This is a great science book for anyone who loves that field, plants, and how they are used through history, to include the alcohol beverages we drink. This is not really a cookbook in the traditional sense. This explains how to make the bitters you will find in certain cocktails. It is a great reference book with amazing pictures. I adore books that have photos, not because I am a goofball, but because I love seeing what I am looking at, or cooking. It also gives me ideas for other things. This might be a little too much for some readers, and a little tedious, but I loved it. I will highly recommend it to those who love to learn more about the history of plants throughout time such as medicine, the importance in our culture, and drinks. Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is an incredibly comprehensive book that tells you everything you need to know about the history and science of bitters, plus how to make them. I have to admit that I only read some portions and skimmed a lot of it (which is why I'm not giving it a read date and counting it towards my yearly book goal) because it read an awful lot like a college textbook to me and I just don't have the ambition to make these recipes. Even the "Lazy Hippie's One Day Bitters" didn't strike me as very lazy at all (or easy for the average forager to do). They require 30 g hibiscus calyx, 10 g pao d'arco bulk herb or tea, 10 g chamomile tea, 10 g jasmine green tea, 10 g wild angelica bulk herb or tea, 6 g licorice root bulk herb or tea and 1 1/4 cups ABV neutral grain alcohol, and then simmering, reducing, straining, mixing, etc. Most of the recipes were a lot harder and/or required even more ingredients (many of which are rather exotic and uncommon).

If you really want to learn about bitters, this seems like an excellent guide. It's full of color photos, step-by-step instructions, recipes and more.

I read a temporary digital ARC of the book for the purpose of review.

This book drew me in for three reasons. First, I like cocktails. (Obviously.) Second, I am an amateur herbalist and I'll take any excuse to play with herbs and garden-based ingredients. Third . . . I really had no idea what bitters were. And shrubs? I mean . . . what? Don't get me wrong--I've encountered them loads of time at the wet bar, but beyond measuring them out and tossing them into the tumbler according to whatever some recipe told me to do . . . I really had no idea what they are or how they round out a drink's flavor profile. That's one of the reasons I like recipe books like this. (Spoiler--bitters are tinctures that include bittering agents, and shrubs are infusions mixed with apple cider vinegar...but that's an oversimplification.)

Botany at the Bar offers so much more than a load of drink recipes (though they're there, for sure--and not just alcoholic ones!). Rather, Botany at the Bar offers a little something extra that, for me, makes this one worth the read. Authors Selena Ahmed, Ashley Duval, and Rachel Meyer explain exactly what these mysterious herb-based ingredients are and how to use them to their most potent effect. And, to appeal to my little herbalist heart, the book includes a Plant Directory with information on plants and flavor profiles from around the world that can boost both the flavor of the drink and the health and vitality of the drinker. There's also loads of information on the science of taste, flavor, and aroma. If that's not enough, the book comes in a pretty package featuring pleasing illustrations and pictures and easy-to-read spreads that feel both fun and soothing. This book is a surefire hit for those who are looking to increase well-being or just have a bit of boozy fun in the garden.

** I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

I especially enjoy reading about food science and medical history; this book delivers both. While I didn’t come out of the experience excited to try making my own bitters (I just happen to prefer wine), I enjoyed learning about the cultural, culinary, and medicinal uses of plants throughout history. The plant directory with its adorable drawings alone is worth picking up this book. It would make a great gift for anyone interested in bar tending or experimenting in the kitchen.

I love to conduct mixology experiments. So it was with eager anticipation that I picked up this book. My hope was to find a treasure trove of information about bitters, including new recipes that I could fairly easily and inexpensively try at home. I was quite disappointed.

The material in the book can be grouped into three basic sections: the narrative, the recipes, and the plant directory. There a few pages of apocryphal material at the end, but that material was so short and random that it doesn’t really bear discussion.

The narrative section of the book felt thin and cursory, as it seemed to lack the depth on the topics that I have experienced in other books about bitters. Had I to rate the book on the quality of the narrative section alone, I would have rated it closer to two stars. The marketing angle of the narrative was really annoying, as the phrase “we at Shoots & Roots” seemed inescapable. I just wanted the unbiased information about the history and uses of bitters, without the sales pitch. And the writing style didn’t feel all that engaging or compelling.

The recipe section was further divided into three sections: bitters recipes for beginners, bitters recipes for bartenders, and cocktail recipes. All of the bitters recipes contained scant amounts of mostly uncommon ingredients, which made them feel impractical to do at home. The cocktail recipes seemed to suffer from the same problem.

The primary value of the book is in its plant directory, which contains over thirty pages of information on plants that are common to the United States, and otherwise common on other continents. I can definitely see this section being of value to not only my favorite local bar, which makes its own bitters, but also to the local distillery, which specializes in plant based liqueurs. I would have liked to have seen this section more organized and standardized for easier reference, but the paragraphs for each plant contained enough substantial information about the taste and usage of the plant to be very useful to the intended audience.

I received this book as a digital advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I have not tried any of the recipes from this book, and will update this review if I do.

Three scientists present the back stories of flavors of plants from around the globe and all in a range of tasty, healthy tinctures. They take us throughout the plant world as they share their unique expertise on the ecology, cultural practices, and medicinal properties.
Botany at the Bar is a very interesting, highly academic work meant for advanced readers who are interested in plants' historical uses as well as present day recipes for bitters and the drinks they accentuate. Ahmed, Duval and Meyer have a company called 'Shoots & Roots Bitters' where put together different bitters recipes and work with mixologists to create cocktails to use the mixes, some of which are in this book.

Quite an in depth history of bitters and their usage, as well as medicinal uses of the past, the science of taste and even a plant directory. There are also activities to highlight some of the information.
Plenty of recipes for different bitters and cocktail recipes to use them in. I always loved the idea of making my own bitters so will be trying out some of these.

Very interesting to read how to make all these bitters, drinks, etc. Detailed recipe lists are easy to follow. Love the medicinal and cultural descriptions as well as safety precautions. Perfect book for anyone interested in making their own bitters.

I suddenly have a powerful desire to make my own bitters... This book contains everything you've ever need or want to know about bitters - what they're made of (including all the fun botanical information for all us plant nerds), how to make them, and how to mix them into the drinks we know and love. Plus a bunch of delicious-sounding recipes for drinks you probably haven't heard of.

Mmmm, bitters.

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is chuck full of information and perfect for someone interested in learning about bitters. It includes a history of the use of bitters broken out by region, the botany and ecology of the plants used to make bitters, the impact of bitters on the body, safety concerns, how to make bitters and cocktail recipes. Bitter recipes begin with basic recipes for beginners and moves up to advanced recipes.

People interested in the history of bitters and plant use will enjoy this book. The beginner recipes are quite doable. The more advanced recipes will likely be tackled only by someone with a passionate interest. The authors have included a helpful list of resources as well as a glossary.

This book would be of interest to public libraries with a strong cookbook, foraging or mixology collection.
#BotanyAtTheBar #NetGalley