Christine Sismondo

In America Walks into a Bar, Christine Sismondo recounts the rich and fascinating history of an institution often reviled, yet always central to American life. She traces the tavern from England to New England, showing how even the Puritans valued "a good Beere."

A Spirited History of Taverns and Saloons, Speakeasies and Grog Shops

America Walks into a Bar

Stephen Beaumont

Take a spirited tour of the distilleries of Canada with award-winning, bestselling authors Stephen Beaumont and Christine Sismondo. Featuring over 75 colour photos, Canadian Spirits provides thirsty readers with reviews of spirits and the distilleries in which they are produced, as well as the history of Canada's distilling industry. Raise a glass with this cross-Canada roadmap to exploring craft spirits.

The Essential Cross-Country Guide to Distilleries, Their Spirits and Where to Imbibe Them

Canadian Spirits

James Waller

Fine art meets mixology in this sophisticated cocktail book that pairs drink recipes and beverage history with stunning still-life oil paintings, perfect for taking the "art" of drinking to the next level. As they say, "We drink first with our eyes." If you believe there is an art to drinking well, then pairing cocktail recipes with still-life oil paintings is a natural next step. Still-life artist Todd M. Casey, journalist Christine Sismondo, and author James Waller are the all-star team behind Cocktails, A Still Life. Bringing together 60 of Casey’s contemporary hand-painted images paired with dozens of delicious cocktail recipes, the three-author team offers a satisfying deep-dive into each drink complete with a great classic cocktail recipe and a painted representation. Each drink tells a story, making this a truly unique cocktail-making guide attracting the eye, mind, and palate, and focused squarely on the art. Drinks include: Mai Tai Gimlet Bloody Mary Mojito French 75 Ramos Gin Fizz Mint Julep and more. Both a beautiful masterpiece and a useful guide, Cocktails, A Still Life is not just for “cocktail nerds” but also for those who enjoy finely crafted art and finely crafted beverages.

60 Spirited Paintings & Recipes

Cocktails, A Still Life

When George Washington bade farewell to his officers, he did so in New York's Fraunces Tavern. When Andrew Jackson planned his defense of New Orleans against the British in 1815, he met Jean Lafitte in a grog shop. And when John Wilkes Booth plotted with his accomplices to carry out an assassination, they gathered in Surratt Tavern. In America Walks into a Bar, Christine Sismondo recounts the rich and fascinating history of an institution often reviled, yet always central to American life. She traces the tavern from England to New England, showing how even the Puritans valued "a good Beere." With fast-paced narration and lively characters, she carries the story through the twentieth century and beyond, from repeated struggles over licensing and Sunday liquor sales, from the Whiskey Rebellion to the temperance movement, from attempts to ban "treating" to Prohibition and repeal. As the cockpit of organized crime, politics, and everyday social life, the bar has remained vital--and controversial--down to the present. In 2006, when the Hurricane Katrina Emergency Tax Relief Act was passed, a rider excluded bars from applying for aid or tax breaks on the grounds that they contributed nothing to the community. Sismondo proves otherwise: the bar has contributed everything to the American story. Now in paperback, Sismondo's heady cocktail of agile prose and telling anecdotes offers a resounding toast to taprooms, taverns, saloons, speakeasies, and the local hangout where everybody knows your name.

Fine art meets mixology in this sophisticated cocktail book that pairs drink recipes and beverage history with stunning still-life oil paintings, perfect for taking the "art" of drinking to the next level. As they say, "We drink first with our eyes." If you believe there is an art to drinking well, then pairing cocktail recipes with still-life oil paintings is a natural next step. Still-life artist Todd M. Casey, beverage historian Christine Sismondo, and drinks expert James Waller are the all-star team behind Cocktails, A Still Life. Bringing together 60 of Casey's contemporary hand-painted images paired with dozens of delicious cocktail recipes, the three-author team offers a satisfying deep-dive into each drink complete with a great classic cocktail recipe and a painted representation. Each drink tells a story, making this a truly unique cocktail-making guide attracting the eye, mind, and palate, and focused squarely on the art. Drinks include: Mai Tai Gimlet Bloody Mary Mojito French 75 Ramos Gin Fizz Mint Julep and more. Both a beautiful masterpiece and a useful guide, Cocktails, A Still Life is not just for "cocktail nerds" but also for those who enjoy finely crafted art and finely crafted beverages.

Christine Sismondo

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