Tarot & Tequila by David Ross, is due for release in the summer of 2021. It will be published by Tiller Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. Because this book is not yet available, I am previewing and reviewing a pre-release digital copy. The published version will be either a 272 page hardback or a Kindle e-book. Copyright 2021 by David Ross.

Tarot & Tequila is both a Tarot guide and a mixology recipe book. It begins with an Introduction written by the author describing his personal journey that creates this book. David Ross tells of purchasing a tiny Tarot deck in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which encouraged him to learn about the Tarot. David performed readings for over 25 years, including hosting Tarot reading nights at local bars and restaurants. This led him to work with tequila marketers and the creation of the forty tequila-based cocktail recipes included in the book (one for each Major Arcana card plus many Minor Arcana drinks) based on the attributes of the cards. Sounds like fun, yes?

Next comes a section entitled Tools of the Trade. David has provided a list of tools we might need to enjoy the many cocktails provided in the book, because “whether you’re a mixologist or a Wiccan, you will need the proper items to help correctly make your cocktails/potions.” Like his card meanings, David describes the tools in a light-hearted mystical manner, including common mixology tools such as jiggers, juicers, cutting boards and cocktail strainers as well as candles, crystals and a familiar.

The Major Arcana card descriptions are next, and they are archetype-focused. Each card description has a full-page card image (from a truly awesome sugar skull themed deck) and four definition categories: Basic Definition, Reversed Basic Definition, Tequila Definition, and Reversed Tequila Definition. The Basic Definitions are more traditionally focused, while the Tequila Definitions are tequila-inspired, centered on alcohol, bars of all kinds, and social interactions at those bars. The Tequila Definition for Strength talks about surviving a bar crawl, Justice talks about the great feeling when you buy a friend a drink and they offer to pick up the next round, Temperance talks about the alchemy of making the perfect cocktail, The Tower describes the dismay when things get out of control after a long evening and we realize that our credit card is missing, and The Moon describes that feeling we get when we’ve had too many drinks. Each Major Arcana card has a Mystical Pairing, a description of the cocktail associated with the card and the reasons it was chosen, and the recipe (complete with instructions for the creation of special ingredients) for the cocktail associated with the card.

The Minor Arcana section card descriptions are more day-to-day focused, and are set up the same way as the Majors, with a full-page card image of that awesome deck, a Basic Definition, Reversed Basic Definition, Tequila Definition and Reversed Tequila Definition. The Three of Swords is the one card in the entire Tarot that always makes me feel uncomfortable. The Tequila Definition for this Minor Arcana card describes breaking up over the phone while out socially, and trying to stay outwardly unaffected while inside your heart is hurting, a perfect metaphor for this card. Not every Minor Arcana card has a Mystical Pairing and a cocktail recipe, but they are sprinkled generously throughout the Minor Arcana section.

There are no spreads presented in this book. The author prefers the 10-card Celtic Cross, but he recommends that you use whatever spreads you feel most comfortable with. You don’t need to consume cocktails or frequent bars in order to understand and make good use of the four different categories of card descriptions in Tarot & Tequila, or to access the happiness and positive energies presented in David’s well-described versions of the cards of the Tarot. The card descriptions work because they allow us to relate to each Tarot card in a new and refreshing way by connecting the cards to everyday situations. The Mystical Pairings essays that accompany the cocktail recipes also offer deeper connections to the individual cards through beautiful visualizations that help manifest the desired aspects of each card.

Tarot & Tequila blends the spirits of the Tarot with the spirits of alcohol, pun intended! While presented in a lighthearted manner, the card descriptions, both Basic and Tequila, resonate because David explains each card by using real situations to which we can all connect, whether we are fans of alcohol, of bartenders , or the Tarot. Creating and maintaining a connection to the personality of each of the cards of the Tarot is a great way to effectively make use of the deck, and Tarot & Tequila is a useful recipe to create this very connection.

Oh and once you buy the book (and you should), if you like the deck as much as I do, it becomes available for purchase on September 28 of this year. Mark your calendar; I have.

David Ross is a medical sales representative by day and a band player and Tarot card reader by night. He created a business called Tarot and Tequila, where he reads Tarot cards for people in restaurants and bars, or any place that serves tequila. He lives on the Jersey Shore with his wife and children.

