This little book was picked up in San Francisco, after visiting the St. George Distillery in Alameda. The visit sparked my interest in Absinthe and I wanted to know more about it. Then we found a truly kick-ass book store in San Francisco, more or less across the street from out hotel called The Booksmith. I just had to buy stuff there.

The book is about Absinthe, a bit of history, the current situation, cocktails you can make with it, and more cocktails you can make with it. When reading the back cover (poorly) I got the impression it would be more about the booze itself, production process, origins, which herbs and spices are used in making different kinds of absinthe and such. More or less like most whisky books available. In the end it was much more about Absinthe cocktails than anything else.

This I found strange since I got the impression that the writers were Absinthe afficionados and would be more interested in pouring the perfect absinthe, with proper louching and how much water to add, maybe even about the pros and cons of adding sugar too. I barely read anything on that topic.

There are really cool bits of trivia in the book though, about Absinthe in the late 1800s, its ban in the 1910s and legalization a few years ago, the different kinds of wormwood and much more. Those bits are very entertaining to read. The cocktail recipes, however, are the biggest part of the book by far, and unless you really want to read recipes on the train, you’ll fly through the pages and finish the book in an hour or so.

So, all in all: a very nice read, albeit a bit too focussed on the cocktails. I did get some inspiration though! Very easy to read as well!