Booze & Vinyl Vol. 2

70 More Albums + 140 New Recipes

Contributors

By André Darlington

By Tenaya Darlington

Formats and Prices

Price

$26.00

Price

$33.00 CAD

Format

Format:

  1. Hardcover $26.00 $33.00 CAD
  2. ebook $2.99 $3.99 CAD

This item is a preorder. Your payment method will be charged immediately, and the product is expected to ship on or around April 19, 2022. This date is subject to change due to shipping delays beyond our control.

A follow-up to the bestselling listening party guide, Booze & Vinyl, this is an all-new collection of groundbreaking music paired with mood-setting cocktails.

Get set to party with 70 great records—organized by theme, from Rockin’ to Beats, Mellow to Jazzy & Bluesy—spanning the 1950s to today. Each entry features liner notes on the album and two accompanying boozy beverage recipes that complement the music.

Among the featured albums are: Are You Experienced? (The Jimi Hendrix Experience), Toys in the Attic (Aerosmith), Synchronicity (The Police), Jagged Little Pill (Alanis Morisette), The B52s (The B52s ), Gipsy Kings (The Gipsy Kings), Violator (Depeche Mode), Ready to Die (The Notorious B.I.G.), Play (Moby), Lemonade (Beyoncé), Coat of Many Colors (Dolly Parton), Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Elton John), So (Peter Gabriel), Whitney Houston (Whitney Houston), Oops!…I Did it Again (Britney Spears), Getz/Gilberto (Stan Getz and João Gilberto), A Love Supreme (John Coltrane).

Excerpt

Somebody was trying to tell me that CDs are better than vinyl because they don’t have any surface noise. I said, “Listen, mate, life has surface noise.”

—JOHN PEEL




Art of the Boozy Listening Party

We grew up in a house with a turntable in the living room and parents who relaxed on the weekends by hosting listening parties—an excuse to enjoy music and mixed drinks. As kids raised in a low-fi household, it never would have occurred to us that we would one day write a book called Booze & Vinyl together, let alone two books in a series! We are ecstatic that we have been able to share our passion for drinking and listening with so many people.

When we wrote Booze & Vinyl, we could feel the meteoric momentum behind LPs, and with events such as Record Store Day and mass access to inexpensive personal turntables, vinyl has made a massive comeback. In 2020, vinyl sales surpassed CDs for the first time since the 1980s. They’ve gone from relic to relevant. The mainstreaming of the format has been a thrill to watch, and we got to see it firsthand on our Booze & Vinyl book tour in 2018 when we rode from New York to Nashville in a mobile listening party bus with Crosley Turntables.

We hope this new book encourages you to unplug, lower the lights, and set out a few glasses. Pick a record. You’re about to slip through a magical musical portal that encompasses many eras and many styles of music, from rock ’n’ roll to hip-hop to dance to country to lush club sounds and world beats. Many of these albums represent turning points in music history, or bands and singers who broke records by being firsts in their categories. So, think of this as a music history class with benefits. And what are those benefits? A curated list of epic music paired with hand-crafted cocktails that connect to a song or songwriter in a unique way. May this book expand your taste in all ways, to new music and to new cocktails. We hope you find a signature drink to savor over and over—just like a favorite song.




How to Use This Book

In this book, a companion to Booze & Vinyl (Running Press, 2018), we have compiled seventy more groundbreaking albums—from 1956 to 2016. We’ve organized them chronologically within four chapters: Rockin’, Beats, Mellow, and Jazzy & Bluesy. Each album is paired with a Side A and Side B cocktail. To help you craft a vibe, we’ve listed listening party suggestions under When to Spin so you can match music to a mood. Need an album for a boozy brunch? Check out the B-52s (here). A holiday party? Drop some Nat King Cole (here).




I’ll pour you the first one and after that, if you don’t have one, it’s your own f****** fault. You know where it is.

