Cookbook for friends of felines will make you smile
Full confession: I’m allergic to cats and prefer dogs as a family pet.
But I know a fun book when I see it. I especially recognize a worthwhile cookbook.
That’s exactly what “Cocktails With My Cat” is – a cookbook that will put a smile on your face. I’ve already given a copy to one of my cat-person friends. It was made to be a hostess gift.
But the book is useful as well. I might even make some of the cocktails from the book, which is subtitled “Tasty Tipples for Feline Fanatics.”
Before I say that the illustrations drawn by Rae Ritchie make the book, I must pause to acknowledge there is some really good reading here, too, from mixologist and author Natalie Bovis. There’s lots of it, too. This is no lightweight book. There are historical stories, trivia and endless fun facts you can drop effortlessly into conversation.
For example, if you want to meet a sixtoed feline, called a polydactyl, you can visit Ernest Hemingway’s former home in Key West, Florida, now a museum. The dozens of polydactyls in residence are said to be descended from a white six-toed cat given to the author by a ship’s captain.
Bovis herself has seven rescue pets (not counting the 13 fish), and she fosters kittens and often donates proceeds from her lineup of culinary events to animal welfare organizations. Her previous cocktail books include “Drinking with My Dog,” which I now need to buy. It was published a year ago.
Here are two recipes from the book to try. The Seven Seas and Six Toes is Bovis’ variation on the Gin and Tonic, a classic highball that originated from British sailors mixing their gin rations with quinine-rich tonic to stave off malaria and squeezing in lime juice to prevent scurvy. The Cat Gods and Goddesses is a heavenly concoction that blends hibiscus tea, rose water and anise.
Excerpted from “Cocktails With My Cat: Tasty Tipples for Feline Fanatics” by Natalie Bovis (Running Press 2024, $24).
Cat Gods and Goddesses
4 ounces hibiscus tea
⁄2 ounce anise-flavored 1 liqueur
1⁄4 ounce rose water Garnish: lemon wedge and mint leaves
with ice and strain into a Martini glass. Place the lemon wedge and mint leaves on the rim of the glass.
Seven Seas and Six Toes
3 ounces tonic water 11⁄2 ounces London Dry gin
1⁄2 ounce Amontillado sherry
Garnish: lime wedge
with ice, then pour in half the tonic water. Add the gin and sherry and stir, then add the rest of the tonic water. Place the lime wedge on the rim of the glass.