BOOKS
Lucy Lau
Picture winding down after a long day with a Beyoncé in hand. No, not the actual multiplatinum-selling, Grammy Award–winning, and talented-to-the-point-of-unfair pop-culture icon who possesses the unparalleled ability to elevate a Coachella set into a life-affirming religious experience, but a shot of fiery bourbon topped generously with—what else?—lemonade. Or perhaps you’ve had the kind of day that only a bottle of your local liquor store’s most potent tequila can remedy. In that case, a Frida Kahlo—a hibiscusflavoured margarita that references the prolific artist’s fondness for florals— may be more up your alley.
It’s all within the realm of possibility, thanks to Free the Tipple, a recently launched and beautifully illustrated hardcover by local writer Jennifer Croll and New York City–based artist Kelly Shami that offers a whopping 60 cocktail recipes, each one inspired by an influential, trailblazing woman from past or present. As a book, the concept is kind of genius. I mean, who wouldn’t want to raise a ruby-red glass of rum, maraschino liqueur, and pomegranate juice to novelist and dystopian-fiction dame Margaret Atwood? Or toast to Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott with a twist on the Salty Dog that incorporates cayenne—a spice that’s, well, as spicy as the pioneering rap star—into the salted rim? Or knock back a few sprinkle-coated Champagne jelly shooters as a proclamation of love for Yayoi Kusama, the Japanese artist who’s responsible for the infinity rooms you’ve doubtless double-tapped on Instagram in recent years?
A handful of the recipes in Free the Tipple are classic potions, but the majority of them were developed by Croll in her Mount Pleasant apartment. It
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