Here are 7 books that Dusty Booze fans have personally recommended if you like Dusty Booze. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Signature Cocktails

Frank Caiafa Author Of The Waldorf Astoria Bar Book

From Frank's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Curious Taster Historian Educator Barman

Frank's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Frank Caiafa Why Frank loves this book

A cocktail book containing very approachable recipes and an imbibing guide through time travelling that offers a new set of classics. Amanda Schuster also squares a unique perspective as you flip through the pages of this beautiful catalogue of drinks, adding just the right amount of historical backdrop and data that fill in the holes of the origin of a cocktail without getting too far out for the civilian enthusiast.
Listed chronologically, beginning in the year 1475 (!) to the present, “Signature Cocktails” will present a new appreciation for what goes into the birth of a classic cocktail and what makes it classic to begin with. Open the book up anywhere for a concise description, easy to follow recipes and some good, old folklore debunking (which helps keep it on the light side). The photography gives you something to aim for though I wouldn’t get intimidated, it’s the flavor that…

By Amanda Schuster ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Signature Cocktails as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Food & Wine's Best Cookbooks of Fall 2023

A collection of 200 iconic drinks from around the globe, each of which has changed the culture of the cocktail

A signature cocktail is a bespoke drink that expresses the nature of the time, person, or place for which it was created. In this book, the author curates a collection of the most celebrated cocktails - from well-known classics such as the Bellini, to the up-to-the-minute Twin Cities from New York's ultra-hip Dead Rabbit bar. Signature cocktails have become an increasingly popular way to define the style and character of a celebrated…


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Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor by FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.

The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…

Book cover of Slow Drinks

Frank Caiafa Author Of The Waldorf Astoria Bar Book

From Frank's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Curious Taster Historian Educator Barman

Frank's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Frank Caiafa Why Frank loves this book

Much more than a cocktail recipe book, “Slow Drinks” helps open the natural world up for the reader, lending real, hands-on expertise to the art of foraging, preserving and seasonal drinking and eating. Danny Childs’ knowledgeable voice is one of calm mentorship as he guides you through long-held traditions and new techniques for all sorts of modern uses. I learned more about berries than I ever thought I needed to know but am now grateful for the education. From jams and shrubs to Amari and bitters, “Slow Foods” is a must have for both home and professional drink makers (with and without alcohol) and cooks that will be a staple in your bar and kitchen for years to come.

By Danny Childs ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Slow Drinks as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

WINNER OF THE 2024 JAMES BEARD AWARD FOR BEST BEVERAGE WITH RECIPES BOOK
WINNER OF THE 2024 GUILD OF FOOD WRITERS AWARD FOR DRINKS BOOK
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2023 ANDRE SIMON AWARD

Slow Drinks teaches home cooks, industry pros, homebrewers, and foragers how to transform botanical ingredients - whether foraged or purchased from the store - into incredibly unique beverages and cocktails.

Organised by season, Slow Drinks demonstrates how to make drinks that tell a story of botany, history, culture, and terroir, while honouring beverage traditions both old and new. Each season will highlight eight new ingredients with recipes that…


Book cover of By the Smoke and the Smell: My Search for the Rare and Sublime on the Spirits Trail

Aaron Goldfarb Author Of Dusty Booze: In Search of Vintage Spirits

From my list on books on booze from a booze expert.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a journalist for over a decade, most frequently writing on the subjects of spirits, cocktails, and drinking culture for such publications as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Esquire, Playboy, and VinePair. I have written 12 books—6 of them on booze—my latest of which is Dusty Booze: In Search of Vintage Spirits.

Aaron's book list on books on booze from a booze expert

Aaron Goldfarb Why Aaron loves this book

I had always believed that a great booze book didn’t need to just be pages of pretty pictures and cocktail recipes—I knew there were booze stories that could make for compelling, novel-like narratives as well. Thad Vogler’s 2017 work was the first to actually prove my theories correct, however.

His journey to both visit the sources—Cuba! Oaxaca! Cognac!—and meet the producers of such vaunted spirits as rum, mezcal, and cognac, all while philosophizing about what artisan spirits production actually means, resonated with me like no other booze before.

