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Straight Up or On the Rocks: The Story of the American Cocktail
Straight Up or On the Rocks The Story of the American Cocktail Author:William Grimes Traces the evolution of American drink from the improvised concoctions of the colonial era to the frozen margarita, spiking his narrative with arresting details, odd facts, & colorful figures. Explores proto-cocktails & then tracks the rise of the saloon & the bartender, chronicling the spread of the cocktail to Europe & its emergence into a ''g... more »olden age'' from 1880-1920, when classics such as the Manhattan, martini, & daiquiri came into being. Follows it through the Jazz Age, the post-Prohibition lull & the Cold War of cocktails, considering Polynesian-influenced lounge culture. Ends with the recent resurgence of interest in spirits that has produced a wave of new drinks, recipes for which are included here along with the standards.« less