Click on the links below for detailed information about each book:
- The Backyard Bartender: 55 Cool Summer Cocktails (2007)
- Cooking for Company: All the Recipes You Need for Simple, Elegant Entertaining at Home (2003)
- Secrets From A Caterer's Kitchen: The Indispensable Guide for Planning a Party (2000)
This is the season when laziness and indulgence become a virtue. What better way to celebrate the easy life than with a fizzy libation?
The Backyard Bartender
“If you were to ask me if I'd ever had the bad luck to miss my daily cocktail, I'd have to say that I doubt it. Where certain things are concerned, I plan ahead.”
— Luis Buñuel
SPLASH! SIGH! BUZZZZ! Summer has finally bloomed and the soft, warm air is begging us to slow down, smell the honeysuckle and perhaps sip something that connects us with the light hearted side of life. But what? The cocktails that seemed just right when we were shivering by the fire are less than appealing now. Summer drinks must serve a different purpose entirely—they need to be refreshing, bright, and light as sea foam.
I had all of those yearnings in mind as this book took shape. My vision for Backyard Bartender is that of a fresh little collection of concoctions to inspire you to pour summer easy into your glass. These cocktails have all been vigorously tested and enjoyed (it's a dirty job, but someone had to do it). I think you'll love them, too. But please regard them as inspiration for your inner mixologist—and not gospel.
And if you're one of those people who claim to categorically dislike gin, you may want to sample some of the delicate, soft new products available (details in the book). It has definitely become a favorite in my summer bar because of the beautiful way it binds itself to fresh herbs and fruits.
There are a couple of things to know about summer cocktails (any cocktails, really).
- They should be crisply cold. Whenever possible chill the glass, chill the alcohol and shake or stir the liquids vigorously on ice before serving. Cold is critical to making alcohol its best!
- Having watched Tom Cruise in Cocktail, you may think that measuring the ingredients for a cocktail is for wimps. Not so! The very best mixologists know you must carefully measure each component to create great cocktails. To enjoy that 3 1/2 or 4 ounces of nirvana, small quantities of each ingredient must be perfectly balanced. Exceptions might be simple combos like rum and coke or gin and tonic, but even here it's best to measure so as not to dump in too much alcohol under the mask of those strong mixers.
- Cocktails should be easy on the eyes. Often drinks have become popular or famous as much for their appearance as their flavor. So, serve your cocktail in a dewy, pristine glass with a garnish that tells the story of what's in the recipe. Express your creativity by adding a flavored rim to the glass or a garnish that adds another dimension to the flavors in the drink. And, for the giddy time that is summer, I don't know that a tiny plastic elephant or turquoise wiggly worms are out of line as playful adornments.
- A cocktail should be compact. They were originally designed to be sipped not gulped. Bah! to super-sized cocktails that get you blotto before dinner.
- The Classic Measure: A cocktail should contain no more than 2 1/2 ounces of alcohol and no more than 5 (maybe 6) ingredients. The drink shouldn't have more than about 9 ounces of liquid altogether.
So, tip the umbrella to keep the sun out of your eyes, put your feet up, and browse through these pages for scores of ideas about what to stir up this season.
I'd like to send you off with my favorite toast. It's from Mexico, a land of eternal summer:
Salud, amor y pesetas—y tiempo para gustarlos.
(Health, love and money—and time to enjoy them.)
I made it my goal, as I created these delicious recipes, to anticipate every challenge you might encounter from stovetop to tabletop.
Cooking for Company
Everyone is looking for ways to make their lives simpler—and definitely when they want to entertain. That's why entertaining guru Nicole Aloni has written COOKING FOR COMPANY the follow up to her first hit, Secrets From A Caterer's Kitchen. This book contains all the recipes and tips an anxious host will need to entertain with ease and confidence. Nicole has based her book on a manageable repertoire of 55 essential recipes—carefully selected to provide answers to every entertaining occasion.
The recipes include entrées like Arugula Pesto Roast Lamb and Pork Tenderloin with Fig Sauce; a section of elegant 20-minute pasta recipes, such as Asian Sesame Noodle Salad and Pancetta, Radicchio, and Walnut Fettuccine and desserts such as Risotto Dolce with Cardamom and Coffee Crème Brûlée. To expand the usefulness of the recipes, each includes exciting variations based on simple ingredient substitutions.
Nicole makes sure these essential recipes are simple to prepare—she uses only ingredients that can be found at any good supermarket. Plus, central to Nicole's practical approach to entertaining—ALL of these dishes can be prepared hours, days, or weeks in advance!
Utilizing these key recipes, Nicole has created 38 versatile menus—from budget to splurge, casual to elegant. She also includes savvy entertaining tips, such as expert wine selections, advice on creating beautiful tables, instructions for creative cocktails like Mojitos and fresh Ginger Margaritas, and more. The comprehensive charts detailing how to roast, grill, or steam, meat, fish, poultry, and vegetables are unique to COOKING FOR COMPANY and will provide invaluable guidance for countless dishes.
COOKING FOR COMPANY takes the guesswork out of how to entertain perfectly, in any situation!
I learned “less is more” when cooking for a crowd, and that practical equals successful.
Secrets From A Caterer's Kitchen
After a celebrated career catering for the Academy Awards, Queen Elizabeth II and Julia Child, author Nicole Aloni has mastered the tricks-of-the-trade. Now she shares them with readers everywhere in Secrets from a Caterer's Kitchen: The Indispensable Guide for Planning a Party. In her book, Nicole Offers mere mortals insider tips on how to produce an elegant event without the expense of a caterer.
Learn how to:
- plan sumptuous menus for large gatherings or intimate affairs
- calculate food and liquor quantities
- decorate for theme festivities
- stock your "Party Pantry" for quick and easy entertaining
- entertain outdoors
- write innovative, exciting invitations
- estimate what a party really costs
- hire party help like florists, rental companies and valets
Plus more than 150 party proven recipes!
