Booze and Vinyl: A Spirited Guide to Great Music and Mixed Drinks

by André Darlington, Tenaya Darlington

The ultimate listening party guide, Booze and Vinyl shows you how to set the mood for 70 great records from the 1950s through the 2000s.

From modern craft cocktails to old standbys, prepare to shake, stir, and just plain pour your way through some of the best wax ever pressed. Wickedly designed and featuring photography throughout, Booze & Vinyl is organized by mood, from Rock to Chill, Dance, and Seduce. Each entry has liner notes that underscore the album's musical highlights and accompanying "Side A" and "Side B" cocktail recipes that complement the music's mood, imagery in the lyrics, or connect the drink to the artist. This is your guide to a rich listening session for one, two, or more.

Among the 70 featured albums Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club, Purple Rain, Sticky Fingers, Born To Run, License to Ill , Appetite for Destruction, Thriller, Like a Virgin, Low End Theory, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust, Hotel California, Buena Vista Social Club, Back to Black, Pet Sounds, Vampire Weekend , and many more.Visit boozeandvinyl.com for more info.

Genres: Music, Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Reference, Booze, Cooking, Cocktails

224 pages, Hardcover

Published April 17, 2018

About the author

André Darlington is the bestselling author of thirteen cocktail books including Booze & Vinyl Country, Forbidden Cocktails and Cowboy Cocktails as well as A Booze & Vinyl Christmas, Bar Menu, Gotham City Cocktails, Booze Cruise: A Tour of the World's Essential Mixed Drinks, John Wayne: The Official Cocktail Book and The Unofficial Big Lebowski Cocktail Book. In 2020, he became the first cocktail writer to circumnavigate the globe since Charles H. Baker a hundred years ago. His work has been translated into French, Korean, Italian, Russian, and Chinese. He is currently at work on a 10th Anniversary edition of The New Cocktail Hour. For upcoming tour information and press inquiries, visit www.andredarlington.com. Follow him on social media @andredarlington

Reviews

[M.L. Rio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeah, this is probably the most on-brand coffee-table tome I could possibly buy. The selections are totally scattershot; some are a bit obvious (the omnipresent Led Zeppelin IV, when if you’re going to pick a Zeppelin album for drinking it really should be In Through the Out Door), some a bit questionable (albums about street riots and Vietnam don’t really belong in the “seduction” section, imo), and others are so on point you can’t help but smirk (Bruce and boilermakers? But of course). All in all, though, a great gift for your favorite cratedigging boozehound—or, you know, just for you. Personally I’m eager to try the red wine hot chocolate with Dark Side of the Moon.

[Jennifer Villa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ladies and gents, music maniacs and booze buffs— this book is IT! It pairs popular records from the 70s to now with delightful cocktails and even food! Seriously, what more do you need??

It’s a wonderful way to learn about some of the best musicians of the last few decades. And the drinks are On. Point. I’ve read through the whole thing and tried four of the pairings now with friends and solo, and it’s been a true enjoyment— every time.

I got this as a thoughtful present and, boy, is it a gift that keeps on giving! Can’t get enough. Get it for yourself, ship it to a friend. You won’t regret it!

[Sherri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Organized by mood and type. Interesting tidbits and two drink options Side A and Side B.
Music buffs rejoice and get your groove on.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very much a concept book that will no doubt make you smile. Safe and obvious choices with regard to the pairings of music and drinks. Definitely needed more shots of turntables. A coffee table book worth a look.

[Kristen Vlahiotis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having curated cocktails for each side of a vinyl is revolutionary

[Pixie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This was on a year-end list of cookbooks. Recipe books? You don't cook cocktails, of course, but aside from that the focus is the vinyl. What an innovative concept for a book. Those liner notes and party ideas (with great matching photos and layouts) show a lot of love and passionate knowledge of the music. Makes me want to at least listen to a lot of albums I missed the first time around, even if I can't get my hands on the vinyl. There is an "A side" and "B side" cocktail recipe for each album, some of which seem to have been culled from historic recipes based on the way the name/title fits with each album theme. I don't feel the need to make a lot of those recipes (or host most of those parties), but it sure was fun to read about.

