Hugh Johnson's Wine Book
It’s coming up to that time of year when normal sensible drinks seem to go out the window, and everyone thinks it’s a good idea to break out the Cherry B and the advocaat. Or that may just be in our house. Anyway, in a break from the rounds of cookery books, this week I’m taking a look at the the most wished for books in drinks and beverages, that would help educate about drinking, rather than necessarily your palate!
1. Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book 2010 – from an immensely popular and knowledgeable writer, this is the latest version, as concise and wide ranging as usual. If you travel a lot, this is a great book to carry around with you on your trips, to make sure you get the most from your visits wine shops overseas.
2. Good Beer Guide 2010 – of course, it’s not all about wine, and this is another popular guide each year. This really is the definitive guide to get a pint of real ale, if that’s your thing, from town to countryside. This also goes beyond just pubs though to give you a full rundown of the breweries producing real ale in the UK, from micro through to national breweries, so giving sources for some home drinking options too.
3. The Classic 1000 Cocktails - this should add some interesting twists to your Christmas drink options! This covers everything from long and short drinks, champagne based cocktails, and even hot cocktails, and gives the lowdown on equipment as well as key ingredients to have on standby for an impromptu cocktail party. I have no idea what a Barnaby’s Buffalo Blizzard is, but it sounds like one of those that would be rather difficult to say after one too many!
4. The World Atlas of Wine - this is a great book for those wanting to learn more about wine, from two giants of the wine world, Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson. This has been updated recently, and reflects the rapid growth of vineyards and producers in some parts of the world. This is a great book for the real enthusiast, and those planning trips to great wine producing parts of the world.
5. Brew Your Own British Real Ale - when I wrote about food trends at the start of the year, home made was definitely one of the big ones, and home brew within that. This is a classic guide that has been rewritten and updated, and has plenty of recipes for everything from old favourites no longer brewed commercially through to contemporary offerings. It could be the start of a lot of strange burping noises around the home, and that’s just in the brewing stage!
All of these should expand the drinker’s knowledge and possibly their repertoire for future drinking opportunities. Now, pass the advocaat please!
