Book Review: Bar Menu: 100+ Drinking Food Recipes for Cocktail Hours at Home

For his second book of 2022, Andre Darlington takes a detour from the pleasurable Booze & Vinyl series, taking the dominant focus off making cocktails for a few hundred pages, and examining the possibilities of how higher-end bar food can enhance a proper night in while mixing drinks. Obviously, a few cocktail recipes are included here, appropriately paired and worth considering, and the quick resource guide at the front of the book certainly is a time saver. However, Bar Food is largely about what happens after the ingredients are mixed, strained, stirred, or poured into the glassware of your choice.

The recipes here vary in skill level, preparation, and cooking time, but the common denominator is robust and flavorful options outside of the usual chips-and-salsa, veggie platter classics, or frozen, oven-ready canapes from the store. It certainly helps if you have prior knowledge of international ingredients or where to source these items, but it’s not a requirement by any stretch. It’s a fun little book worth the time invested, presenting thoughtful variations on classics to exhaust and new inspiration to be gleaned for your next themed night in with friends or classy date night in on the couch.

217 pages.

A- / $28 / [BUY IT NOW FROM AMAZON]

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