Fiona Beckett

This book is intended for people who want to decrease or avoid alcohol (e.g. for lifestyle, health/medication or religious reasons) but still want to enjoy delicious beverages every day or for celebrations.

It opens with suggestions for stocking a kitchen that emphasizes alcohol-free beverages -- including glassware and garnishes because, “Presentation is hugely important in terms of making you feel you’re having a ‘proper’ drink.” Then, organized by chapters, Beckett offers alcohol-free versions of:
. Cordials and shrubs;
. Cocktails;
. Wine, beer and cider-based drinks;
. Fermented drinks like kefir;
. Lattes, shakes and lassis;
. Juices and smoothies;
. Teas, tisanes and coffee.

Most are presented via a two-page spread, on lush paper, that begins with a few sentences about the drink or its ingredients and is followed by the recipe, mixing instructions and (almost always) a full-page color photo of the finished cocktail, appetizingly styled and photographed.

It was fun to read and I learned a lot. Beckett knows her topic and knows the status of alcohol-free beers, wines and distilled spirits (including having opinions about various products), and I was exposed to a whole new world in the section of “50 of the Best Alcohol-Free Brands and Drinks.” Bottom line for me, though (since I'm not avoiding alcohol altogether), is that there are few recipes I’m likely to try, due to the high-ish cost and limited availability (even here in Chicago) of many of the alcohol-free brands.

(Review based on a copy of the book provided by the publisher.)… (mer)