—Kingsley Amis, Everyday Drinking




Host the Ultimate Listening Party

Whether you’re new to entertaining or a seasoned red-carpet host, here you’ll find a few magic tricks we think may improve your weekends, your relationships, and your ability to truly chill out as you prepare to drop the needle and pick up your cocktail shaker.

Invite people to bring a record—and maybe a bottle or a snack.

First of all, don’t feel that you have to do all the work. Pick a theme and ask people to pony up a bottle of bourbon, a record from the ’90s, or a dish to pass. Don’t forget that you can also reach out in advance and ask someone to help bartend, or appoint a pair of DJs. If you’re able to share in the fun, your guests will feel at ease. No one can relax around a stressed host.

Always hand people a drink the minute they step through the door.

Nothing is more welcoming than a cold beverage. Pop a bottle of Prosecco, cava, crémant, or even hard cider when you hear footsteps in the hall. Your first guest (and last!) will thank you for helping them avoid awkward small talk. Open the door, take their coat, hand them a glass. They will immediately relax.

Batch at least one cocktail in advance if you have four or more guests.

For small bashes, you might as well shake and stir as you go—you’ll find our crash course on home bartending in the back, along with a list of large-format drink recipes (here). Just keep in mind that you can usually fit about three drinks in a cocktail shaker. BUT, if you’re hosting more than four friends, you might want to batch something so you don’t spend all your time behind the bar.

Turn the lights down.

A listening party is a great excuse to hang up a festive string of lights or change out the bright bulbs in your lamps and insert a few colored ones, or at least something soft and dim. You could even invest in a lava lamp, or pick up a few candles. Then, settle back and listen.

Offer snacks to relax.

If you’re going to take the time to make drinks and pull vinyl, you might as well clear your coffee table, set out a candle and a plant, and arrange a few treats, along with some napkins. Set out a cheese board or some dips and spreads, and your friends will feel taken care of. Finger foods make people feel at home—fact. Take a tip from the Italians who are so good at aperitivo (Italian happy hour), and put out several little bites, along with plates or napkins. Then, let everyone help themselves.

We’ve created a few quick recipes and party boards that could easily fit into any listening party situation:

Costello Club sandwiches (here)

Spanish Tapas Spread with Sherry-Marinated Olives (here)

Deeez Nuuuts (here)

Italian Aperitivo Plate (here)

French Picnic Spread (here)




RAW POWER. ASTONISHING ENERGY. The albums in this chapter have created entire genres and changed lives. They will make you want to head-bang, play air guitar, and party until the sun comes up.

Prepare a refreshing round of Foxey Hendrick’s while listening to the Jimi Hendrix Experience (here) and sip on the Southern Comfort–forward Janis Joplin tribute cocktail (here). Acquaint yourself with the Ventura Boulevardier (here) while listening to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Want to keep it easy? Take it to the green room with Aerosmith’s Backstage Boogie (here). Want exotic? Try the mezcal-driven Oaxacan in Your Footsteps (here) alongside Sting and the Police (the pun could not be resisted). Then, when you get hungry, join the Costello Club for a sandwich made for the neo–Buddy Holly smart set.

THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE

BLACK SABBATH

JANIS JOPLIN

THE WHO

AEROSMITH

PATTI SMITH

THE SEX PISTOLS

ELVIS COSTELLO

THE PRETENDERS

THE POLICE

PIXIES

TOM PETTY

METALLICA

PAVEMENT

ALANIS MORISSETTE

THE STROKES

ARCADE FIRE




THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE

ARE YOU EXPERIENCED?

1967

GENRE: Hard Rock, Psychedelic Rock | PRODUCER: Chas Chandler | LABEL: Track | WHEN TO SPIN: Psychedelic backyard party

LINER NOTES One of rock’s great debut albums, Are You Experienced? was an immediate commercial and critical success. It is hard to imagine that before cutting this epochal record, Hendrix was a backup R&B guitarist. Fusing jazz, rock, heavy metal, as well as rhythm and blues, the music is thunderous and original—featuring an explosive sound that not only redefined what guitar music could be, but may be the greatest guitar album. Ever. To enter this soulful, psychedelic soundscape is to take a turbulent, wondrous trip.

