Shake 'Em Up! A Practical Handbook of Polite Drinking

As the authors say: Shake ‘Em Up is “for People Who Fling Parties, People Who Go to Parties . . . People Who Don’t Really Drink but Feel That a Cocktail or Two Enlivens Conversation—in short, for the American People,” and that’s as true today as it was upon the book’s original publication, “in the twelfth year of Volstead, 1930.” Virginia Elliott and Phil D. Stong created a handbook for polite—if not entirely legal—drinking during the height of Prohibition, but the advice remains sound, the voice charming, and the cocktails strong. Whether you’re looking for the proper way to mix a Brandy Punch, what you ought to serve alongside a Bijou Cocktail, or a dependable hangover cure, Shake ‘Em Up has you covered. Need advice on how to catch up with your already-inebriated guests, or guidance on what to do when said guests end up a little too inebriated? Here, too, Shake ‘Em Up will point you in the right direction. Looking for a step-by-step guide to making bathtub gin? Well, sadly, that page has been censored by the United States District Attorney for the Southern District of New York. An essential addition to the library of any cocktailians, entertainers, nostalgics, or those who just like to relax with a cold beverage, Shake ‘Em Up delivers all the joy of a Jazz-Age cocktail party, without the fear of temperance officers knocking down your door.

Virginia Elliott and Phil D. Stong co-authored Shake 'Em Up: A Practical Handbook of Polite Drinking. Amy Stewart is the best-selling author of Wicked Plants and Flower Confidential. She lives in Eureka, CA.