JULY 2020 - AudioFile
Coauthor Eric Alperin narrates as he shares his path to, and the intricacies of, opening a bar in Los Angeles. Alperin’s voice is dry and smooth, like one of the high-quality spirits served in his cocktail bar, The Varnish. While uneven sound quality may distract some listeners, even pacing keeps one interested as Alperin, who originally aspired to be an actor, shares tales from his adventures in entrepreneurship. The accompanying PDF allows listeners to hear the story without worrying about missing a particular cocktail recipe or trick of the trade. By the end, listeners will want to mix their favorite concoctions. A.L.S.M. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
The portrayal of cocktail culture in Unvarnished strips away the veneer of cheer that bartenders work so hard to project, revealing the chaos behind the curtain in a vocation where rapturous heights are offset by depraved depths. Cocktail geeks should be grateful that Alperin and Stoll bare as much of The Varnish’s ethos as its founder’s soul in this cinematic memoir that affirms the virtues of hospitality.” — Jim Meehan, author of Meehan’s Bartender Manual an The PDT Cocktail Book
“In this page-turning gem, Alperin and Stoll bring to fascinating life the ins and outs and ups and downs of building a glamorous, successful speakeasy. Part memoir, part perfectionist’s tutorial, this book will make you thirsty as hell for the perfect cocktail and even hungrier to pursue your own glittering dreams.” — Vu Tran, author of Dragonfish
“Unvarnished is an uplifting story of a man in the relentless pursuit of his dreams, even when he is not sure what that dream is. And that’s the beauty of Unvarnished. When he discovers his passion, he, along with the reader, go on a beautiful—and delicious—odyssey to the best bar in Los Angeles.” — Nancy Silverton, James Beard award-winning chef, owner of Mozza Restaurant Group and founder of La Brea Bakery
“A beautiful, heartbreaking, and triumphant look inside the beating heart of one of the most wonderful bars in the world. Alperin and Stoll have given us a raw, passionate, and hilarious record of exactly what it takes to achieve greatness in this business.” — Jeffrey Morgenthaler, author of Drinking Distilled
“With the turn of every page, Alperin and Stoll have slipped off the underpinnings of our industry and provided us with the best seat in the house—a voyeur’s keyhole into the passionate yet gritty world of bar life. Brutally honest and deeply personal, Unvarnished is a cathartic bloodletting for anyone who has ever worked behind the stick. I loved it, I hated it, I couldn’t put it down.” — Audrey Saunders, founder of Pegu Club
“Unvarnished reads like an unwavering, no-shortcuts hug from across the room, filling your soul with the most delicious pour, from the heart.” — Roy Choi, chef and author of L.A. Son
“One of the best cocktail books I have ever read—a true and honest insight into what it’s really like to own and run a critically acclaimed bar. Alperin and Stoll chronicle the trials and tribulations of being a bar-owner, bouncing seamlessly between narratives about the grind and temptations of the lifestyle that come with the territory.” — Simon Ford, founder of the 86 Co. and Fords Gin
“Unvarnished is a celebration of Eric’s friendship with Sasha Petraske, a man of extraordinary vision and talent who changed the bar world forever. It is also a manual for bartenders around the world of what a modern classic cocktail bar should be.” — Dale DeGroff, bartender, author, and bon vivant
"his isn't the usual breezy or dutiful as-told-to memoir but rather a deep and meticulous dive into Alperin's personality and experiences. Consequently, sometimes the narrative is spectacularly and absorbingly dorky....Even teetotalers will relish the insights into this arcane world." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Simon Ford
One of the best cocktail books I have ever read—a true and honest insight into what it’s really like to own and run a critically acclaimed bar. Alperin and Stoll chronicle the trials and tribulations of being a bar-owner, bouncing seamlessly between narratives about the grind and temptations of the lifestyle that come with the territory.
Roy Choi
Unvarnished reads like an unwavering, no-shortcuts hug from across the room, filling your soul with the most delicious pour, from the heart.
Dale DeGroff
Unvarnished is a celebration of Eric’s friendship with Sasha Petraske, a man of extraordinary vision and talent who changed the bar world forever. It is also a manual for bartenders around the world of what a modern classic cocktail bar should be.”
Audrey Saunders
With the turn of every page, Alperin and Stoll have slipped off the underpinnings of our industry and provided us with the best seat in the house—a voyeur’s keyhole into the passionate yet gritty world of bar life. Brutally honest and deeply personal, Unvarnished is a cathartic bloodletting for anyone who has ever worked behind the stick. I loved it, I hated it, I couldn’t put it down.”