Ryan Loughran, the first son of two great bartending parents, began bartending in New Brunswick, NJ. He and his wife are both bartenders, Ryan in Red Bank NJ, and his wife in Asbury Park NJ.

Lindsey Taylor has been bartending and designing cocktails for more than 20 years. She has appeared on Emeril Live and in various magazines as a tiki specialist, and is opening her own bar in Asbury Park, NJ.

Reviewed by Raushanna of PaganPages.Org
https://paganpages.org/emagazine/2021/07/01/book-review-tarot-tequila-by-david-ross/

When I first heard of this book, I had to have it — it’s a tarot-guided mixology book! It pairs the 40 Major Arcana cards with 40 unique cocktail recipes (plus a few bonus drinks). However, this was not what I expected. The tarot descriptions were fun, and the illustrations are beautiful, but the recipes are unrealistic. First, each recipe features ingredients that are not typically stocked in most bars (home bars or otherwise). Second, it is difficult and time-consuming to find many of these ingredients. Third, some of the syrups and infused liquors take time to make so you need to plan a few days in advance. For example, birch simple syrup, ginger agave syrup, hibiscus habanero syrup, fig infused bourbon, and espresso infused añejo tequila. Fourth, each recipe calls for very specific types and brands of bitters, liqueurs, and liquor. Fifth, and the least appealing part, most of these ingredients are only used for one drink, maybe two. These are only a few of the required ingredients: frothed garbanzo bean water, butterfly pea flower, lotus flower, xoconostle cactus, juiced red pepper water, calendula iced tea, lychee puree, activated charcoal, beet juice, prickly pear, black sea salt, and homemade finocchietto. This meant that it often took a week to plan for just one drink. If you are looking for a unique, special-occasion drink, this may be the perfect book to browse for your next cocktail. I am sure your guests will be impressed. Just make sure to make it ahead of time and in a large batch. But for the average bartender, who isn't hosting a tarot-themed cocktail party, the ingredients alone are a little much.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tiller Press for a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love the concept for this idea so much! Tarot has always intrigued me, so to add fun alcoholic drinks to the mix is a very cool idea. I'm personally not much of a drinker, but I love how so many drinks can be made with just a few ingredients and the drinks created in the book pair so wonderfully with the tarot cards and the meaning behind them. That's what I loved most about the book -- learning the meanings behind all of the cards and how it can affect your life when it's upright and also when the card is upside down. This would be a great coffee table book for friends to look through or to keep on your home bar cart.

Delightful premise, but misses execution

I really wanted to love Tarot & Tequila. The combination of tarot and drinks is interesting. Plus, the overall aesthetic of the book makes me imagine that I am telling fortunes in the corner of a saloon. The tarot illustrations are distinctive and creative, featuring plenty of cowboys and sugar skulls to fit the western theme.

Unfortunately, as much as I love the wild west vibes, I did not like it as a tarot guide or a recipe book. The card descriptions are humorous--I detect a lot of dry wit--but seem curated for a very specific reader. That is, the "tequila definitions" in Tarot & Tequila describe scenarios that best match the frat boys I saw every night during my university days. In addition, the recipes, while mostly creative, do not match the tarot meaning well. Admittedly, I have been spoiled by Witchcraft Cocktails and its amazing application of ingredient properties and associations.

Hit or miss recipes

Honestly, some recipes did not get a second glance from me. I didn't feel like acquiring xoconostle cactus or prickly pear. Can you blame me?

Tarot & Tequila's The Sun and The Empress disappointed me. Along with being weirdly similar recipes calling for mango nectar and sparkling wine, they just did not taste great. However, I did enjoy The Emperor. The Emperor is a strong drink that pairs rum and tequila with tangy hibiscus and orange juice with just the right amount of habanero. I think of it as a tequila sunrise with a kick. Also great, the Seven of Swords uses one of my favorite witchy ingredients: butterfly pea flower. Sadly, the flower, which represents healing/invincibility, does not fit with the card, which frequently depicts theft. Still, this alcoholic version of a butterfly pea lemonade tastes good and changes colors.

Who should get this book?