Vogler’s humor and bawdy tone also showed me a drinks-related book need not be a dry read—booze is fun, after all!

By Thad Vogler ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked By the Smoke and the Smell as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Spirits expert Thad Vogler, owner of the James Beard Award–winning Bar Agricole, takes readers around the world, celebrating the vivid characters who produce hand-made spirits like rum, scotch, cognac, and mezcal.  From the mountains of Mexico and the forbidden distilleries of Havana, to the wilds of Scotland and the pastoral corners of France and beyond, this adventure will change how you think about your drink.

Thad Vogler is one of the most important people in the beverage industry today. He’s a man on a mission to bring “grower spirits”—spirits with provenance, made in the traditional way by individuals rather than…


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Book cover of Trusting Her Duke

Trusting Her Duke by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke with rigid opinions, a Lady whose beliefs conflict with his, a long disputed parcel of land, a conniving neighbour, a desperate collaboration, a failure of trust, a love found despite it all.

Alexander Cavendish, Duke of Ravensworth, returned from war to find that his father and brother had…

Book cover of The Billionaire's Vinegar: The Mystery of the World's Most Expensive Bottle of Wine

Steven Laine Author Of Root Cause

From my list on on wine history.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have visited all the major wine regions since I developed my passion for wine as a Sommelier and Beverage Director in luxury hotels in London and around the world. To learn more about wine, I studied to become a French, Italian, and Spanish Wine Scholar, joined the Champagne Academy in France, and recently completed a two-year Diploma in Wine at the WSET School in London. I’ve also worked two harvests as a winemaker at Mission Hill Winery in British Columbia in 2020 and Trius Winery in Niagara, Ontario in 2021. My novels are inspired by my studies, work experience, and travels through the world’s best wine regions.

Steven's book list on on wine history

Steven Laine Why Steven loves this book

I loved this book and couldn’t recommend it highly enough. It reads like a modern-day thriller, made all the better as it's based on true-events. It’s a well-told story involving Thomas Jefferson, Chateau Lafite Wine, Christie's Auction House, Masters of Wine, and Billionaires that had me turning the pages as fast as possible. I loved all the historical details and the well-researched nature of this gripping tale.

What I enjoyed most about the book was its exploration of the perceived value we place on wine and how we reconcile that perceived value with how far we would go to obtain such items at any cost. As this recounting demonstrates, there are at least two sides to every story and sometimes many more. I hope to read more by this author and hope he explores other famous stories of theft, fraud, and betrayal in the world of wine.

By Benjamin Wallace ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Billionaire's Vinegar as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The rivetingly strange story of the world's most expensive bottle of wine, and the even stranger characters whose lives have intersected with it.

The New York Times bestseller, updated with a new epilogue, that tells the true story of a 1787 Château Lafite Bordeaux—supposedly owned by Thomas Jefferson—that sold for $156,000 at auction and of the eccentrics whose lives intersected with it.

Was it truly entombed in a Paris cellar for two hundred years? Or did it come from a secret Nazi bunker? Or from the moldy basement of a devilishly brilliant con artist? As Benjamin Wallace unravels the mystery,…


Book cover of A Proper Drink: The Untold Story of How a Band of Bartenders Saved the Civilized Drinking World

Aaron Goldfarb Author Of Dusty Booze: In Search of Vintage Spirits

From my list on books on booze from a booze expert.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a journalist for over a decade, most frequently writing on the subjects of spirits, cocktails, and drinking culture for such publications as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Esquire, Playboy, and VinePair. I have written 12 books—6 of them on booze—my latest of which is Dusty Booze: In Search of Vintage Spirits.

Aaron's book list on books on booze from a booze expert

Aaron Goldfarb Why Aaron loves this book

So often, booze history has not been carefully written down, and Simonson wanted to ensure that would not be the case when it came to the cocktail renaissance that kicked off in the early 21st century.

Chapter by chapter, he introduces us to the players—bartenders, bar owners, producers, and reps—along with the bars that reinvigorated a nearly-dead American tradition of Martinis, Manhattans, Margaritas, and many more drinks that are now, thanks to them, ubiquitous everywhere on the globe.

