As a fan of sci-fi and cocktails, it was a no-brainer for me to accept an invitation to review Drink Like a Geek: Cocktails, Brews, and Spirits for the Nerd in All of Us (Mango Publishing, $19.95). It’s an entertaining cross between a sci-fi companion book and a recipe book.
Author Jeff Cioletti recaps the drinks/drinking scenes in various movies (e.g. “Star Wars”), TV shows (e.g. “Game of Thrones”) and video games (e.g. “Grand Theft Auto”). In fact, he does a good job proving his encyclopedic sci-fi/pop culture knowledge (except, as he mentions, for “Star Trek”) without going over the top. One interesting anecdote was about Tony Stark’s alcoholism featured in “The Invincible Iron Man” series called “Demon in a Bottle.”
I was a little worried this book would only feature IPAs or fairly simple cocktails. Instead, at the end of each chapter, Cioletti provides complex and/or upscale, themed drink recipes that he’s curated, some from places as famous as Le Fountainbleau in Miami.
In fact, the average person may have a fun challenge, based on the ingredients, making these cocktails in their home bar. Take the Black Widow (from “The Avengers,” p. 77). It calls for Fernet Branca (an Italian bitters) and activated charcoal powder. Meanwhile, the Firewhisky Old Fashioned (p. 111) includes hot pepper bitters and chili pepper simple syrup.
Still, the book would make a nice addition to your cocktail recipe book collection regardless if you’re a fan of “The Lord of the Rings” or “Doctor Who.” One of the drinks I ended up making the Hulk Smash (p. 79). The only ingredient I had to buy was the Midori, and I found this green, citrusy drink quite refreshing.
Cioletti is the former editor-in-chief of Beverage World magazine and the author of “The Year of Drinking Adventurously.” He also wrote, produced and directed the feature film, “Beerituality.”
Tags: cocktails
