Spirited: How to Create Easy, Fun Drinks at Home (Signe Johansen)

A flavor-focused drinks recipe book with a feminist slant, Spirited opens up the "boys' club" world of serious cocktails and features drinks both alcoholic and booze-free. Spirited brings together 50 well-crafted cocktail recipes, all fueled by a cook's palate and a love of creative ingredients. Signe Johansen's recipes play with a wide range of flavors such as fresh, floral, herbal, and spicy notes and encourage you to think like a cook, not a bartender. With chapters on drambling (the joy of winter walks and whisky), creative and delicious drinks to serve at gatherings, warming nightcaps, and non-alcoholic "soothies" to calm an ailing spirit, there is a tipple here for every occasion.

There is also a collection of recipes called Cupboard Cocktails—made from staple ingredients you may already have in your kitchen—and more ambitious weekend projects for gifts or special occasions. Spirited is a refreshing departure from earnest mixologists writing about the "'art of the cocktail"—books often written by men, for men. Instead, Signe opens the field for everyone and celebrates the convivial and social experience of healthy hedonism and raising a glass together. This is a warm and inclusive companion to the subject, packed with trade secrets, delicious recipes, and fascinating insight into the world of drinks.