BEFORE YOU DROP THE NEEDLE Break out your tie-dyed blankets and hang love beads from tree branches!

SIDE A: PURPLE HAZE

This cocktail is a drinkable lava lamp; watch as pH-sensitive butterfly pea powder mixes with the acid from the lime juice and changes color from blue to deep purple. Not only is this a trippy showstopper, but it is delicious to boot. Basil rounds out the herbaceous flavors of the gin. Note that butterfly pea powder is readily available online.

1½ ounces gin

½ ounce butterfly pea simple syrup (recipe follows)

¾ ounce fresh lime juice

Lemon peel, for garnish

Stir gin and butterfly pea simple syrup with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass and add lime juice. Garnish with a lemon peel.

BUTTERFLY PEA SIMPLE SYRUP

1 cup hot water

½ teaspoon butterfly pea powder

1 cup sugar

Combine hot water and butterfly pea powder. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month.

SIDE B: FOXEY HENDRICK’S

Oh yeah, you look so good. This sweet little heartbreaker underscores the flavor of Hendrick’s gin with fresh cucumber in the shaker. Crème de violette, a versatile liqueur with a purple hue, lends a delightful, flower child–like color and flavor. (Crème de violette is also featured in our Aviation Spritz, here.) We like to add a few luscious berries to the top of this drink—an eye-catching touch that will make your guests want to get up and scream.

2 cucumber slices, plus 1 for garnish

2 ounces Hendrick’s Gin

¾ ounce crème de violette

½ ounce fresh lemon juice

½ ounce simple syrup (1:1 sugar to water)

2 blackberries, for garnish

Shake 2 cucumber slices, gin, crème de violette, lemon juice, and simple syrup with ice and strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with cucumber slice and blackberries.




BLACK SABBATH

PARANOID

1970

GENRE: Rock, Classic Metal

PRODUCER: Rodger Bain

LABEL: Vertigo

WHEN TO SPIN: Zombie apocalypse

LINER NOTES

The members of Black Sabbath didn’t know they were creating a genre, let alone a full-fledged movement. In fact, when Paranoid was first released, critic Lester Bangs griped that the new quartet sounded like the band Cream—except worse. Yet the dark-minded lads from Birmingham, England, crafted a new psych-blues sound as gloomy as it was theatrical. And to think it all may have been a fluke; guitarist Tony Iommi had cut off two fingertips in an industrial accident and needed to tune his guitar down to make it easier to play. Then again, the intention of the group was clear when they named themselves after a 1963 horror movie. Whatever the impetus, all the elements came together and this album remains the most genre-defining heavy metal record of all time.

BEFORE YOU DROP THE NEEDLE

Prepare for the apocalypse: Lower your blinds, light black candles, and set out a garlic braid. Then, don your leather and occult jewelry.

SIDE A: Bitter Sabbath

This cocktail is black, like your heart. It slings all the darkness of bourbon, dark rum, and Italian amaro together into a single glass. Amari are a class of herbal liqueurs that deserve exploration. We love using Montenegro or Ramazzotti here, but any amaro will work—even Fernet Branca or Jägermeister (yes, technically an amaro). Mix this up and become a sorcerer of death’s construction!

1½ ounces bourbon

1 ounce amaro

½ ounce dark rum

Orange twist, for garnish

Stir bourbon, amaro, and rum with ice and strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube. Garnish with orange twist.

SIDE B: Electric Funeral

According to folklore, garlic protects against evil spirits. On the off chance this is true, you might want to be sipping this cocktail during the apocalypse when “hell’s angels flap their wings.” Fermented black garlic is available in grocery stores and online—surprisingly, it is mellow and tastes sweet, like a fig, rather than pungent. Make this drink for someone else and they’ll never guess it includes garlic.

