Drink Me

Book excerpt: Great adventures often start with a drink—including Alice’s expedition down the rabbit hole, which began with a sip of a curiously labelled tipple. Drink Me invites you to do the same; learn how to mix 20 cocktails that will fill you with wonder and childish glee at the surreal flavor combinations, while amassing the perfect selection of drinks for your own spirit-soaked Mad Hatter's tea party. We have delved into the depths of the Pool of Tears in search of the most magical ingredients and sumptuous flavors, and after some sage advice from a helpful caterpillar, have compiled a list of recipes that would be regularly enjoyed by the inhabitants of Wonderland. Drink Me includes concoctions for every palate and occasion, no matter your drinking predilection. Perfect pre-dinner aperitifs are in abundance, including The Queen of Hearts, a sweet, refreshing drink with bitter undertones, and Painting The Roses Red, a bubbly highball of sharp raspberry and gin flavors, softened with a hint of rose water. We explore the hallucinogenic properties of Absinthe in our ode to the unknown, The Mushroom,a strong mix of aniseed, rose, and complex herbal flavors, while we reminisce over the taste of our childhood with drinks such as Bread and Butterfly Pudding and the Unbirthday Cake Martini. The Duchesses Soup is a refined take on the punch bowl, while we make a refreshing palate cleanser in the form of The Caucus Chaser, a sticky plum and chestnut sharpener low enough in alcohol that you can greedily gulp it without even a hint of regret. Drink Me includes everything you need to know for throwing your own Alice in Wonderland–themed cocktail party, including cocktail party advice and techniques for mixing and decorating your drinks. Put on your Cheshire grin and get ready to head down the rabbit hole with your copy of Drink Me in hand.