Book Review: Gone with the Gin

This blog is about books and movies with a good sense of place, but you’ll notice that I also love a good book about food and/or drink (see my list of Ten Travel Books and Movies about Alcohol or the list of Ten Books about Wine from Around the World).

I also love book clubs and movie clubs and love posting ideas to help (see all of our book club/movie club discussion guides).

So, when a book like Gone with the Gin: Cocktails with a Hollywood Twist comes along, I know I want it for my shelves because it’s about movies and cocktails and I know it will have great ideas for movie nights.

Sorted by movie genre (Dramas, Comedies, Thrillers, Musicals, Sci-Fi and Fantasy), the book offers more than 50 fun cocktail recipes to pair with a specific movie. The pairing is usually based on a twist of the movie’s title (Harry Potter and the Gimlet of Fire, Blade Rummer, etc.), but there is often some thought given to the recipe, too (The Muppets Take Manhattan is a traditional manhattan recipe made with apple brandy as a nod to the Big Apple).

The book also includes recipes for some movie munchies (I am dying to try the savory Indian-flavored Life of Pie recipe while watching one of my favorites, Life of Pi) and other helpful bartending basics like glassware descriptions, techniques for making drinks and garnishing, and suggested equipment for setting up a bar.

It’s a great gift idea, perfect for movie buffs, and a fun companion piece to the author’s other cocktail recipe books (check out our review for Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails with a Literary Twist).