It’s easy to grab a beer or pour yourself a glass of wine, but
sometimes you want a little something more. And if you’re like many
people, you probably need a few suggestions for participating in
the cocktail revival.

“Old Man Drinks” by Robert Schankenberg is your back-to-basics
starting point, a quirky little tome with more than 60 recipes for
vintage cocktails. Yes, you’ll find the gimlet (gin and Rose’s Lime
Juice), the Harvey Wallbanger (your basic screwdriver with a dash
of Galliano), and the sazerac, the absinthe and rye tipple
worshipped by retro-cocktail devotees.

But the book’s real charm lies in its humor and black-and-white
photos of actual old men delivering life lessons, such as the
hilariously random, “Tacos make me very angry,” from Paul, 65,
supposedly a museum curator. The men and their mottos are
commemorated in a drink called the grumpy old man, a mixture of
bourbon, lime juice and ginger ale that promises to be both sweet
and sour.

“How to Booze” by Jordan Kaye and Marshall Altier offers a
younger man’s narrative on drinking that is one part bar guide, two
parts liquor love sonnet. The book serves up classic cocktails and
delightfully witty reasons to drink them: an unbearable date, the
return of a friend to whom you have nothing to say, the sudden
realization that you are an old married guy. With riffs on bad sex
and beer goggles, this is very much a guy’s book, right down to the
detailed discussion of appropriate glassware and how to set things
on fire (like orange peels).

For lighter, summer-appropriate imbibing, “101 Blender Drinks”
by Kim Haasarud offers ideas that go beyond sickly sweet strawberry
margaritas and tired old pina coladas. Those drinks are in there —
in fresh, updated guises — but the book’s gourmet appeal comes from
frothy, icy cocktails often inspired by the local food
movement.

The Brazilian pepper crush — with cachaca, fresh sour mix,
jalapeno-orange marmalade and kumquats — promises a sweet-spicy
take on the now-passe caipirinha. A yuzu cucumber freeze with
citrus vodka, cucumber, sake and yuzu could slide down pretty
easily on a hot day. With no table of contents or discernable order
to the drinks you’ll be forced to read through every one to find
those that appeal, which may not be a bad thing.

“Super-Charged Smoothies” by Mary Corpening Barber and Sara
Corpening Whiteford may be the book you need after all that
drinking. More than 60 recipes aim to help you pack healthy foods
into your daily routine. A smoothie called green energy blends
avocado, frozen grapes and jasmine tea with macha, a supplement
said to boost energy and metabolic rate.

The super-C — with mango, strawberry, orange juice and banana —
might help revive you after a night on the town.

Watermelon coolers will help you serve it up Southern style in
Denise Gee’s “Porch Parties,” a compact guide to antebellum
hospitality. Standards like refreshing hibiscus punch and herby
mint juleps mingle with smooth-sounding cocktails like the Concord
grape martini, a deep-purple drink that could hit the spot when
it’s hotter than a pig on a spit. Recipes for tiny bites like baby
crab cakes and smoked salmon sandwiches make it easy to throw
together an elegant outdoor celebration.

___

“Old Man Drinks” by Robert Schankenberg (Quirk
Books, 2010)

“How to Booze: Exquisite Cocktails and Unsound
Advice” by Jordan Kaye and Marshall Altier (Harper,
2010)

“101 Blender Drinks” by Kim Haasarud (Wiley,
2010)

“Super-Charged Smoothies” by Mary Corpening
Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford (Chronicle Books, 2010)

“Porch Parties: Cocktail Recipes and Easy Ideas for
Outdoor Entertaining” by Denise Gee (Chronicle Books,
2010)

___

HIBISCUS PUNCH

Start to Finish: 10 minutes active (4 to 6 hours steeping and
cooling)

Servings: 12 to 14

1 gallon water

2 cups dried hibiscus flower pods

2 cups superfine sugar

Fresh hibiscus pods or flowers, for garnish

In a large Dutch oven, combine the water and dried hibiscus
pods. Cover and let stand for at least 2 hours.

Remove cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for
6 to 8 minutes.

Strain through a mesh strainer, discarding the solids. Add the
sugar and stir until dissolved. Refrigerate until chilled.

Pour into small cocktail glasses filled with ice and
garnish.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the
nearest whole number): 69 calories; 0 calories from fat; 0 g fat (0
g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 21 g carbohydrate;
0 g protein; 0 g fiber; 0 mg sodium.

(Recipe from Denise Gee’s “Porch Parties,” Chronicle,
2010)