Shaken and Stirred : Through the Martini Glass and Other Drinking Adventures

Rating:
Summary: Shaken, not stirred
Review: A post-election bonanza. Bring on the swizzle sticks and the shaker. We're gonna' need this.
I've been clipping Mr. Hamilton's pieces for a couple of years and this is a welcomed compilation of his best offerings. He has a yen for the art of the bar and a true sense of elagance.
This is a winner.
I plan to work my way through the volume with dispatch.
Now all I need are some accompanying lines;
"Come here often", "You look familiar", "My, what an elegant cocktail", etc.
Sidle up to the bar and enjoy. And make it a double.

Rating:
Summary: How to Face the Next Four Years
Review: What could be more perfect? A book you can drink and read at the same time! What Susan Orlean found in Orchids, NY TIMES columnist Hamilton has found in the perfect Gimlet: the meaning of life. Even better than Hamilton's dry and dirty war/bar stories from his New York City beat is the childish glee you'll get while mixing mysterious potions made from all those odd liquor bottles you've never bought before. Way more fun than popping a cork! The enlightenment that comes from reading Hamilton's saucy prose and sipping your new cocktail is not sanctioned by the Religious Right, AA, or Mr. Rogers, but who's to say in this topsy turvy world that a well-made, well-shared cocktail may not be one of the few answers we have?