer mates. Finally, more inclusive drink names we could use!
Women’s Libation is in essence, a cocktail recipe book with illustrations and a page explaining the punny drink name. Feminists of yore are honored for their work, and moments in feminist history are marked. Nothing revolutionary, but it wasn’t meant to be. If you’ve never mixed drinks before, Grashin has you covered with a basic overview of the tools you need, methods to know and some common ingredients.
There are a few missteps here; not all the women in the book are exactly deserving of a cheers or a drink. Aung San Suu Kyi is honored with a twist on the Singapore sling, and Coco Chanel with the sangrita Mez Coco Chanel No 5.
Granted, that could just be poor timing as the book was likely completed months before Aung San Suu Kyi refused to speak out against the genocide in Myanmar. Still, this isn’t the first time she’s been quiet about violence against Muslims; the calls for the repeal of her Nobel Peace Prize are only the most recent and forceful criticisms against her. Coco Chanel I’m a bit more puzzled by. Now, there has yet to be any clear hard evidence that Chanel was an active Nazi agent, but there is some reason to believe that she was and at best being a Nazi wasn’t a deal breaker for her. I think if there’s any dispute about whether you are a Nazi, there’s only one drink for you.
Seriously, Chanel should have been bumped and Dorothy Parker honored with a Manhattan. That’s a huge missed opportunity!
Nevertheless, Women’s Libation! is a quirky recipe book sure to tickle your funny bone. While many of the blurbs may just be fact regurgitation, the drawings are adorable and the puns wonderfully groan worthy. As for the recipes themselves? They are twists on classics, nothing too crazy to make the drink unrecognizable and some like the Our Toddies, Ourselves are in my opinion an improvement on the standard. I didn’t get to test very many of them, but as a former bartender, so many of them looked good. If nothing else, dear reader, I do believe this is an excellent resource for those bar fundraisers. Why not replace all the cocktail names for the night? I guarantee more money will be raised through drinks that way.
Cheers!
Women’s Libation! Cocktails to Celebrate a Woman’s Right to Booze By Merrily Grashin was published on November 7th, 2017, and is available wherever fine books are sold.
Women’s Libation is in essence, a cocktail recipe book with illustrations and a page explaining the punny drink name. Feminists of yore are honored for their work, and moments in feminist history are marked. Nothing revolutionary, but it wasn’t meant to be. If you’ve never mixed drinks before, Grashin has you covered with a basic overview of the tools you need, methods to know and some common ingredients.
There are a few missteps here; not all the women in the book are exactly deserving of a cheers or a drink. Aung San Suu Kyi is honored with a twist on the Singapore sling, and Coco Chanel with the sangrita Mez Coco Chanel No 5.
Granted, that could just be poor timing as the book was likely completed months before Aung San Suu Kyi refused to speak out against the genocide in Myanmar. Still, this isn’t the first time she’s been quiet about violence against Muslims; the calls for the repeal of her Nobel Peace Prize are only the most recent and forceful criticisms against her. Coco Chanel I’m a bit more puzzled by. Now, there has yet to be any clear hard evidence that Chanel was an active Nazi agent, but there is some reason to believe that she was and at best being a Nazi wasn’t a deal breaker for her. I think if there’s any dispute about whether you are a Nazi, there’s only one drink for you.
Seriously, Chanel should have been bumped and Dorothy Parker honored with a Manhattan. That’s a huge missed opportunity!
Nevertheless, Women’s Libation! is a quirky recipe book sure to tickle your funny bone. While many of the blurbs may just be fact regurgitation, the drawings are adorable and the puns wonderfully groan worthy. As for the recipes themselves? They are twists on classics, nothing too crazy to make the drink unrecognizable and some like the Our Toddies, Ourselves are in my opinion an improvement on the standard. I didn’t get to test very many of them, but as a former bartender, so many of them looked good. If nothing else, dear reader, I do believe this is an excellent resource for those bar fundraisers. Why not replace all the cocktail names for the night? I guarantee more money will be raised through drinks that way.
Cheers!
Women’s Libation! Cocktails to Celebrate a Woman’s Right to Booze By Merrily Grashin was published on November 7th, 2017, and is available wherever fine books are sold.
Read
May 10, 2018What could be better but the combination of classic cocktails and feminist sheros? Did a little review of this in the intro of Shattered Glass Podcast recently (bit.ly/meredithgrelli). I love how approachable the cocktails are and the solid history lesson that ensued. Thanks Merrily!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews