Market-Fresh Mixology is a few years old now but it’s appropriate, given the theme of the book, that it looks and reads as fresh as ever. And provided it continues to get hot in summer and cold in winter, the book remains relevant to all of us who are interested in cocktails.
Fresh to the Market
As you might guess from the title, the authors’ belief in this book is that while drinks are a year-round thing, you should make the most of cocktails by only using whatever fruit and other ingredients are fresh in season. Just as fresh food makes for the best meals, fresh fruits, herbs, and vegetables cook up the perfect cocktail. You’ve heard of ‘from farm to table’? How about ‘from ground to gimlet’? Well, maybe the slogan needs a little work yet.
Vodka Cocktails
Naturally the Vodka Guy’s main concern is vodka cocktails, and there are several of those in the various cocktail recipes and infusion suggestions included. I like the look and sound of the Cucumber Caipiroska (right) as a refreshing Spring drink, combining as it does pear vodka with cucumber wheels and lime slices. The Apple Cocktail for Autumn also seems an idea well worth trying, if maybe a little challenging – scooping out the top half of an apple and filling it with a mix of vanilla vodka, limoncello, cranberry juice, lemon juice, and apple juice. It looks terrific and is sure to impress people. It looks too good to drink. Almost.
Other Cocktails
But the Vodka Guy will drink any port in a storm, and there are plenty of non-vodka cocktails tempting me from this collection. Living close to the Mexican border, I naturally make a mean margarita, and the Winter Savory Avocado Cocktail adds a creamy twist to a standard margarita with the addition of avocado and tarragon.
Infusions
The book also has a lengthy section suggesting infusions for each of the four seasons – how about a fig and pear vodka infusion for the fall?
Fine Photos
The book is enhanced by the suitably fresh photos of Tim Turner, an ace cocktail photographer whose fine work you can also see in Tony Abou-Ganim’s Vodka Distilled and The Modern Mixologist. Even a tee-totaller could enjoy these images.
The Vodka Guy’s Verdict
Market-Fresh Mixology is only a small and slim book, but it’s beautifully produced and very inventive. Anything that encourages people to use fresh ingredients and come up with some new combinations of flavors is welcome. Running to 120pp, it’s published at $17.95 in the USA and £10.99 in the UK by Agate Publishing. You can find it at Amazon USA, Amazon UK, and other Amazon stores worldwide.
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