Straight Up or On the Rocks: The Story of the American Cocktail

by William Grimes

Traces the evolution of American drink from the improvised concoctions of the colonial era to the frozen margarita, spiking his narrative with arresting details, odd facts, & colorful figures. Explores proto-cocktails & then tracks the rise of the saloon & the bartender, chronicling the spread of the cocktail to Europe & its emergence into a ''golden age'' from 1880-1920, when classics such as the Manhattan, martini, & daiquiri came into being. Follows it through the Jazz Age, the post-Prohibition lull & the Cold War of cocktails, considering Polynesian-influenced lounge culture. Ends with the recent resurgence of interest in spirits that has produced a wave of new drinks, recipes for which are included here along with the standards.

Genres: Nonfiction, Food, Booze, Cocktails

186 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Chad Sutherland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four Stars

While the book itself (along with various nomenclatures throughout) is a bit dated (published 2001), there’s some really condensed history here that fascinatingly shows the creation and love affair that America has with cocktails. Full of delicious trivia, I was particularly intrigued by 17th, 18th, and 19th century cocktails, habits, and drinking culture. Possibly the most amusing of which strongly suggests with ample evidence that the drafters of the constitution were more than likely intoxicated while they wrote it and would celebrate with more drinks after a long day of writing and drinking.

A fun read if you’d like a broader history of all cocktails and not just the enduring favorites.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a seminal book: the first accurate history of the cocktail. Without it I'd still be an English professor. Nobody wants that.

[James W. Lanning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though not to be relied upon for current mixology techniques, Grimes' contribution as a cocktail historian is brief, lively, and great fun. The book also predicts the craft cocktail movement of the 21st century that was yet only a distant possibility at the time of writing, and may indeed have been a factor itself in bringing about the revolution.

[Nate Hendrix · Rating 4 out of 5]

I now know more than I thought possible about cocktails in America.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 2001 by one who is clearly a cocktail enthusiast (and restaurant critic for the New York Times), Grimes is unfortunately dated by his laments over the 'deaths' of 1920s cocktail culture, the absence of absinthe, the utter disappearance of rye. Little does he know there's a cocktail resurgence to come in a decade. I typically have rye on my shelf and I whipped up a tall shaker of fresh Manhattans just last night (oh, and I really should re-stock my absinthe--good thing I only have to go up the street for that). Despite the current irrelevance of Grimes' comments, this is an incredibly compact history of the cocktail in America, and it's been illuminating to read about how Prohibition, availability of ingredients and recipes, and even wars have had effects on the public's drinking tastes. There's a solid 120 pages of detailed history and the rest is classic recipes. A good primer before you move on to heftier fare, such as David Wondrich's excellent "Imbibe."

[Samantha Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! So interesting. I just randomly came across it while weeding the 600s at my branch and thought it looked interesting and took it home. I didn't expect it to be fascinating, which it definitely was. It gives so much history on various different liquors and cocktails. It talks about how cocktails were affected by wars, prohibition, finances, etc. but it approaches this information in a very readable way. Although I thought I knew a lot about cocktails before, I realize I actually knew very little about their early days and evolution. Enjoyable reading and definitely recommended for anyone who is interested in cocktails. Liked the recipes in back.

[carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved the macro view this book provided. It put cocktails in a broader perspective than an iteration of the history of cocktails. Of the four books on the history of booze in America that I've read in the past year, this one had the most grandiose visions, but ones that were an accurate portrayal of how cocktails reflect America at large.

It wasn't a quick read, although compelling. The recipes at the back covered the gamut, but weren't outlandish.

[Eszter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is great! The pace is great, the factoids are great, the recipes are great, but most of all, I just love the way this man turns a phrase. To be a restaurant critic, you really have to have to believe in your own authority and boy, does he ever! He is hoity-toity, but in a very self-aware way, and in a way that he makes clear is very appropriate to cocktail culture. I've been inspired to infuse and mix and research some more, and had a few laughs along the way.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good reference book. Has a great break-down of how certain cocktails or liquors became popularized, but unless a die hard liquor alcohol enthusiast, I didn't really find the need to read the entire thing. I read the chapters that interested me, then made some of the cocktails in the back. It has a really good selection of cocktail recipes in the back that is worth getting this book for.

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting, if brief, recounting. At the end I was left wanting, as though there were some historical section that I was missing, even though I have no clue what that would be. The recipes at the end are very informative, though, and I look forward to trying many of them. All in all, though, it's a concise, well-executed history.

[Ryan Gannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book, but I may never have disagreed with more drink recipes than the ones in the back of this book.

[Letta Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely adding this book to my collection!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise, witty, and easy to read history of the American cocktail, with simple recipes in the back. Well done.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review here: http://wildershores.net/blog/january-...

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slim look at drinking in America and the evolution of the cocktail before and after Prohibition. A pleasure to read.