¾ ounce black rum

¾ ounce aged rum

½ ounce black garlic simple syrup (recipe follows)

¼ ounce Fernet Branca

Lemon peel, for garnish

Shake both rums, simple syrup, and Fernet Branca with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon peel.

BLACK GARLIC SIMPLE SYRUP

1 cup sugar

1 cup hot water

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

3 small black garlic bulbs (about 3 tablespoons)

Combine sugar, hot water, balsamic vinegar, and black garlic in a blender and blend. Double-strain into a sealable container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.




JANIS JOPLIN

PEARL

1971

GENRE: Blues Rock, Funk Rock PRODUCER: Paul A. Rothchild LABEL: Columbia WHEN TO SPIN: Tie-dye party

LINER NOTES

In 1970, Joplin was on her way to becoming a huge star. Her powerful, bluesy vocals had already captivated audiences—including a historic performance at Woodstock—and led to a successful record. But none of it was to be; she was found dead in a hotel room of a heroin overdose at age twenty-seven. This, her last album, was released three months later, fulfilling the promise of this gutsy singer by topping the charts at number one for nine weeks. The album features some of her most beloved songs, including “Mercedes Benz,” and the smash hit “Me and Bobby McGee.” To listen is to know why Janis Joplin is known as the first lady of rock ’n’ roll.

BEFORE YOU DROP THE NEEDLE

Take a tip from the album cover, and break out some rad ’70s fashion, a feather boa, and let your inner Janis come alive. A tie-dye station in the backyard with a long clothesline to display the aftermath is a must.

SIDE A: THE JOPLIN

Joplin loved her Southern Comfort and she was often seen swigging it on stage. She even famously broke a bottle of it over Jim Morrison’s head. Often treated like the poor cousin of whiskey, “SoCo” has something of a reputation for causing mayhem. It’s many drinkers’ first adolescent poison. But mixed correctly, this legendary fruit and spice blend can truly shine. In this cocktail, it finds friends in dry vermouth and lime juice, an unlikely concoction that Joplin would love.

1½ ounces Southern Comfort

1 ounce dry vermouth

½ ounce fresh lime juice

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

SIDE B: SOCO SANGRIA

SERVES 2 TO 4

Sometimes life isn’t either/or, but and/and. Have both sangria and Southern Comfort in this sensational sipper Joplin would approve of. SoCo brings fruit to the party and the ginger ale lends a touch of welcome spice.

1 (750 ml) bottle dry white wine, chilled

4 ounces Southern Comfort

8 ounces ginger ale, chilled

Combine all ingredients in a pitcher. Serve in glasses over ice.




THE WHO

WHO’S NEXT

1971

GENRE: Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Progressive Rock PRODUCERS: The Who, Chris Stamp, Kit Lambert, Pete Kameron, Glyn Johns

LABELS: Track, Decca WHEN TO SPIN: Skate party

Genre:

On Sale
Apr 19, 2022
Page Count
224 pages
Publisher
Running Press
ISBN-13
9780762475223

Author André Darlington

André Darlington

About the Author

André Darlington is the author of Bar Menu and Booze Cruise, among many other food and drink titles, as well as the co-author of Booze & Vinyl, The New Cocktail Hour, and Movie Night Menus. He lives in Greensboro, North Carolina.

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Tenaya Darlington

About the Author

Tenaya Darlington serves as Cheese Director for two wine bars in Philadelphia, both called Tria, and is a member of the writing faculty at Saint Joseph’s University. When she’s not teaching cheese workshops under the name “Madame Fromage,” you can find her circumnavigating the globe as a guide for Cheese Journeys — a dairy-centric food tour company. She is also the author of Di Bruno Bros. House of Cheese and co-author of four cocktail books, including Booze and Vinyl, written in collaboration with her spirits-expert brother, André Darlington. Her writing has appeared in Cooking Light, The Philadelphia Inquirer, EdiblePhilly, Fermentation, and Culture Magazine. You can find her on social media as @mmefromage

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