From new takes on Aussie wine to the rise of sustainable spirits and a drinker’s guide to gardening, here are the best alcohol books we can’t put down.
Here at Dan’s Daily, we have a thirst for knowledge matched only by our thirst for fine drinks, and it makes quite the combo. We’re always leafing through a new reference guide or memoir or recipe book, so if you happen to catch us hovering by the punchbowl at a party, you’re every chance to have your ear chewed off about our latest literary obsessions.
It’s been tough to narrow it down – and they didn’t all come out this year – but consider the following as our personal shortlist of the best books about alcohol (from wine and beer, to cocktails and spirits, and all sorts in between) you need to add to your arsenal this year.
Like us, you’ve probably tried to mix up your own clever cocktail inventions with no recipe or regard for technique. It never really works out though, does it? As it happens, most of us are missing the crucial basics of what makes cocktails taste good in the first place (hint: it’s not just mixing up some different, nice-sounding booze).
In Strong, Sweet and Bitter, author, YouTuber and Bomba bartender (not to mention, major object of our affection) Cara Devine lays out the simple theory behind crafting cocktails – a flavour triangle made of strong, sweet and bitter flavours. With an insightful blend of history, recipes and key cocktail gear info, this should be a strong platform for all budding home mixers. And while you wait for the book to arrive, check out these cocktail recipes Cara whipped up for Dan’s Daily: the Gin Sour with Celery Bitters and the Rebujito.
The unofficial motto of Australian wine might be ‘drink first, ask questions later’ – at least, that’s how American sommeliers Jane Lopes and Jonathan Ross felt. Working at Attica and Rockpool Bar & Grill respectively, the duo found that while Aussie wine is clearly as good as anywhere in the world, there’s a bit of a gap in the literature. Maybe we’re just too modest, so we’ve left it to them to literally write the book on Australian wine.
“This is a modern wine book for both the professional and the enthusiast, and our goal is for the scholarship on Australian wine to match the quality of the wines,” Jane told Dan’s Daily. How to Drink Australian is a comprehensive guide to our nation’s winemaking regions, styles and producers, all with a careful reverence for our First Nations peoples. There’s plenty to learn here, but we’ve been using it as a travel bucket list – the book gives a real who’s-who of Aussie wine across every region with tips from the very best in the game.
How lucky are we that there were two incredible Aussie wine books released in 2023? And both are deserving of a place on this list.
Nearly a quarter of the way into the 21st century, Australia is a bloody exciting place to be drinking wine. As Max Allen details in Alternative Reality, though, head back a few decades and we were a bit, well, plain. Alternative Reality tells the tale of Mildura’s Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show – which, since 2001, has been introducing us to new grape varieties, innovative winemaking techniques and vibrant, modern styles of wine – as well as the broader story of our local wine revolution. If you’re wanting to understand why Australia’s modern wine scene is the way it is, this book (chock-full of interviews with leading winemakers, somms, writers and viticulturists) is a key read, with Max diving into the flavours and producers of 150 alternative grape varieties that are making a home in vineyards across the country.
