“Gilded Age Cocktails—History, Lore, and Recipes from America’s Golden Age”
By Cecelia Tichi

A Tasty Compendium of Victorian Adult Beverage Concoctions

Sweet or savory, fizzy and fru fru, when the popularity of alcoholic ‘mixed drinks’ gained social acceptance and popularity in post-Civil War America their ingredient lists were as imaginative as their names—The Blue Blazer, Manhattan, Knickerbocker Kümmel and the Floradora to name a few.

In Cecelia Tichi’s latest book, “Gilded Age Cocktails—History, Lore, and Recipes from America’s Golden Age,” she gives adult beverage recipes, along with the historical highlights of the late 1800s from which they're adapted.

In this humorous adventure through America’s glorious Gilded Age of industrial expansion, robber barons, the gold rush, and the rise of America’s wealthy society elite (Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Astor, Flagler, etc.), Tichi provides the mythic history for a slew of legendary cocktails from around the country during that period.

Included in the book is an index of drink recipes; an exhaustive bibliography of research resources; a fascinating explanation about ‘Bitters;’ a guide to bar glassware; and the glossary from the Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book that explains varieties of alcohol.

In her introduction to “Gilded Age Cocktails—History, Lore, and Recipes from America’s Golden Age,” Cecelia Tichi also explains the humorous name for a mixed drink—'cocktail.’ No, it has nothing to do with feathers, she extols in this lively, fun and fascinating history about the origins of one of America’s wind-down specialties—the cocktail! Enjoy every pleasurable sip; it's delicious.

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The Book Maven’s Journal—Reviews for Word Connoisseurs

REVIEWER: J.Hunt
STAR RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My Sincere Appreciation to NetGalley, Author Cecelia Tichi, and Washington Mews Books an Imprint of New York University Press for Providing an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) for Review.

Book Reviews
by TheBookMavenJoy
are also on Goodreads.

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“Gilded Age Cocktails—History, Lore, and Recipes from America’s Golden Age”
Cecelia Tichi
Washington Mews Books An Imprint of New York University Press
Publication Date 04 May 2021

<i> Gilded Age Cocktails: History, Lore, and Recipes from America's Golden Age </i> was nothing like I expected it to be in the best way. I expected glossy HD pictures of recreations of Gilded Age cocktails, and instead, I got a wealth of historic information (~168 pages) including details about the origin of certain drinks, stories about Gilded Age celebrities, and many, many recipes. The book is organized into 11 different thematic chapters with black and white turn-of-the-century style illustrations. The back of the book contains a very helpful glossary explaining common ingredients with information from <i> The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book .</i>

This book is the perfect gift for history buffs who like cocktails because it is the perfect blend of history and recipes. The cover is beautiful and I really appreciated that it wasn't just a recipe book with pictures of each drink. It really took you into the time and setting of the Golden Age and explained the history of the drink and how it's made. There are classic recipes for Martini's and Manhattans but you will discover quite a few fabulous drinks that are new to you (I have already tried the Hawaii Cocktail and loved it). The recipes are fairly easy to make at home. If you like cocktails this is book you want on your bookshelf!

Thank you to Cecelia Tichi, NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced e-book in exchange for my honest review.

Gilded Age Cocktails had some cool information, I just was never particularly interested or gripped by it. I think the writing style just kinda didn't work for me.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- Drunken stars!

I love cooking/drink books like this! I find them so fascinating, and this one was fantastic in that regard. Full of history about the cocktails, and easy to follow recipes. I can't wait to work my way through the entire book. The only small niggle I had was I wish it had been a little more visually pleasing!

**ARC Via NetGalley**

My husband is a cocktail fiend and a history nerd, and this book will be going on my "to buy" list for him immediately. it's a wonderful romp through the creation of cocktails-- which really do tell you a lot about history, and visa versa!-- beautifully written and a joy to read. Can't wait to have a hard copy!