Jim Meehan
The portrayal of cocktail culture in Unvarnished strips away the veneer of cheer that bartenders work so hard to project, revealing the chaos behind the curtain in a vocation where rapturous heights are offset by depraved depths. Cocktail geeks should be grateful that Alperin and Stoll bare as much of The Varnish’s ethos as its founder’s soul in this cinematic memoir that affirms the virtues of hospitality.”
Vu Tran
In this page-turning gem, Alperin and Stoll bring to fascinating life the ins and outs and ups and downs of building a glamorous, successful speakeasy. Part memoir, part perfectionist’s tutorial, this book will make you thirsty as hell for the perfect cocktail and even hungrier to pursue your own glittering dreams.”
Jeffrey Morgenthaler
A beautiful, heartbreaking, and triumphant look inside the beating heart of one of the most wonderful bars in the world. Alperin and Stoll have given us a raw, passionate, and hilarious record of exactly what it takes to achieve greatness in this business.
Nancy Silverton
Unvarnished is an uplifting story of a man in the relentless pursuit of his dreams, even when he is not sure what that dream is. And that’s the beauty of Unvarnished. When he discovers his passion, he, along with the reader, go on a beautiful—and delicious—odyssey to the best bar in Los Angeles.”
Library Journal
06/01/2020
What's it like to open a craft cocktail bar with one of the great originators of modern drinks service, Sasha Petraske, of Milk & Honey fame? Alperin has that opportunity when he partners with Petraske to open The Varnish in Los Angeles. This readable memoir follows this entrepreneurial endeavor as well as how Alperin came to bartending, while also describing the challenges and joys of working behind the bar. Alperin is not self-pitying, but aspiring bar owners will likely be daunted by the amount of work and forethought that goes into a successful hospitality venture. The book includes the 100-plus recipes that all staff at The Varnish are expected to know; home mixologists will glean several tips. Still, this volume is less about the mechanics of mixing drinks than about making an environment conducive for cocktails and socializing. VERDICT An enjoyable read for anyone interested in cocktail culture. Alongside Jim Meehan's Meehan's Bartender Guide, this will certainly be of use to professionals.—Devon Thomas, Chelsea, MI
JULY 2020 - AudioFile
Coauthor Eric Alperin narrates as he shares his path to, and the intricacies of, opening a bar in Los Angeles. Alperin’s voice is dry and smooth, like one of the high-quality spirits served in his cocktail bar, The Varnish. While uneven sound quality may distract some listeners, even pacing keeps one interested as Alperin, who originally aspired to be an actor, shares tales from his adventures in entrepreneurship. The accompanying PDF allows listeners to hear the story without worrying about missing a particular cocktail recipe or trick of the trade. By the end, listeners will want to mix their favorite concoctions. A.L.S.M. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2020-03-24
The life of high-end bartending gets a thorough examination in this vivid memoir of setting up and running a Los Angeles establishment.
Like many graduates of performing arts schools, Alperin had to get side jobs in New York to support his dream of becoming an actor. The more he worked, the more he realized that bartending, which has its own dramatic side, was his true calling. In this brash and insightful book co-written with screenwriter and journalist Stoll, Alperin traces his move to LA, where, with “barfly entrepreneur” Cedd Morris and the colorful “microdoser” Sasha Petraske (“central casting's wet dream of the nutty professor”), he opened The Varnish, a small bar dedicated to precise renderings of classic cocktails, the “kind of place someone would want to tell their friends about but also keep to themselves.” This isn't the usual breezy or dutiful as-told-to memoir but rather a deep and meticulous dive into Alperin's personality and experiences. Consequently, sometimes the narrative is spectacularly and absorbingly dorky: If you haven't thought about the process of making ice or about those cubes or chunks we unthinkingly drop into our glasses, you will now. Just as often, the text zooms in on the minutiae of a night in the life of the bartender: “Bostick dry-shakes a Ramos gin fizz with short, hard strokes while I stir up a manhattan in a mixing glass, like spinning a spool of liquid silk, the rye’s dark legs spiraling down the glass, lightening in color as it dilutes.” Alperin doesn't hold back on the details of his personal life, revealing plenty about drugs and anonymous sex. The book also includes a substantial midsection with instructions on how to make enough familiar and exotic drinks to keep the home drinker occupied for a lifetime.
Even teetotalers will relish the insights into this arcane world.
