BOOK REVIEW: Gilded Age Cocktails: History, Lore, and Recipes from America’s Golden Age by Cecelia Tichi

After enjoying the book Jazz Age Cocktails: History, Lore, and Recipes from America’s Roaring Twenties by Cecelia Tichi, I decided to read her previous book, Gilded Age Cocktails: History, Lore, and Recipes from America’s Golden Age. Similarly, it’s a short history of the cocktail placed in the historical context of the late nineteenth century. Again, it touches upon a few of the historical events and well-known figures of the times, and gives cocktail recipes for what they imbibed and served (or might have imbibed or served). It’s a short, entertaining book. The cocktail recipes got a bit monotonous, seeming to be mostly slight variations on the same few ingredients. Nevertheless, it was interesting to see the oversized role played by cocktail drinking in the Gilded Age. Similarly, it’s a short history of the cocktail placed in the historical context of the late nineteenth century. Again, it touches upon a few of the historical events and well-known figures of the times, and gives cocktail recipes for what they imbibed and served (or might have imbibed or served). It’s a short, entertaining book. The cocktail recipes got a bit monotonous, seeming to be mostly slight variations on the same few ingredients. Nevertheless, it was interesting to see the oversized role played by cocktail drinking in the Gilded Age.