Picking up Cocktail Chemistry was actually a mistake on my part because I failed to read the subtitle. I love my copy of Liquid Intelligence, and thought that it would be rife with experiments and explanations along those lines. My taste in cookbooks runs toward readable yet informative niche areas rather than glossy contemporary compendia. I tend to keep my cookbooks forever, so I buy evergreen books that will stand the test of time rather than trendy books that won’t make sense in a few years. The same is true of my preferences for cocktail books. My current favorite happens to be Kara Newman’s book on equinox cocktails (Shake. Stir. Sip.) because it is so straightforward, easy to use, and timeless. Instead, Cocktail Chemistry is organized around drinks primarily drawn from 21st century pop culture, as the author didn’t start becoming a cocktail enthusiast until 2008. Fortunately, my mistake turned out in my favor.

Like any decent cocktail book, the introductory material in Cocktail Chemistry
starts with the cursory overview of bar tools and then progresses to a similarly brief overview of glassware. Finally, there is a section on basic cocktail components - sweet, salty, sour, bitter. I did learn a new trick in the recipe for simple syrup: adding a tablespoon of vodka to the cooled syrup will extend its shelf life in the refrigerator. And the scientific tidbit about why lemon pairs better with brown spirits and lime pairs better with white spirits was interesting as well. The obligatory section about the difference between shaking and stirring a cocktail was included in the James Bond martini chapter rather than the introductory material.

After the first twenty or so pages of introductory material, the book is divided into twenty-two recipe chapters, each based on a cocktail from a well-known movie or television show. The chapters lead with a recreated version of a cocktail, which is followed by two or three more cocktails in the same “family.” The cocktail families are loosely interpreted - Manhattans, loaded cocktails, layered cocktails, hot chocolate cocktails - rather than traditionally identified by the primary base spirit. But I would assume that it would be easy to find a cocktail with a specific base spirit by referencing the Index (which was absent from the advance reader copy).

Within the chapters, the recipes are mixed with explanations of why/how things work, such as how does clear ice get made, why does a clarified milk punch work, and why does a layered cocktail work. Most sections have a very breezy and informative tone; however, there were a few areas that got to feeling “smarter than thou” in their didacticism. And every so often, a recipe will also pick up an obnoxious tone of superiority as well.

Overall, I recommend this book for anyone whose interests lie in the sweet spot of the Venn diagram that links 21st century pop culture and modern mixology. It’s comprehensive enough to stand alone on the bookshelf behind the bar, but niche enough to supplement a burgeoning collection of classic and contemporary cocktail books.

I have yet to make any recipes from this book; the advance reader copy was so poorly formatted in certain places that it made those recipes unintelligible. However, I look forward to seeing that corrected in the final published version.

I received this book as a digital advance reader copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

Thank you to both NetGalley and Simon Element, S&S/Simon Element for providing me an advance copy of Nick Fisher’s cocktail recipe book, Cocktail Chemistry, in exchange for an honest review.

Cocktail Chemistry is a compilation of cocktail recipes that involve the art and science behind the drinks from iconic movies and TV shows. Although I am not familiar with it, the book blurb says the work is based on the author’s popular YouTube channel for which it is named.

The author dives in immediately with a quick summary of how he became enamored with cocktails. He also provides a brief explanation concerning the standard bar tools/materials to construct an at-home bar and to understand what is needed for many of the recipes.

The glossy pictures that accompany some of the cocktails are gorgeous and high-quality, even in the digital edition of the book. I especially liked the descriptions and fun facts included as part of each cocktail recipe. The most interesting component, however, was how the author explained some of the science behind how to make certain elements of a drink, such as the blue foam to top of the infamous Black Yukon Sucker Punch cocktail from Twin Peaks.

Clever is the perfect description for this book. I’m decent at making drinks at home (my grandmother taught me to make my own coffee liquor instead of baking cookies) but this book takes it to 11. I mean for the homemade pumpkin spice syrup and boozy butter beer are reasons enough to grab this book.

Once published, this is going to be a must have for anyone looking to expand their knowledge of cocktails and mixology.

The author gives great tips on how to make your standard cocktails, and then also expands to give each a twist or two to enhance the flavors. He also ties each cocktail into pop culture through TV shows and movies, which adds an element of fun.

I will absolutely be purchasing this book once available for my friends and family.

A good mixologist is an artist. To become one you need to learn the basic and build on them. This book is a great example of that. Learning how to mix drinks, understanding how different, and sometimes unlikely, ingredients work together is a skill that comes with time and experimentation. However this book provides you with some lessons in just that.

While not heavy on recipes, you will learn enough to start creating your own recipes and upscaling drinks that you make now. I’m all about the creativity process and look forward to creating some of my own libations now that I have a bit more understanding after reading this book.

This book was around 3.5 stars for me. I wasn't familiar with Nick Fisher or his youtube channel before I found this book, but will definitely check it out.

This is an interesting guide book of cocktails from pop culture. Including drinks from shows like Archer, the Simpsons, and Harry Potter Fisher breaks down how to make different cocktails and why they work. The pictures of the drinks in this book are beautiful! There's information throughout the book on how to properly mix drinks, using ice, incorporating citrus and more. I was expecting more recipes in this book. There are some for standard drinks like white Russians and manhattans and some for more adventurous drinks like a green Russian. Fisher includes recipes for "improved" versions of drinks that have an upgraded spin on them as well as the original drinks. Some of these drinks require more work than your average drink or some dairy, which may not be your thing.

Overall it's an interesting read.