Delish Ultimate Cocktails

August 3, 2020
Delish (Delish: Eat Like Every Day’s the Weekend), Hearst Digital Media’s food and cocktail brand, delivers a splashy assemblage of clever, mostly sweet, and Instagram-ready quaffs. Pushing the boundaries of pastels, the magic margarita is chilled with violet ice cubes made by boiling purple cabbage then freezing the water in which it steeped. Lambrusco turns red wine milkshakes a curious pink, and a Christmastime grinchy punch is bright green thanks to a packet of lemon-lime Kool-Aid. The editors are especially inventive when it comes to Bloody Marys, which are accessorized with skewered mini tacos and sliders, or rimmed with crushed Cheetos, or served as shooters in hollowed-out pickle halves. Oreo shots, meanwhile, have their cream filling replaced by a mixture of vodka, gelatin, and sweetened condensed milk, while giant watermelon “shots,” molded from a halved melon, are served in the rind and are as big as a plate. There is no shortage of frozen drinks, as well as ice pops in flavors including gin and tonic, and Moscow mule. And for teetotalers, a chapter of mocktails replaces booze with puns in options like the blackberry “faux-jito” and a cranberry basil “sansgria.” A rainbow of creations for celebrating or entertaining at home pours forth in this fun collection.

September 4, 2020

A book of cocktail recipes designed by the team at Delish.com, this title is a visual treat. Cocktail purists may quibble with some details of the "classic" recipes (the use of vodka in a martini or grenadine in a mai tai, for example), but the appeal of seeing drinks garnished with minidoughnuts or trays of beautiful, orange negroni shots is undeniable. It is easy to see many of the drinks suggested being enjoyed at parties, and that feels like the point. On the other hand, it is a little jarring to see a chapter of drinks for girls' night so dominated by pink and sweet, and readers might wish that the authors recommended particular brands of spirits. Still, there is no lack of inspiration to be found in these pages, even if those who are more serious about cocktails might be better served seeking out classic recipes elsewhere. VERDICT A colorful cocktail recipe book that is sure to provide fun ideas for entertaining.--Peter Hepburn, Coll. of the Canyons Lib., Santa Clarita, CA

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