I always enjoy checking out recipe books with themes, which is why I accepted an offer to review The I Love Trader Joe’s Cocktail Book: 52 Drink Recipes for Every Occasion Using Ingredients from the World’s Greatest Grocery Store ($18.95, Ulysses Press).
Author Greg McBoat is self-described as “obsessive” about Trader Joe’s, often spending hours there. He has collaborated on other cookbooks, including 50 Things to Bake Before You Die.
The book is divided into spring, summer, autumn and winter cocktails and covers everything from punches to mocktails to dessert cocktails and more. I appreciated the minimal prose and beautiful photos that accompany every recipe.
Regarding those recipes, they range from simple to complex. As an example of the latter, the Mexican Chocolate Martini (p. 111) requires Trader Joe’s Organic Midnight Moo chocolate syrup, creme de cacao, Trader Joe’s TX vodka, Trader Joe’s Shade Grown ground espresso blend, heavy cream, salt, Trader Joe’s Bourbon Vanilla bean paste and Trader Joe’s Pound Plus 72% cacao dark chocolate bar.
The first drink I made was the Algonquin (p. 50), which was comprised of rye, dry vermouth and Trader Joe’s cold pressed pineapple juice. I thought it was refreshing and brought a bit of paradise.
Same with the Tropical Mimosa (p. 36), which uses Trader Joe’s Platinum Reserve Brut sparkling wine, Trader Joe’s orange peach mango juice and a Trader Joe’s sweetened green mango for garnish. This version was even more enjoyable than a standard mimosa.
I know it wasn’t entirely unique, but I also liked the Candied Orange Manhattan (p. 85), which combines Trader Joe’s Kentucky bourbon straight whiskey, sweet vermouth, Trader Joe’s classic bitters and a Trader Joe’s sweetened dried orange slice. If you like Manhattans like I do, this one is good, but the benefit was the edible orange slice that gave you a little extra treat after your cocktail.
I want to note that finding every ingredient can be time-consuming. I had planned on making the Tootsie Roll Shot (p. 115), but my local store was out of Trader Joe’s cold pressed orange juice.
You can purchase The I Love Trader Joe’s Cocktail Book online.
Photo courtesy of Ulysses Press
Tags: cocktails