By Robert Simonson ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Proper Drink as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A narrative history of the craft cocktail renaissance, written by a New York Times cocktail writer and one of the foremost experts on the subject.

A Proper Drink is the first-ever book to tell the full, unflinching story of the contemporary craft cocktail revival. Award-winning writer Robert Simonson interviewed more than 200 key players from around the world, and the result is a rollicking (if slightly tipsy) story of the characters—bars, bartenders, patrons, and visionaries—who in the last 25 years have changed the course of modern drink-making. The book also features a curated list of about 40 cocktails—25 modern classics,…


Book cover of How the Gringos Stole Tequila: The Modern Age of Mexico's Most Traditional Spirit

Aaron Goldfarb Author Of Dusty Booze: In Search of Vintage Spirits

From my list on books on booze from a booze expert.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a journalist for over a decade, most frequently writing on the subjects of spirits, cocktails, and drinking culture for such publications as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Esquire, Playboy, and VinePair. I have written 12 books—6 of them on booze—my latest of which is Dusty Booze: In Search of Vintage Spirits.

Aaron's book list on books on booze from a booze expert

Aaron Goldfarb Why Aaron loves this book

Booze books can too often be overly positive, cheerleading for the industry at large; it’s rare you see one so incisive and damning.

Once nothing more than a headache-inducing frat house shooter, today tequila (and mezcal) has become the trendy spirit of those in the know…or those who want to seem like they are. But as Martineau details, the rapid expansion of this agricultural spirit into all bars, retailers, and marketplaces—much of it driven by, yes, gringos, some of them bold-faced names—has inherently ruined this beautiful spirit in many ways that may never be recovered.

By Chantal Martineau ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked How the Gringos Stole Tequila as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Once little more than party fuel, tequila has graduated to the status of fine sipping spirit. How the Gringos Stole Tequila traces the spirit's evolution in America from frat-house firewater to luxury good. But there's more to the story than tequila as upmarket drinking trend. Chantal Martineau spent several years immersing herself in the world of tequila--traveling to visit distillers and agave farmers in Mexico, meeting and tasting with leading experts and mixologists around the United States, and interviewing academics on either side of the border who have studied the spirit.

The result is a book that offers readers a…


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Book cover of The Duke's Christmas Redemption

The Duke's Christmas Redemption by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke who has rejected love, a Lady who dreams of a love match, an arranged marriage, a house full of secrets, a most unneighborly neighbor, a plot to destroy reputations, an unexpected love that redeems it all.

Lady Charlotte Wyndham, given in an arranged marriage to a man she…

Book cover of Pappyland: A Story of Family, Fine Bourbon, and the Things That Last

Aaron Goldfarb Author Of Dusty Booze: In Search of Vintage Spirits

From my list on books on booze from a booze expert.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a journalist for over a decade, most frequently writing on the subjects of spirits, cocktails, and drinking culture for such publications as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Esquire, Playboy, and VinePair. I have written 12 books—6 of them on booze—my latest of which is Dusty Booze: In Search of Vintage Spirits.

Aaron's book list on books on booze from a booze expert

Aaron Goldfarb Why Aaron loves this book

Booze books need not only to be filed all the way in the back of the bookstore in the “Food/Drink” section; the best deserve to be mainstream—and bestseller Pappyland proved that.

This is a dual memoir in some ways, following the rise, fall, and incredible rise again of the Van Winkle family and their grandfather Pappy’s vaunted and eponymous spirit, along with the story of Thompson reckoning with his own family lore and fatherhood. 

By Wright Thompson ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Pappyland as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The New York Times bestseller!

“A warm and loving reflection that, like good bourbon, will stand the test of time.” —Eric Asimov, The New York Times

The story of how Julian Van Winkle III, the caretaker of the most coveted cult Kentucky Bourbon whiskey in the world, fought to protect his family's heritage and preserve the taste of his forebears, in a world where authenticity, like his product, is in very short supply.

Following his father’s death decades ago, Julian Van Winkle stepped in to try to save the bourbon business his grandfather had founded on the mission statement: “We…


Book cover of Signature Cocktails
Book cover of Slow Drinks
Book cover of By the Smoke and the Smell: My Search for the Rare and Sublime on the Spirits Trail

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