Do you want to know the first album listed in the first section (Rock)? Sticky Fingers by The Rolling Stones. The authors say it is their "go-to New Years Day brunch album." As I was reading this at the beginning of January, fun! (There are parties for all seasons and reasons represented in the book.)

[Donna Kremer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite bar book. It includes many cocktails you’d want to drink with readily available ingredients, and the photography and page layouts are ultra sexy cool. The index is pretty thorough when you’re looking for a recipe that includes those random bottles of liqueurs you’ve acquired in your cabinet.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cool, beautiful book with awesome craft cocktail pairings with classic vinyl albums. I have 10-15 of these albums, so I’m looking forward to making the drinks and trying them out

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this fun guide! We are incorporating a one-night-per-month standing Booze and Vinyl date night into our life plan - yeah us!

[RedReviews4You · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re a fan of country music, cozy cocktails, and storytelling through sound and sip, Booze & Vinyl: Country is your next must-have. Whether you’re spinning Steve Earle’s Guitar Town or curating your own mixalong moment, this book pairs iconic albums with inspired drinks and bar snacks that hit every emotional note.

It’s more than a guide—it’s a celebration of music, memory, and mixology. Each pairing feels intentional and evocative, turning your vinyl collection into a ritual of flavor and feeling. From honky-tonk heartbreak to back-porch joy, the recipes echo the emotional arc of the music they accompany.

This book belongs in every country fan’s kitchen and every whiskey lover’s heart. It’s where music meets magic, and where sound becomes sip.

[Carol Keller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This will be the same review for both volumes. This is a great concept, pairing cocktails and tunes. There are many recipes and mostly they are achievable with available ingredients and simple techniques. Album choices were nicely done. The very big problem with these books is the printing quality. Matte paper, dull and less than sharp printing leave some pages hard to read. It’s frustrating to have dark lettering on similarly colored, slightly darker paper.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a super cool book! It’s filled with entertaining ideas for vinyl parties & get-togethers. Every album is assigned two cocktail recipes—one for each side of the album. There’s also a suggestion for what to serve with your cocktails. Even if you’re not planning to host people, it’s fun to read the genres & “when to spin.” Vibrant, retro pages set a cool vibe & it made me want to pull out my record player to spin some records. Start with the music & invite some people over!

[Booksandcoffeemx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Booze & Vinyl is such a fun mix of two things I love, music and cocktails.
It’s packed with iconic albums, cool facts, and gorgeous photos that set the mood for each listening session.
I loved finding some of my favorite bands inside, and the cocktail recipes are as creative as they are delicious.

A perfect book for music lovers who enjoy entertaining or just want to make listening time extra special.

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Little essays on classic albums and suggested drinks and appetizers. The text reads like something that was very inspirational a few drinks into conceptualizing and then had to be expanded to have enough material for a book. A fun idea for cocktails with friends, but not enough true inspiration for a good theme-book.

[Cristhian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Si solo fuera por los cocktails, estaría más o menos el libro, pero como de lo que trata es de mezclar tragos con discos sube muchos puntos aunado esto a una edición y diseño increíble.

Un libro muy bonito para acompañar tu colección de libros de bar o tu colección de discos.

No es escencial, pero se ve muy bien.

[Vince C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice fast tread. The drinks were interesting, and the varied selections of albums were awesome! The only negative I had was I wished their “liner notes” were a little bit more extensive. More tidbits/behind the scenes stuff about the actual albums, or the bands that made them would have been nice. There was a lot of empty space in the pages.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great coffee table book. There’s some great drink recipes

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

BASIC all around.

[kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel for whoever is the target of someone playing Bon Iver's "For Emma, Forever Ago" album in an attempt at seducing them. 🤭

[Susan White-Riggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was excellent, so good I went out and bought. Read it first from the library

[DeHoyos Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Checked out from the library and read through most of the recipes and record summaries. Cool concept, probably a book I’ll purchase at some point. Fun

[Alex Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great take on different drinks for cocktail enthusiasts

[Joseph Civello · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recommend to any cocktail or vinyl lover. Or to anyone that wants to throw a party! Or to anyone that doesn’t grimace when they hear 1 part tequila 1 part black sambuca.