This makes a fun coffee table book and contains great ideas for a boozy, western themed party (if you're willing to consider some pricy/uncommon ingredients). The illustrations alone are worth a look. Although, if you're looking to learn more about either tarot or cocktails, this is not the right book.

This book has a lot of innovative and fun cocktail ideas! I really think it’s a fun idea to pair different drinks with different cards in the tarot deck. This book provides a short explanation for the meaning of each card with a fun little link to the meaning in terms of drinking. I wish there was a drink for every card though. I also noticed that there were many ingredients that seemed like that would be homemade but there were only recipes given for some of them.

I did not read Tarot & Tequila by David A Ross as an educator.

Tarot & Tequila by David A Ross will definitely win over a niche market. While that market is not me, I will absolutely purchase a copy for gifts for some friends. Ross included some interesting background of tarot & the the drink recipes sounded delicious!

I was VERY EXCITED about this book, since I love both tarot and tequila, and I love the idea of witchy cocktails! To my disappointment, however, this book was just not for me. While the author gave the impression of being somewhat worldly and traveled, I found the general vibe of the book to be rather juvenile and not very self aware. There were anecdotes and terms tossed around that felt insensitive and dismissive of others, which left me feeling uncomfortable. What I liked most about this book were the illustrations and descriptions of each tarot card, and I like that reversals were included. Each card also came with "tequila definitions" which I didn't really understand. Each one felt targeted for a person who regularly goes out drinking with friends in order to get wasted (like a stereotypical frat guy or something), which I thought was a rather narrow scope. Some of the cocktails sounded nice, although most of them were not easily accessible and required some ingredient that I either didn't recognize or wouldn't typically have on my bar cart. I found the cocktail recipes to be pretty unrelated to each card, as there didn't seem to be much reason behind the ingredient choices that related back to the cards. Where I really started getting skeptical was the cocktail recipe for Temperance -- a card all about moderation -- that was so long and had so many ingredients it didn't even fit on the page! WHAT?! All that to say... this book really fell flat for me. There are plenty of other witchy cocktail books out there that I'd rather have on my shelves.

One of the first things anyone realizes about me is that I am a huge tarot-nerd. I mean, it's hard not to when I have a literal tarot card tattooed on my arm. But over the past year, I have spent an extensive amount of time working with decks and even designing some of my own cards. When I saw that David Ross's book, Tarot and Tequila, was available for review, I jumped at the chance to take a peek.

Let me tell you, I was not disappointed. From the first two sentences of the description, "Embrace the magic of tarot and perfectly match the cards with mixed drinks in this beautifully illustrated bar book. 'Don’t take advice from tequila, that’s the tarot’s job.'" I was hooked. Not only is the artwork stunning, but the recipes themselves are masterfully crafted and expertly paired with the cards. For example, the Temperance card's (AKA the card associated with Sagittarius, my sun sign) drink is one featuring both silver tequila and a Coronarita (along with tomato juice, soy sauce, tabasco, and other yummy additions). Sounds amazing, right?

I know that I will be making my way through the drinks in this book and I cannot wait to see this published.



Overall rating: 4/5 stars.

I think that for the type of book this was, it was done really well, but it was a little difficult to just sit down and read, which I think is just the nature of the thing. The illustrations were really pretty and you could tell that a lot of thought and effort had been put into this book. It was a little repetitive at times just due to the structure, but that might've been my fault because this definitely isn't a book you're supposed to just sit down and read. Really cool concept and I'm looking forward to delving into more of the recipes in the future.

Tarot & Tequila is a very basic book that combines minimal information on tarot and mixed drinks. David Ross - the author - discusses his work as a tarot reader and then the book goes through a tarot deck with descriptions and drinks that are almost exclusively tequila plus one other flavor. Rather than fun options for drinks and interesting information about tarot, the book read like a school assignment. Unless someone has a very specific interest and no knowledge in these topics, would not recommend.

Tarot & Tequila by David A. Ross is a really cool book about two interests of mine. Would be a unique addition to a cocktail book connoisseur or a neat gift. I just reviewed Tarot & Tequila by David A Ross. #NetGalley

Tarot & Tequila is a positive and spiritually uplifting guide that includes both basic and humorous tequila-inspired meanings of all 78 tarot cards that both beginners and experienced tarot card readers will relate to.

