Not every revolution requires an insurrection, and not every renaissance begins in salons, galleries or cloistered chambers. The cocktail seemed an unlikely candidate to start either a revolution or a renaissance, but somehow over the past decade, it has managed to become the center of both. Today the cocktail is celebrated at week-long conferences and festivals that draw thousands. Taking cues from a wider culinary movement that’s been building steam for decades, craft-cocktail bars (and the bartenders and writers who inhabit them) are digging in the depths of the drink’s rich history and apply these fresh-taught lessons to new drinks, appropriating techniques and skills acquired everywhere from centuries-old handbooks. However, as fascinating as today’s artisan-driven or tech-savvy craft-cocktail bars can be, there’s also a need for cocktail comfort food—for exciting drinks that have the benefit of being delicious, and that can be easily prepared by non-professionals. From Paul Clarke, the 2014 Best Cocktail & Spirits Writer and founder of the groundbreaking spirits blog, The Cocktail Chronicles, comes an approachable guide to the cocktail renaissance thus far and—as the name implies—a chronicle of the cocktails that have come along the way. The Cocktail Chronicles is not a lab manual for taking the cocktail experience to a molecular level; nor is it an historical monograph tracing the details of our forebears as they developed and mixed the drinks we enjoy today. Instead, The Cocktail Chronicles is a collection of approachable, and easily replicable drinks that all share the same thing: a common deliciousness and a role -- both big and small -- in the ongoing and thriving cocktail renaissance. This collection of expertly curated recipes represent a photo album of sorts—snapshots of people encountered over the years, with some close friends and family members depicted alongside a few dimly remembered strangers. The Cocktail Chronicles believes cocktails should be fun: it doesn’t demand the purchase of a new product for every recipe or require hours spent preparing a single ingredient -- that is a sure way to suck the joy right out of it. Life is complicated—a good drink doesn't have to be. To that end, The Cocktail Chronicles has you covered.

Prizes

Winner of Best Cocktail and Spirits Writer 2014 (United States),Winner of Best Culinary Writing for Beverage 2014 (United States)

“The Cocktail Chronicles is an insider’s guide to the classic and modern drinks, spirits, bars, and bartenders driving the current cocktail renaissance, from a writer who has been on its front lines for the past decade.” —Camper English, cocktail journalist and publisher of Alcademics.com
"Paul Clarke began writing about the cocktail renaissance when it was still wishful thinking, and has been covering it ever since. I challenge anybody to find somebody who knows it better or, just as important, somebody who can explain it more clearly or genially. He is the ideal guide." — David Wondrich, author of Imbibe! and Punch; Esquire drinks correspondent
“This book is not only valuable, it's necessary. And while it’s replete with cocktails, at Paul Clarke's hand, the writing always wins.” —Ted Haigh, “Dr. Cocktail,” author of Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails
“Whether celebrating the rebirth of The Last Word or comparing an aperitif to Boom Boom Mancini, The Cocktail Chronicles is a decade-in-the-making document of Paul Clarke at his finest. He nails that sweet spot of drinks writing, appealing to veteran bartenders and cocktail geeks while expertly demystifying matters for those eager to learn more.” —Brad Thomas Parsons, author of Bitters: A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-All
“The Cocktail Chronicles is not just an engaging inquiry to the classics, but a unique eyewitness account of the contemporary craft-cocktail revolution. It’s a lot to drink in, but Paul mixes it perfectly and serves it with a smile.” —Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, author of Potions of the Caribbean
“The most indispensable cocktail guide in years. Paul Clarke’s serious authority never gets in the way of his pleasure. This is the guy you want behind the bar with you." ––Jonathan Miles, former New York Times cocktail columnist
“Few people have followed the cocktail revolution as closely as Paul Clarke. And to follow his journey—and look at where it all began, where it’s been, and where we’ve ended up—there’s no more entertaining way of discovering all the details than by reading this fine tome.” —gaz regan, author of The Joy of Mixology
“It’s not often that a new cocktail book holds my attention, but I wasn’t surprised that Paul’s did. The Cocktail Chronicles will serve as a wonderful homage to what is perhaps one of the most pivotal times in the history of cocktails.” —Audrey Saunders, owner of Pegu Club, New York City

Paul Clarke is a journalist specializing in spirits, cocktails and the culture of drink. The executive editor of Imbibe magazine, he has spent the past decade researching and writing about drinks for Imbibe, the San Francisco Chronicle, the New York Times, Serious Eats, Tasting Table and many other publications and websites, and is a member of the editorial board for the Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails. Since 2005, Clarke has documented his exploration of fine spirits and mixology on The Cocktail Chronicles, one of the first exclusively spirits and cocktail-related blogs on the Internet, and he's the founder and moderator emeritus of Mixology Monday, a monthly online cocktail party that's attracted scores of participants and thousands of readers since its 2006 debut. A regular speaker at events including Tales of the Cocktail, Portland Cocktail Week and the Manhattan Cocktail Classic, Clarke has received a Spirited Award from Tales of the Cocktail for Best Cocktail Writing, and a Bert Greene Award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals for his drinks journalism. He lives in Seattle.