Books
My new book COCKTAILS WITH A TWIST is available for purchase!
This book is all about variations on cocktails that you already know and love.
Here’s the official description: For anyone looking to expand their palate and discover a new favorite go-to drink, this inventive cocktail book is just the thing. Each chapter is based on a classic (like the Manhattan), but inside the unique gatefolds, readers will discover numerous riffs (like swapping Irish whiskey for rye to make a Blackthorn, or substituting amaro for vermouth to make a Black Manhattan). More than 100 variations on 21 modern classic cocktail recipes are accompanied by helpful tips on keeping a well-stocked bar, garnishing drinks, and throwing a party. With bold coloring and a foil cover, Cocktails with a Twist is a handsome addition to any home bar. And with 21 gatefolds, with classic recipes and intriguing variants, this is a cocktail book unlike any other.
Selected reviews for Cocktails With A Twist
“Thank heavens for Newman’s simple and approachable book concept…The whole idea is refreshing, even for people who are creatures of habit: It encourages you to try something very similar to what you already like with the hopes of expanding your cocktail horizons.” – Forbes
Finalist, Best New Cocktail or Bartending Book; 2020 Spirited Awards presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation
Finalist, Wine, Beer or Spirits: 2020 Cookbook Awards presented by the International Association of Culinary Professionals
NIGHTCAP: More Than 40 Cocktails To Close Out Any Evening, is available for purchase!
Here’s the description: A nightcap is the perfect way to end the night, and author Kara Newman knows just how to make them. This gifty, foil-accented book contains more than 40 cocktail recipes—some to keep the night going, some that will help ease you to sleep, some that can double as dessert, and some that can soothe the stomach after a hearty meal. There are classics like the sweet and creamy Brandy Alexander, new takes on old favorites like the Black Manhattan, which swaps an aperitif for the classic vermouth, and simple new ideas like the Open & Shut, which combines equal parts amaro and cognac for a slow sipper. Whatever kind of night it’s been, Nightcap is the perfect way to top it off.
Selected reviews for Nightcap
“A new book explores the nightcap’s many possibilities and asserts only a single rule: Keep it to one drink.” –The New York Times
Named one of “The 10 Best New Cocktail Books to Read Right Now” – Food & Wine
ROAD SODA: Recipes and techniques for making great drinks anywhere, is available for purchase!
This quirky little book is for the travelers (and armchair travelers). Here’s the description: It’s often difficult for a cocktail enthusiast to find a decent drink on the road, especially when faced with the limited selection offered by hotel mini bars, airplane drinks carts and the great outdoors. Road Soda is the ultimate guide for on-the-go cocktail making, with tips and recipes from cocktail expert Kara Newman.
Readers will learn how to become mini-bar mixologists; how to build portable cocktails in flasks, beverage cans and liquor bottles; how to make drinks for camping and tailgating, and more. Throughout the book, notable bartenders and drinks experts will offer tips for finding (and creating) the best drinking experiences no matter where readers’ travels take them.
Selected reviews for Road Soda
“Road Soda is a fun, irreverent guide to on-the-road cocktails.” –Food & Wine
“A compendium of clever techniques, practical hacks, and surprisingly simple recipes that can ensure a well-made cocktail is never as far away as your destination.” –Budget Travel
Stir. Shake. Sip.: 40 Effortless Cocktails Made in Equal Parts, is available in hardcover and Kindle editions!
The book focuses on drinks made with exactly equal proportions: think classic Fifty-Fifty Martinis, Negronis and other drinks made with ingredients measured out in “equal parts.” Bartenders love this simple drink format, and some of the best bartenders in the country have contributed original recipes for this collection. The book also includes a range of equal parts classics, such as the Corpse Reviver #2 and the Last Word, plus updated variations on those themes.
Selected reviews for Shake.Stir.Sip.
“A funny thing happened on the way to the cocktail-book boom. Or not so funny: It became very hard to make a cocktail at home…Ms. Newman’s aim was a cocktail book that pleased the newly sophisticated palates of today’s cocktail drinkers, while sparing them added labor.” –The New York Times
“The Magical Book of Easy-to-Remember Cocktails.” –Liquor.com
Cocktails for a Crowd is available in hardover and Kindle editions!
Here’s the description: In this tasty little volume, wine and spirits expert Kara Newman offers 42 fail-safe recipes for making great cocktails in batches, proving that no host need ever spend the evening trapped behind the bar. With advice on measuring and conversion techniques, helpful hints on balancing flavors, and plenty of tips for preparing ahead of time, the delights of drinks usually prepared individually are easily duplicated on a larger scale. Enriched with 24 color photographs, this useful book makes a winning gift for summer entertaining.
Selected reviews for Cocktails for a Crowd
“Don’t be fooled by the book’s slim size and bright cover. This is a serious, sophisticated guide to crafting drinks, not just a frothy collection of party size “-tinis.” With a can-do attitude and plenty of smarts, Ms. Newman offers readers rules of thumb culled from some of the country’s leading drink-slingers…as well as a slew of big-batch recipes that are balanced enough to please even the most discerning drinkers.” –The Wall Street Journal
“Whether you’re already a cocktail buff or just starting to put together your liquor collection, I guarantee that you’ll find drinks here that you’ll want to make immediately.” –The Kitchn
“If you consider yourself a party-planning diva …Cocktails for a Crowd belongs in your collection.” –San Antonio Express-News
“The book that makes me actually want to throw a party is Cocktails for a Crowd…Newman talked to pros from across the country and distilled their collective wisdom into an insightful and well-crafted book.” –Kansas City Star
My second book, The Secret Financial Life of Food, is available in hardcover and starting in 2014, is available as a paperback edition too.
The book tells the stories behind the agricultural commodities market, like the rise and fall of pork belly futures, or the wealthy “butter & egg men,” who joked that their wives were plump “because they buttered their bread on both sides.”
But don’t worry, tipplers, there’s plenty of booze in the book too. I couldn’t talk about sugar trade without bringing in Demon Rum, or grain futures without referencing whiskey! There’s even a section about the all-but-forgotten American Liquor Exchange, which set booze prices after the repeal of Prohibition.
Selected reviews for The Secret Financial Life of Food
“The Secret Financial Life of Food is a refreshing and much-needed look from a different perspective: food as commodity…The book clearly and elegantly documents the growth of various forms of commodities trading, everything from coffee to spices to soybeans…The Secret Financial Life of Food is a neatly composed, thoughtful history of a vital but often overlooked sinew of American life.” —The Washington Post
My first book, Spice & Ice: 60 tongue-tingling cocktails, is now available as a Kindle book.
The paperback book is also available for purchase from the following outlets:
Selected reviews for Spice & Ice
“If you like your cocktails to give off a little heat or tantalize your tongue with an unexpected burst of flavor, Spice & Ice is one book you’ll want nearby.” —Epicurious
Named as one of Five Great Cookbooks for Spices –Serious Eats
“Spicy is hot, both in the mouth and as a flavor trend…Spice & Ice is sure to heat up the bar.” –Cheers Magazine
“This beautiful little drink book, with its novel recipes and lovely photography, would be a welcome addition to the collection of any bartender or drink enthusiast that is ready to experience something new and exciting.” –RecipeFeast.com
Drink of the Week – Imbibe Magazine