Unvarnished

April 15, 2020
The life of high-end bartending gets a thorough examination in this vivid memoir of setting up and running a Los Angeles establishment. Like many graduates of performing arts schools, Alperin had to get side jobs in New York to support his dream of becoming an actor. The more he worked, the more he realized that bartending, which has its own dramatic side, was his true calling. In this brash and insightful book co-written with screenwriter and journalist Stoll, Alperin traces his move to LA, where, with "barfly entrepreneur" Cedd Morris and the colorful "microdoser" Sasha Petraske ("central casting's wet dream of the nutty professor"), he opened The Varnish, a small bar dedicated to precise renderings of classic cocktails, the "kind of place someone would want to tell their friends about but also keep to themselves." This isn't the usual breezy or dutiful as-told-to memoir but rather a deep and meticulous dive into Alperin's personality and experiences. Consequently, sometimes the narrative is spectacularly and absorbingly dorky: If you haven't thought about the process of making ice or about those cubes or chunks we unthinkingly drop into our glasses, you will now. Just as often, the text zooms in on the minutiae of a night in the life of the bartender: "Bostick dry-shakes a Ramos gin fizz with short, hard strokes while I stir up a manhattan in a mixing glass, like spinning a spool of liquid silk, the rye's dark legs spiraling down the glass, lightening in color as it dilutes." Alperin doesn't hold back on the details of his personal life, revealing plenty about drugs and anonymous sex. The book also includes a substantial midsection with instructions on how to make enough familiar and exotic drinks to keep the home drinker occupied for a lifetime. Even teetotalers will relish the insights into this arcane world.

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June 1, 2020

What's it like to open a craft cocktail bar with one of the great originators of modern drinks service, Sasha Petraske, of Milk & Honey fame? Alperin has that opportunity when he partners with Petraske to open The Varnish in Los Angeles. This readable memoir follows this entrepreneurial endeavor as well as how Alperin came to bartending, while also describing the challenges and joys of working behind the bar. Alperin is not self-pitying, but aspiring bar owners will likely be daunted by the amount of work and forethought that goes into a successful hospitality venture. The book includes the 100-plus recipes that all staff at The Varnish are expected to know; home mixologists will glean several tips. Still, this volume is less about the mechanics of mixing drinks than about making an environment conducive for cocktails and socializing. VERDICT An enjoyable read for anyone interested in cocktail culture. Alongside Jim Meehan's Meehan's Bartender Guide, this will certainly be of use to professionals.--Devon Thomas, Chelsea, MI

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