Gilded Age Cocktails by Cecelia Tichi
History, Lore and Recipes from America’s Golden Age

This is a book to be savored and returned to over time. It is not the quick read with pretty photographs that I thought it would be but instead an informative and information laden tome filled with history, anecdotes, recipes and more. I learned where the term “cocktail” derived from, heard about bartenders that changed the drinks world, found out how cocktails came by their names, traveled the USA (and beyond) to hear about places and mixed drinks I had never heard of before and went on an educational journey I wouldn’t mind revisiting with a glass in my hand.

I can see sitting down with this book and skimming it quickly the first time to find out which cocktails sound most intriguing. After that I believe it would be fun to try a new cocktail one at a time, mark down comments about each one as sampled and come up with a scoresheet of final favorites. I also believe this would be fun as a party guide…perhaps one would have an event based on cocktails named after famous people or maybe locations with beverages named after them or even ivy league colleges with their own special drink combination.

The illustrations were hand drawn, simple and delightful.
The history informative and interesting
The glossary detailed
The index complete
And the recipes – something I would like to revisit again when I have the ingredients to concoct with.

Thank you to NetGalley and NYU Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

A book full of two of the things I enjoy most--cocktails and history! Pre-pandemic, one of my favorite vices was craft cocktails, and while I've certainly enjoyed more than my fair share of cocktails while staying at home, I lack the finesse and creativity of a good bartender. This book provided inspiration for future drinks, with the history behind them.

Author Cecelia Tichi suggests that the cocktail craze was a direct result of the availability of ice and covers cocktails by geographical region, industry, and institution of higher education. She also gives information on glassware and includes an index. Yay.

Confession time: I've never been a fan of gin and thus, had never even heard of Tom gin, but now I suspect it could change my beliefs about gin. Also, although I knew that beer consumption was high during colonial times (unsafe drinking water), I did not know how much and how early in the day people in the Gilded Age drank (that is, those of economic means).

This is a delightful book for people who love history and a good drink. #GildedAgeCocktails #NetGalley

I was blown away by how much I loved this book. I was unsure what to expect when I first read the description of this book. I thought I would have a few drink recipes with a textbook-style blurb about the history of each type of cocktail. This book is so much more than that!

The book explained the history of many cocktails in a story format, instead of a textbook format. The author would describe the life of the person who invented a cocktail and the events that occurred in their lives that inspired the cocktails. And then the accompaniment of the recipe itself was fun and I wanted to try each and every one of them. There is definitely a few drink recipes that have been added to my list of favorite drinks.

The illustrations of drinks, glasses, and mixology tools were adorable additions to this book.

Gilded Age Cocktails is a beautifully curated collection of history, minutiae, and cocktails by Dr. Cecelia Tichi. Due out 4th May 2021 from NYU Press, it's 176 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This is such an exuberant and well written ode to historical and classic cocktails and drinking culture. The author is both a teacher of literature and clearly enamored of the elegance and refinement (and sometimes humor) to be found in these classic libations and their origins. This is not just a bar book full of recipes. To the contrary, it's a history essay with recipes interspersed in the relevant stories. The recipe for the "Blue Blazer" is contained in the story of Jerry Thomas, the originator of the drink (and quite a character, according to this account). The recipe for the "Tuxedo" is presented in a charming interlude on the Erie Railway and passengers who were offered a complimentary cocktail by the railway en route to Tuxedo Park. There are many more presented in a similar vein.
Each of the recipes includes an introductory description and yields, ingredients in American standard (oz), and step by step instructions. Variations and alternatives are provided at the end of the recipes. The book also includes a useful bibliography and links resources for further reading as well as a fairly comprehensive glossary of terms and an index.

Many of the ingredients should be available at any well stocked grocery/liquor store although some might need to be sourced at specialists.

Cocktails are such a civilized interlude and this book includes a solid cross section of classics to build mixology skills and impress one's friends at the next gathering.

Five stars. Fans of the period as well as cocktail fans won't want to miss this one. It should be sought out as a well written history of the cocktails along with recipes, and not the reverse.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This book came up at the perfect time. Since my region is in a COVID-19 lockdown (again), I was looking at some fun ways to celebrate my birthday at home, and now I have a few ideas!

This book combines recipes for classic cocktail with history and anecdotes to transport the reader back into the classic romantic age of gentleman's club's, Parc Avenue exclusive events and the scandalous roaring 20's in America.

