The Cocktail Chef: Entertaining in Style

John Abbott is a professor of history at Laurentian University’s Algoma University College. He is the co-author of The Border at Sault Ste Marie and The History of Fort St. Joseph.

If you have ever contemplated a display of crystal martini glasses,
admiring their retro-seductive shape, smoky visions of Clark Gable
curling round your mental cortex, thinking “I’d love to recover that
sense of time and space!”—this is the guide for you.

With ease and élan the authors deconstruct the mysteries and mechanics
of mixing, stirring, and muddling, advising the novice what to attempt
and what to leave to the experts. Martinis (classic and signature),
cosmopolitans, manhattans, and margaritas waltz across the pages,
followed by a dash of “Hangover Helper,” sage and witty advice for
the overindulgent. Then, in three succinct sections they offer superb
primers in the matching of food and wine, the selection of cheeses, and
the pleasures of the raw bar.

Having explored the role of the chef at the bar in Part 1, they outline
the possibilities open to the chef at the stove. “Spiced Asian
Walnuts” and “Olive Bombes” are bookends for a short shelf of
irresistible appetizers. Part 3, “The Chef at the Party” is stuffed
with critical, must-read information. What defines the perfect cocktail
party? What are the basic requirements for 40 guests? There are shopping
lists and set-up instructions, followed by “mood rules” and “food
rules.”

Finally, the elements are combined to create “Seven Perfect
Parties.” “Casanova’s Seduction for Two” is the jewel in this
setting, worth reading alone for its wit, mischief, and common sense.
Every design is preceded by a “Get Ahead Schedule.” He or she who
wishes to attempt this plan of seduction is counselled to begin “2
Months Before.” “Have three dates with the person to make sure you
want to go to all this trouble.” The other parties are a “Girls’
Poker Night” for five, a “Spanish Porch Picnic” with appropriate
tapas, a “Wine-tasting Party for 20,” a “New Year’s Day
Relaxer,” a “Pan Asian Beach Party,” and an “Engagement
Celebration” for 60.

Few such books offer so much fun between the pages, and so much
pleasure in the anticipation.