Of All the Gin Joints Stumbling through Hollywood History

These true tales of celebrity hijinks combine Hollywood history, movie-star mayhem, and a frothy mix of forty cocktail recipes. From the frontier days of silent film to the wild auteur period of the 1970s, Mark Bailey has pillaged the vaults of Hollywood history and lore to dig up the true—often surprising and always outrageous—stories of our most beloved and boozy actors, directors, and screenwriters at their most soused. Humphrey Bogart got himself arrested for protecting his drinking buddies, who happened to be a pair of stuffed pandas. Ava Gardner would water-ski to the set of Night of the Iguana holding a towline in one hand and a cocktail in the other. Bing Crosby’s ill-mannered antics earned him the nickname “Binge Crosby.” And sweet Mary Pickford stashed liquor in hydrogen peroxide bottles during Prohibition. Bite-size biographies are followed by ribald anecdotes and memorable quotes. Films that notorious for their on-set imbibing, like Apocalypse Now, From Here to Eternity, and The Misfits, are featured alongside the legendary watering holes of the day. And if a star or establishment was known for a particular cocktail, the recipe is included. Edward Hemingway’s portraits complete this spirited look at America’s most iconic silver-screen legends. “This book is like being at the best dinner party in the world. And I thought I was the first person to put a bar in my closet. I was clearly born during the wrong era.” —Chelsea Handler