Update: Entries now closed. I checked and eliminated multiples including extra comments and spun the Random Number Generator. A winner has been chosen, and she has 7 days to respond. If I don’t hear from her, the next person in line will be hearing from me.
Anne Taintor’s new book — “I’m so happy it’s happy hour: sinfully delicious cocktails for any occasion” — is out. In it, she features 42 vintage-classic, Taintor-tested cocktails, each cleverly paired with one of her famous vintage captioned collages. The publicist sent me a free copy: This book is HILARIOUS, and I may just make it my #1 holiday gift suggestion for 2011. Stock up on some copies, and if you get a last minute invite to a party or dinner: Grab a book … run to the liquor store and grab the fixins for one of the cocktails … tie everything up in a pretty bag … and not only will you have a lovely matchy matchy hostess gift, you also will be helping to guarantee a lively soiree. Sure to be invited back next year! Meanwhile, I asked if Anne would answer some of my seriously silly questions about the book, considering the Vital Importance of Cocktails…. Also, leave a comment and you can enter to win a copy. Read on for creative wisdom from the one-and-only Anne Taintor –>
An all-time fave: Featured with Anne's recipe for a Whistling Gypsy
Anne, why is it that cocktails are so much more … interesting … than wine or beer?
Part of the magic of cocktails is the way everything works together. I was hesitant – to say the least – when I mixed my first Peckerhead. Southern Comfort? Sloe Gin? That sounded like a recipe for college flashback hell. But quite to the contrary, the Peckerhead turned out to be a delicious and refreshing cocktail! I was equally nervous when I shook up my first Merry Widow. Benedictine by itself makes me gag. But mixed with gin, sweet vermouth, pastis, and bitters it is quite divine.
Another part of the allure of the cocktail is in the process. When I assemble all the bottles, the shaker, the lime juicer, the teaspoons, and the frosted cocktail glasses, the ritual says “I am SO done working” much more emphatically than popping a beer bottle top ever did.
And then there’s history. Sure, there are impressive lineages of wine and beer drinkers as well, but, like my parents before me, I’ll always play proudly for Team Cocktail.
Hey, this one has best of both worlds. Featured with Anne's recipe for a Pink Squirrel
Which is funnier (and why): Cocktails or sex?
I’ve been told that cocktails make me think I’m funny. Sex does not have that effect on me. And looking at cocktails and sex from a purely mercenary point of view, there is just no contest. Dollar for dollar, cocktails are far funnier than sex. I often wonder just how many captions about drinking I can sell – because I have a lot - and the answer seems to be “infinite.” Whenever I write a caption that I think it’s absolutely hilarious, if it touches on sex it’s a dud. Maybe people laugh more about cocktails because, let’s face it, cocktails don’t generally bring up feelings of insecurity and inadequacy.
This one gets a Frozen Watermelon Daiquiri - yum!
Did you really test all of these cocktails? Any mishaps you’d care to tell us about (if you can remember)?
Many cocktail recipes have a lot of variations, so a number of the cocktails included in this book were tested several times. I must have tried at least six variations of El Presidente, and the one I chose, while the most delicious in my opinion, is not the original authentic recipe created in Havana in the 1920s and named after president Gerardo Machado. I also, with the help of my nephew, tested several variations of the Pink Squirrel. Then there were those cocktails that were just plain yucky… which meant more testing for replacement cocktails. So… towards the end of my research I was experiencing extreme cocktail fatigue and turned to my editors at Chronicle Books for help. They graciously tested the Zombie, the Best in Show, The Dirty Girl Scout and a few others I simply had no energy left to drink.
What does a person’s cocktail say about them, do ya think?
Before I started researching this book I was a one-cocktail girl. I liked martinis, and I liked them made with Hendrick’s gin. I’m also the kind of person who could go to a restaurant and order the same meal every time. Does that say I know what I like? Or does it say I lack a sense of adventure? Or that I fear being disappointed? Collecting and testing the recipes in this book has certainly broadened my drinking horizons. Could the fact that I moved across country immediately after completing the book be purely coincidental?
Win a copy of Anne Taintor’s new book,
I’m so happy it’s happy hour
The rules:
- To win: Comment below about your favorite cocktail. Or just, ‘gimme’. Non-drinkers welcome, too, of course. Remember: All things in moderation!
- I’ll choose the winner by Random Number Generator Tues. morning-ish, Oct. 18.
- You must reply to my email within 7 days or else I move on to the next in line. I’m not chasing you. Make sure your email is correct.
- U.S. and Canada only.
Disclosure: Anne Taintor Inc. is a current advertiser on the site. This isn’t part of the deal or anything, though. I just love her. Not in that kind of way, the other kind of way.
Anne Taintor April caption contest 
Win a copy of Cathy of California’s new book, Vintage Craft Workshop 
Anne Taintor June caption contest — enter by Thursday night! 
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How could I forget – a well made bloody mary. Meal in a glass if made correctly.
Love to have a copy of this book for the Spring Beach Trip with the girls. We are always up for trying new cocktails.
Grasshoppers!! We have them every Christmas eve They are a tradition in our family!!
Dark and Stormy! I plan to make this a stocking stuffer for my friends–so I’ll be placing an order. But I’d love a copy for me, too!
Love Anne’s website. My favorite caption ever–the one with the two women looking into a meat-packed freezer–with the comment, “He took up so much more space on the couch.” Brilliant.
MAI TAI!!!! The classic tiki drink!
Tequila Sunrise topped with a cherry! The drink of choice for my husband and I on our first date. He impressed me by tying the cherry stem in a knot with his tongue. I was hooked! I want that book bad!!!!