I've never really given drinks or cocktails much thought beyond what I'm in the mood for when I'm out to dinner. Gilded Age of Cocktails gave me a good grasp of the basic bar vocabulary and fun facts I would have probably never come across otherwise.

I've saved several recipes for this summer, and my upcoming at home birthday celebration. This is a fun read and would make a great gift for a birthday or as a housewarming token.

NetGalley ARC | Boozy literary and history lovers definitely need to check out Gilded Age Cocktails. This one might be fitting for June's Uncorked 2021 Reading Challenge theme, too.

I personally love that this book discusses authors like Jack London and Willa Cather. There's even a mention of the Seven Sisters, making this Smithie smile.

Learn about the history of cocktails, bartenders, and their famous patrons.

Thank you to NetGalley and NYU Press for providing me with a free advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

You can find my full review here on The Uncorked Librarian: https://www.theuncorkedlibrarian.com/may-2021-book-releases/

This is a great book. I enjoyed reading about the history of these cocktails and how alcohol was made and used in a bygone era. Great reference book!

This was a great book in the time of Covid. The book was as easy to read as it was to follow the recipes (I tried a couple, not all!)

For me, the narrative was interesting and I have already recommended the book to several friends.

Thank you to the publishers for allowing me to preview the book.

My husband and I spent a Saturday night making some of these and they were so fun and delicious. I enjoyed the heck out of this book and I will definitely be buying a physical copy when published.

Two parts history.
One part wild, inventive cocktails.
Three parts Gilded Age excess.
Add ice and mix well.

A wild mix of history and beverage recipe book, Gilded Age Cocktails is a great pick-up-and-read guide to all of the post-Victorian excesses and innovations in carousing. Packed with facts and enough recipes to put even the most tolerant of drinkers under the table, this was a fun and super-quick read that didn't require too much in the brains category. The main complaint is a bit of a lack of focus, as the chapters jump all around and the end is rather abrupt. However, for what it's trying to do, these are fairly minor complaints. Pick this up if you'd like to learn new ways to use lemon peel to spruce up your drinks...seriously, there's apparently a ton of ways I'd never imagined before.

**I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to NYU Press.**

I greatly enjoyed 'Gilded Age Cocktails' by Cecelia Tichi. I’ve always found cocktails interesting, from how they originate to the ways they are named. This book did a wonderful job diving into the popularity and culture surrounding many of the drinks we know, love, and still enjoy today such as the Manhattan and Gin Fizz. In addition to the continued classics, there are a significant number that have faded into relative obscurity, from the cocktails of the Ivy Leagues to Milk Punch or the Mamie. Hearing the stories of how the bartender developed the drinks, the social mores of old establishments, and the headliner scandal's behind some of the names was a treat and something most books of this nature don't include. The only downside is that I wish that the narrative was a little more cohesive, pointing out trends or comparing cocktails instead of just going one or two at a time. I understood the theming in some parts but wanted a more clear sorting, either chronologically, origin, or liquor. Still, I learned so many new facts to share with friends over a cocktail or two and would definitely recommend. Cheers!

This is a super fun book and would be a great gift to any cocktail lover in your life! It’s a great resource and is PACKED with drink recipes. You would not be stuck for ideas with this book.

This was a really unique cocktail book concept. I enjoyed all of the history and facts but found the writing a little dry at times. I wish the pictures were in color and more detailed. This would have enhanced then book greatly. The recipes were easy to follow and basic.

Overall not exactly what I was looking for but a great book for cocktail enthusiasts.

This is such a fun cocktail book to have for your bar at home. There is as much history as there are recipes, as you travel through the private clubs of New York, the Transcontinental Railroad, old-fashioned dinner parties, the Barbary Coast, and other regional gilded age history sites like Chicago and New England. You will also learn about interesting figures beyond just the Vanderbilts and the Hearsts, though they’re definitely in there, too. The drawings are lovely and befitting of the time and place. The recipes sound delicious and will probably make you look sophisticated at parties, once we can have those again. Meticulously researched and well-told.

Thank you to NYU Press, NetGalley and Cecilia Tichi for this interesting and fun addition to my library and entertaining repertoire!