Growing up in England, I was obsessed with Virginia Woolf—her luminous prose, her melancholy brilliance—and the glamorous image of the Bloomsbury set, a famous group of London intellectuals and writers in the early 1900s. After moving to the United States at the age of thirty, I was delighted to discover the Bloomsbury set had an American counterpart: the Algonquin Round Table in New York City, an equally famous group of intellectuals and writers, led by the acerbic and amusing Dorothy Parker. The elegance of these writers and their Bohemian lifestyle, mixing and mingling over literature and libations! The parties! The cocktails! The witty repartee! It all added up to the most glamorous life I could imagine.
How glorious, then, to witness a renaissance in the popularity of cocktails in our society today. Cocktails, conversation, and culture have always gone well together, and now, with this book, you can marry these delectable concoctions with delightful prose and compelling stories from fifty contemporary and classic authors. Each entry pairs an author with a cocktail recipe that’s inspired by either one of their works or a popular drink from their era, as well as an excerpt, a bio, and an additional book recommendation. It’s a fabulous, chic pairing that makes perfect sense.
Imagine this book is a box of chocolates—dip in and choose the most enticing author and cocktail, or start at the beginning and work your way through to the end. Have a party! Regale your book club! Cheers!