I don’t have a favorite cocktail. I need the book to find one, so gimme please! Thank you!
I enjoy a cool, refreshing Cape Cod – prefereably made with smooooooooooooth Grey Goose or Belvedere
My favorite cocktail is the one in my hand!!
Slurp, gulp, guzzle, swig…ah…burp…hiccup! Scrummy! Please, may I have another…and another…and another?
I once had a broccoli daiquiri. Apparently we had enough to drink prior to running out of fruit.
I am not a cocktail girl anymore, although, as a sweet young thing from central Wisconsin, I admit to liking anything made with a liqueur called Cranberria.
These days I am a single malt scotch girl when I am all dressed up. When I let my hair down at home, I prefer a good hard cider. I live in apple country now, you know.
I do have my West Bend penguin ice bucket handy, and am looking for a good cocktail shaker to go with it, just in case friends drop in.
There will be many happy hours when I win this book!
My all time favorite was a cranberry daiquiri I had was served the holidays.
Please gimme! I promise to drink more and develop a twisted attitude if I can just win this book!
Gin gimlet. The only kind of gimlet as far as I’m concerned!
Non-drinker here, but Anne Taintor is hilarious!
Mine would have to be an Electric Lemonade from Pat O’s in New Orleans! They go down WAY too well!
Irish Coffee, for sure. Mmmm, coffee, whiskey, cream, sugar…..hey, is it five o’clock yet?
I could use some variety too. I myself am a classic gin martini drinker…with olives of course!
An Old Fashioned, for this old fashioned guy!
favorite?…hmmm. Love bellini’s but banana daquiri’s are also fabulous… and grasshopper martinis mmmmmm. could always use new recipes.. so please please please, I would love the new cocktail book
My FAVORITE cocktail? That’s like asking me to name my favorite friend…or my favorite child. So MUCH depends on context!
But if I must–Hendrick’s Gin and Tonic garnished with cucumber. Or a Bombay Sapphire martini. Two olives. Or a REALLY good bloody mary…
It’s a toss-up between a Rusty Nail, Stinger and a Nutty Irishman!
I’ll have a Mimosa, please. OJ and Champagne – I can feel healthy and happy too!
I would have to say, make mine a screwdriver please…
Beefeater martini (dirty)…should probably expand my horizons!
I lean towards a simple whiskey and soda, but I am willing to branch out…
I love a good extra-spicy Caesar with pickled asparagus!
IMO, you can’t go wrong with anything that has amaretto in it.
A Singapore Sling. To be 17 and indulging in a “grown-up” drink. It still makes me all happy and warm inside!
My favorite is an old school, classic Cosmopolitan! Absolute Citron, Cointreau, good cranberry juice, and fresh lime are a must! Shake with plenty of ice in a sexy retro shaker and serve in a chilled martini glass with a twist of orange…pure glamor! Reminds me of how much I miss Chicago!
A properly made mai tai in an authentic tiki bar is a little slice of heaven. If I’m wearing fancy clothes, I need something in a martini glass: a classic martini, a Cosmopolitan or perhaps a raspberry lemon drop. Although sometimes I’ve been known to order a drink to match my outfit.
Strawberry Daiquiris…especially in June. Pick the strawberries, eat them while sipping down a cold Daiquiri!
Oh my, the first cocktail I used to drink when I went out with my mother-in-law, was a Pink Squirrel!!! (She drank Manhattans.) One of my favorites, though, is the Side Car. It’s made with cognac and should have a sugared rim (in a martini glass). I’ve found that not every bartender can make it right. All of the ingredients must be top shelf so it’s quite smooth – like silk. Ooh, yummmmm….Now I usually get a good ol Screwdriver, but made with Stoli Rasberi; it’s easy so it can’t be messed up. It IS nice to have a tasty cocktail in a special glass. So classy!!!
Wolf’s Paw. Vodka, Lingonberry syrup and sparkling water. Yummy sweetness that sneaks up and leaves you on the floor.
Tito’s vodka – straight up.
Oh, my! It’s been a while since I had any cocktails. I used to drink cranberry juice and vodka on occasion, and once in a while, a whiskey sour – but I really have to be in the mood for that one! I’d just love to have the book!
Gimme a Tom Collins, and please, don’t use a mix, ever.
Personal fav is a cucumber martini. Equal parts fresh cucumber juice and vodka. Salt & pepper the rim of the martini glass before pouring then garnish with a wedge of cucumber.
So thrilled to see the new book. I’m getting married next year and we’re having a retro tiki-lounge party – these drinks will come in handy!
I like a Caipirimha – refreshing with Lime and my husband mixes up a great one!
My personal favorite is a gin and tonic. But the first cocktail I was allowed to drink was some wine mixed with 7-Up, when I was a teen, at holidays.
I’m a sucker for a mint julep! I remember my grandma always drinking Bloody Mary’s.
Tequila Sunrise of course!
Gin & tonic! I used to dislike them & once actually drank them at a Christmas party in hopes that drinking something I didn’t really like would curb my intake. Bad strategy: I had a brief moment of sobriety where I realized I was kissing my boss’s date under the mistletoe. . .
A gin gimlet (preferably, with Tanqueray Ten). Once upon a time, at a lowly bar in NYC known as CBGB’s, I was known as the “gimlet girl”. I am not sure if that was a good thing or not, but it seemed to fit.
I am mad for Mai Tais especially during the winter. Drinking them is cheaper than multiple trips to the Carribean.
Vodka Gimlet – Rose’s Lime juice is a must!
can’t go wrong with a jack and coke!