Member Reviews

This was a fun read, especially as I love bubbly and love getting more recipes to read about how to make/use/cook with it. A delightful NetGalley read.

Was this review helpful?

If you enjoy fizzy drinks, then this is the book for you. Delicious, bubbly fizz! Break out the Prosecco!

Was this review helpful?

Love the title and the cover. This would be a great book for spring an summer cocktails using sparkling wine to have some refreshing and different drinks.

Was this review helpful?

This book was great! I love bubbly wine and so having so many different and fun options was awesome as I celebrated my 30th birthday!

Was this review helpful?

My husband loves champagne and I love experimenting with new cocktails so I really enjoyed this book. It was not complicated and the lay out was attractive.

Was this review helpful?

This is a great and fun book for anyone wanting to make exciting and new cocktails beyond the basic mimosa. Let's Get Fizzical tells you the history behind the drinks, which makes it a fun book to read. It has great information on how-to's, why's, how's, etc. Pippa Guy explains how to take old favorites and pair them with something new to make a "usual" and turn it into something special. There is even details down to what glasses to use for what drink. As I said before, this book is a fun read, but it is also a great coffee table book. Let's get the bubbly flowing, the stories started, and then get FIzzical! I cannot wait to buy a hardcopy of this book to add to my own personal collection.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely love bubbly cocktails. I love them so much that two years ago I did an entire post on my culinary blog about cava cocktails, in which I experimented with about half a dozen different recipes for bubbly cocktails that I had gleaned from various sources. So imagine my delight when I discovered that there was a book dedicated to the topic.

The book included both a “Beginner’s Guide to Bubbly” and a section on cocktail basics before launching into almost a hundred pages of recipes. Despite having read several books on wine, I definitely learned something new about sparkling wine from this book. One of my favorite parts of the introductory matter was a “Swap Your Sparkle” chart that compared seven different types of sparkling wines with respect to their fruitiness, acidity, sweetness, alcohol, and pressure. I usually just use whatever is available in 187mL bottles without thinking much about how the characteristics of the bubbly impact the drink.

I really enjoyed the unique format of the recipes in this book, especially the illustrated recipes, the simple variations, and the gorgeous photographs. The selection of recipes was a good mix of classics - such as Bellini, Kir Royale, French 75 - twists on these classics, new inventions, and twists on the new inventions.

I was tracking this book on NetGalley until its November publication date; however, I was so intrigued by the book that I bought a copy because I thought that it was no longer available on NetGalley. I’m glad that I bought it because now I have a single source of recipes for my next series of experiments with sparkling wine cocktails. And I have a terrific idea for a gift for my sister’s birthday!

I have yet to attempt any recipes from this book; however, I will update this post when I do.

Was this review helpful?

This book was Informative, instructive, and illustrative - this book belongs on every home bar. Absolutely loved it!

Was this review helpful?

I love a good cocktail and Let's Get Fizzical: Over 50 Bubbly Cocktail Recipes with Prosecco, Champagne, and Other Sparkling Wines made all my mimosa and fizzy drink dreams come true. This is the perfect brunch cocktail or any type of bridal or baby shower cocktail book.

Was this review helpful?

I'm a "let's make mimosas" or drink during brunch kinda gal, but the background behind different types of the bubbly was totally unknown to me. I mean sure, I saw them in the grocery store aisle and of course I've drank one, or two, or several, but beyond knowing they tasted different I didn't know anything else. Let's Get Fizzical gives readers the background on where they're made, the flavors you'll taste, what you can use in a pinch, the best glasses to use, and how to prepare the cocktail your taste buds want. For me, I loved the style of the book, it's old Hollywood glamour and very Mad Men. The flavor chart? Greatest thing ever. Trust me when I say you want to make yourself a Rossini, Campari Spritz, or even better sounding, the Pornstar Martini Reinvented. Not only is the book fun, it's both a conversation starter and actually a very well laid out recipe book.

Was this review helpful?

Let's Get Fizzical wasn't really the book for me. While I found myself learning a lot about the different types of champagne and fizzy drinks, I didn't really like the writing style as whole. I found the style to be a little over the top and, forgive the pun, too bubbly for me to take very seriously.

Still this book wasn't a complete waste of time. Like I said I did learn a lot about types and how champagne is made. Which I did find to be interesting. And the recipes themselves were alright, I could see myself possibly using some of them in the future. Though honestly a lot of them seemed to be over the top, not to mention expensive to make.

In the end I gave this book 3 stars on Goodreads.

Was this review helpful?

This book is so much fun! Sparkling cocktails always feel festive, so this book full of bubbles is perfect for the holidays. Starting with basic and traditional sparkling cocktail recipes, the author puts her own spin on old favorites like the Bellini, French 75, and Kit Royale, plus brings the bubbles to recipes not typically found with sparkles like Negroni and Margarita. Plus the colors, presentation and layout are fun and light, so I can see going back to this book time and again to make something special.

Was this review helpful?

I love the creative formatting of this book. The recipes are fantastic and the illustrations are modern and fresh!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy! Since bubbly wine is my all time favorite, this book was perfect for me. I love how the author explains the differences between all sparkling wines, such as champagne, prosecco, cava, Lambrusco, etc. Her recipes are very easy to follow and she gives a little history on each recipe. This book would be a perfect hostess gift!

Was this review helpful?

Let's Get Fizzical is gorgeously designed and photographed. I appreciated the primer on various bubblies at the beginning—Pippa Guy presents the basics in a clear and simple (but still fun) style. The recipes themselves are a great combination between standby classics and offbeat updates. This would make an excellent birthday or holiday gift for any home cocktail enthusiast or frequent party host. I'll be picking up a copy for myself in preparation for holiday parties.

Was this review helpful?

Wonderfully photographed and engagingly written, Let's Get Fizzical is a fun collection of recipes for sparkling cocktails and coolers. The book contains a helpful amount of information about the winemaking process, and tasting notes for various classes of sparkling wines. These recipes are great for parties or special occasions, but also for any day that can be elevated to a new sparkly level.

Was this review helpful?

Love this guide! I’m a fan of sparkling wine, and this shows you such a large variety of ways to make a good drink that much more outstanding. Step by step instructions starting from basic equipment and rules, working up to recipes. All recipes have a diagram or picture, so you know what you’re aiming for yours to look like. Beautiful presentation and on point content.

Was this review helpful?

My review has been posted to my blog & Goodreads.

Review has also been tweeted as usual.

Thank you! :c)

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a very well done book. The design is fun and lively while still remaining classy. It evokes a bit of retro charm. This speaks well to an audience who wants to learn about all things fizzy, Graphically, the diagrams for different drinks help a lot when trying to figure out proportions. Makes the whole thing much more accessible. To non-bartenders who just want to play with fizzy drinks. The writing is well executed and a great addition to the excellent photography. All and all a worth-it book for the at-home bartender who wants a bit of fizzy charm in their bar. I know I do!

Was this review helpful?

I was excited to get a chance to read this one, as champagne and of course bubbly cocktails are something I really love.
Overall I found this to be really solid, it breaks down the how it's made, taste, bubbles, pallet flavors you will come across in bubbly in every single form. It throughly covers them all. So I'll feel a little more knowledgeable the next time I visit my local store.
The tools you need, glasses are also all very simply explained.

The cocktail recipes are varied, and nearly each classic recipe has extra fresh and modern takes on it.
These took what I had thought were going to be complicated recipes and very clearly and simply broke them down. Anyone can make these without a hassle. And they're sure to be delicious.

Was this review helpful?