Day Drinking: 50 Cocktails for a Mellow Buzz

by Kat Odell

Overview

The perfect way to spend an afternoon!

When the occasion calls for a drink, but not getting drunk, mix up a batch of day drinks - creative, low-alcohol cocktails that are festive, delicious, and easy on the booze. Using beer, wine, cider, sake, sherry, and vermouth, plus a variety of amari and other liqueurs, here are 50 light drinks for hot days, warm drinks for cool days, and an abundance of classic - and reimagined - spritzers, sangrias, micheladas, and so much more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761193203
Publisher:	Workman Publishing Company
Publication date:	05/16/2017
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	446,659
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Kat Odell is a food journalist and the entrepreneur behind the plant-based food and drink brand Unicorn Foods. Odell was the editor of Eater L.A. for five years and the editor of Eater Drinks for the last two years. She has been published in Vogue, New York Times T Magazine, Food & Wine, Condé Nast Traveler, and Bon Appétit, among others. She has also made appearances as a judge and expert at a variety of food-related events, and her first book, Day Drinking, came out in spring 2017. Kat Odell and Unicorn Food can be found at @kat_odell and @unicornfoods.

Read an Excerpt

Cocktail Basics: Bar Tools, Equipment, and Useful Ingredients

The great thing about learning how to make drinks, as compared with learning how to cook, is that the tools of the trade are relatively inexpensive. Sure, you can score a pricey Japanese gold cocktail shaker on a website like Cocktail Kingdom, but you really don’t need one. Which is what I love about drinks. Unlike food (which, come on, I love, too!), where you need at least a set of pots and pans and basic utensils for the process, you can pretty much mix up a drink with a cup and a spoon.

Herein you’ll find a guide to the implements, intoxicants, and pantry items that will help you create the concoctions in this book. If you don’t have everything on the list, don’t sweat it. Again, most any cocktail can be improvised with common kitchen equipment.

Tools and Equipment
Any craft requires tools, and following is a list of gadgets that are helpful in building the drinks in this book. Some will sound familiar, while others may seem obscure. None is absolutely make-or-break essential, but they’ll certainly come in handy.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

Introduction   1

Cocktail Basics
Bar Tools, Equipment, and Useful Ingredients   7

Summer Lovin'
Light Drinks for Hot Days   35

But First, A Cocktail
Classic and Creative Apertifs   81

Warm Me Up
Spiked Coffees, Toddies, and Other Hot Drinks   119

Grouplove
Party-Friendly Potations   145

Wildcard Cocktails 
Unexpected Liquors to Taste and Explore   171

Buzz-Free Beverages
Mocktails in Which You Don't Miss the Booze   209

Conversion Tables  229

Index   230

Editorial Reviews

​“The book is notable not only for its wide array of cocktails but for the fact that all the recipes actually go light on the alcohol content, so each really is perfect for enjoying for hours on end.” —InStyle

“Packed with recipes we’ll want to mix all summer long.” —Liquor.com

“This fun and easygoing cocktail book serves up an intriguing mixture of unique and classic low-alcohol cocktails for anyone to enjoy at any time of day.” —Booklist  

“Americans are finally catching on to what Italians have long known — that sipping low-alcohol cocktails, like aperitifs with soda, are the best way to imbibe on summer days. Kat Odell’s Day Drinking is filled with low-lift formulas that enable a sustained, mellow buzz, from (late) morning to night.” —Gear Patrol

“An extremely fun look at cocktails low in alcohol which tend to be ideal for brunch, lunch, and all weekend long.” —Eater

“With a laid-back vibe, this is a solid collection for party hosts seeking some unusual and trendy cocktails.” —Library Journal

“This finely honed collection of fabulously light and lively libations reminds you of the spirituous delights to be had while the sun is still at its apex. Collected from some of the best bartenders in America, these are recipes you can trust will both quench and inspire, because simply no one drinks more during the day than a bartender on their day off. Just the thing for a sunny day, or for those looking to chase the clouds away.” —Martin Cate, owner of Smuggler's Cove and author of Smuggler's Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum and the Cult of Tiki

From the Publisher

03/01/2017
Blogger and food writer Odell (Eater.com) writes this breezy book for low-alcohol cocktails, tapping into a recent trend for drinks with less kick but all the creativity and flavor of the craft cocktail movement. Odell presents an assortment of 50 cocktails that make use of beer, sherry, wine, sake, and other low-proof bases and mixers for sipping all day, including punches, sangrias, coolers, aperitifs, and toddies. Besides the drink recipes, there are many combinations for syrups, tinctures, and infusions that add flavor and interest. Cutting-edge ingredients include sour beer, osmanthus oolong tea, and shochu. Be prepared to discover fresh ingredients and employ two or three types of preparations for many drinks. There are sections on beverages for cold weather, hot days, batching drinks for groups, as well as several alcohol-free items. There are also details on both common and unusual ingredients, as well as how to mix drinks. VERDICT With a laid-back vibe, this is a solid collection for party hosts seeking some unusual and trendy cocktails. Recipes skew toward the sweet and fruity, so perhaps not the best choice for hard-core cocktail purists.--Devon Thomas, Chelsea, MI

Library Journal