Midcentury Cocktails: History, Lore, and Recipes from America’s Atomic Age

Midcentury cocktails by Cecelia Tichi is a fun book to have and share. I enjoyed the various chapters and structure and, of course, the cocktail recipes. This book has a great layout in that each chapter discusses an interesting part of midcentury life and then shares cocktails tied to it.

For instance, the “Green Book” chapter told of the purpose of the Green Book (to provide safe stops for African Americans in the 50s with restaurants and hotels that would serve them during segregation in parts of the US) as well as recipes from some of these stops. In this way, it’s a nice combination of history with cocktail recipes that I didn’t expect and found very engaging.

Helen Gurley Brown’s Chloroform Cocktail was a favorite, although I had to tame down the full one fifth of vodka (for four drinks) to a more manageable amount. I am looking forward to reading more about Ms. Brown based on the chapter she is mentioned in. All in all, I’d say if you enjoy cocktails and/or the midcentury era, you will enjoy this book for the tidbits of history and the recipes.