Eating And Drinking Our Way Through The Industry – One (or more) Books At A Time

Starting with our premiere issue of Inside F&B we’ve got a little gift for you. Lucky for you it’s the kind of gift that keeps giving – our Brain Food column. Here you’ll find an insider’s first look at the f&b related books hitting the market (and some we’re finally getting to). We’re sure you’ll want them on your bookshelves, kitchen counters and back bar too so you can refer to them over and over again.

Lush Life
Portraits From the Bar
by Jill DeGroff

Lush Life Portraits From The Bar should come with a warning. No, not one of those TTB mandated warnings about the effects of alcohol on pregnant women, nor the sensible warning to drink responsibly (which actually is found in the book’s forward), but a warning that you’d better have plenty of time to dedicate to this book because once you pick it up you’re not going to want to put it down until you’ve absorbed every last word from cover to cover.

With her spot on caricatures DeGroff aptly captures the characters that inhabit today’s most popular cocktail dens, devise mouthwatering cocktail menus for fortunate guests around the globe, peddle the hooch, are legends in the industry or entertain all who enter through the nearest saloon’s doors. Accompanying these spot on (and often amusing) images are timeless recipes and the back stories of her subjects, told in the first person.

DeGroff’s inspiration for this book (which she promises is simply the first in a series)? In her own words as found on P. 70, “McSorley’s is New York’s oldest continually operated saloon. One day Dale and I were in there having a drink and we struck up a conversation with Mr. Maher, the proprietor of McSorley’s since 1969. He shared this story of how he met the previous owner, Daniel Kirwan and got into the business. After hearing Matthew’s story, I was inspired to begin collecting stories from every person I drew. That was on New Year’s Day, 2006. His was the first story I wrote down. I’ve not heard a better one since.” To purchase Lush Life go to:
http://www.kingcocktail.com/LushLifeBook.htm: