Normally the author's name appears on a book's spine and again on the cover. But that's not the case with the cleverly named Let's Get Fizzical: More Than 50 Bubbly Cocktail Recipes With Prosecco, Champagne, and Other Sparkling Wines (DK/Penguin Random House, $14.99). To find out who wrote this ode to sparkling wine one has to turn a few pages to the "Author's Note," where the foreword or introduction would be in a normal book. The author, in this case Phillipa "Pippa" Guy, is also named on the last page. Who is Pippa Guy? Guy is the senior bartender in London at The Savoy Hotel's American Bar.
The book covers the bubbly basics — the different kinds, how they're made, the types of grapes used — as well as when it is appropriate to swap one fizz for another. There's also a primer on general cocktail mixing terms and techniques.
The recipes include classics — bellini, mimosa, Aperol spritz, Kir Royale — and modern twists, including nonalcoholic substitutes to "lose the booze" but keep the ethos of the drink.
For example, the standard mimosa (equal parts bubbly and orange juice) becomes a Poinsettia when cranberry juice stands in for the OJ. To "lose the booze" swap ginger ale for the sparking wine.
The French 75 (gin, lemon juice, simple syrup and Champagne) becomes the Rose 75 with rose-infused gin and rosé Champagne. The Champagne Cocktail (Champagne, brandy, a sugar cube and Angostura bitters) becomes a Prince of Wales with Grand Marnier and cognac for the brandy. There are also several Pippa Guy originals. Most of the recipes are accompanied by a photograph and each recipe includes an illustration featuring the proper glassware and the ingredients in building order.
Food on 01/16/2019