Biblio Bacchanal: New York City in a Cocktail

Saturday, 5:00 pm EDT - 7:00 pm EDT December 14, 2024

The Center for Fiction

Join us for a special evening at The Center for Fiction as we discuss—and drink!—history, with a selection of four cocktails curated by Amanda Schuster, author of Signature Cocktails and New York Cocktails. Schuster will be joined in conversation by Clay Risen, New York Times reporter, whiskey expert, and author of American Rye.

A signature cocktail isn’t just a drink; it’s an expression of the time, person, or place for which it was created. Signature Cocktails intertwines rich history, engaging anecdotes, detailed backstories, and enticing photos to create a comprehensive collection of 200 cocktail recipes. Beautifully crafted and useful for even the most seasoned mixologist, Schuster’s book provides insight into almost 600 years of cocktail history. Schuster will sign books after the event.

In Conversation

Amanda Schuster

Amanda Schuster

Amanda Schuster is a Brooklyn based writer who is the author of three books about cocktails and bar culture: Signature Cocktails (Phaidon, 2023), Drink Like a Local New York (Cider Mill Press 2022), and New York Cocktails (CMP 2017). Her work has appeared in numerous publications including Food & Wine, Atlas Obscura, Saveur, Liquor.com, InsideHook, Bloomberg, SevenFifty, and Imbibe. For eight years she was the Editor in Chief of online publication Alcohol Professor. She writes about many other subjects besides drink, but that said, she thinks the worst thing to happen to whiskey since Prohibition is the Pickleback.

Photo Credit: Gabi Porter
Clay Risen

Clay Risen

Clay Risen is a reporter at the New York Times and a leading expert on American whiskey. Along with writing for the Times and other outlets, he is the author of four books on whiskey, including American Rye: A Guide to the Nation’s Original Spirit and American Whiskey, Bourbon and Rye: A Guide to the Nation’s Favorite Spirit, which has sold more than 125,000 copies across two editions. His reporting on the historical links between Jack Daniel and Nathan “Nearest” Green inspired Fawn Weaver to found her company, Uncle Nearest.

Photo Credit: Kate Milford

Featured Book

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Signature Cocktails

By Amanda Schuster

Published by Phaidon Press

PURCHASE

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, veteran drinks writer Amanda Schuster, curates a collection of some 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 establishment and the talented mixologists behind them. Each unique drink in this collection is accompanied by the name of the creator, place and date of invention, alongside a specially commissioned image, easy-to-follow recipe, and a fascinating insight into its unique story.

Covering almost 600 years of cocktail history, this elegant and uniquely focused collection of 200 drinks will appeal to a wide range of readers – from lovers of cocktails to everyone who enjoys entertaining, food, and culture, to mixologists, bartenders, and industry professionals.