Featuring 40 cocktail recipes—one for each Major Arcana card plus bonus Minor Arcana drinks, too—based on the attributes of the cards themselves, as well as a mystical pairing that explains why professional tarot card reader David Ross chose to pair each card to their respective drink, this magical mixology book can be used as both a guide and a recipe book.

Interesting and unusual, these are two items that I never thought would have any sort of intersect. Not all of the drinks contain tequila, but all of the cards have a tequila definition with them. I appreciated that he included reversed definitions since they are often overlooked. Many of the recipes would take much planning and even more time and money. Some named spirits are harder to find than others and all the simple syrups...preparing for a drinks party would leave little room for food in the refrigerator.

This is a pretty book and fun to read, but more for a novelty/theme party than for any night cocktails.

3.5

Tequila cocktails based on the Major Arcana? I mean... what's not to love? Looking so forward to snagging a hard copy for my home bar!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tiller Press for advance access to this title!

Cool book if wanting to bring in drinks into your practice. Many of the cards have a drink relating to it, all of them have a meaning (upright and reversed), with a drink relating meaning.

I'm game for anything that involves tarot and/or tequila! This book was a lot of fun! The tarot was well thought out and explained, easy to understand, even after a few shots of tequila ;). The drinks were terrific as well, I'm definitely getting a physical copy!

I am not someone who drinks all the time but this really called to me!

I love that each card is paired with a drink recipe. It makes me want to try the drink as I study that card. The meanings behind the cards are great but I think this is more a beginner's tarot book than an advanced one.

However, what a fun way to begin learning more about the cards!! I could see this as a weekly coven meeting

Adorable and fun tarot book. Covers the basic interpretations as well as the "Tequila" versions, which are more fun and flippant interpretations. Each card also has a companion drink recipe. All the drinks sound good and the artwork is awesome. I don't know if a companion deck of cards is being made but I hope it is. I'd love to own a physical copy of the book and a matching deck. Would make an awesome gift for a casual tarot fan or a more serious collector.

Tarot & Tequila is a gorgeous and engaging cocktail and tarot book that I wanted to devour in one sitting. I will start by saying that I know mostly nothing about Tarot, and this book was great. The author provides details to help you understand each card and the symbology behind it, plus the illustrations are gorgeous. The cards and drinks are really well connected and the author offers up interesting suggestions for the theme of each drink. Overall I truly enjoyed this book.

4/5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Tiller Press for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I saw Tarot and Tequila up for request and just knew it was something I needed to read! The author does such a great job of combining the two in a way that is fun and interesting. Tarot would be an excellent addition to a countertop cookbook/mixology collection, as the design is incredibly nice to look at. This is definitely one book that would benefit from the physical book being owned as opposed to an ebook because of the design and everything. All in all, I would definitely recommend this mixology book to those interested.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Tiller Press for an eARC copy in return for an honest review!

There are several criticisms I can think of for Tarot & Tequila, but ultimately, you know what you're in for with this mixology book -- and then some. You get really fun descriptions of the different cards and their meanings (both reversed, and as applicable to tequila's influence in your life) -- which I will definitely be referring back to on a regular basis. I'm new to tarot, but I love the simplicity of choosing a card each day and trying to work through the meanings, using this as a guide.

I like the transition to the tequila recipes, with a solid introduction of the circumstances in which you would want to make each one -- from having a bad day at work, to preparing to meet up with someone new, to channeling a completely different energy. However, unless you are already an at-home bartender, you're not going to be able to make any of these recipes without some serious purchases -- of specific types of liquors (mostly tequila of course), and ingredients that I would definitely have to google before I even knew what to look for. I guess I'll just be sticking to a basic Paloma for these cards across the board -- sorry David A. Ross!

The illustrations throughout this book are wonderful -- and really make the whole book come together. It makes up for the introduction to the book, which I think tried to add some personal connection to the work but mostly seemed like a business statement instead. I think this will make a great gift for the people in your life that want to dig deeper into their cards and experiment with some drinks.

Thank you to NetGalley and the published for an early review copy, all opinions are my own.