A Little Ceremony: The Cocktail Hour

Published this September, Tim Hayward’s The Cocktail Hour: A Drinker’s Companion is a handsome new addition to the home bar—and to our autumn gift list.

The book brings together 50 classic and modern drinks, with attention to the ingredients, equipment, and preparation that make them worth mixing properly. Alongside the recipes are the stories and associations that give cocktails their enduring appeal. A Manhattan, a Gimlet, a Margarita: familiar names, each with a world of its own.

Hayward is a food writer for the Financial Times and a familiar voice on BBC Radio 4’s The Kitchen Cabinet. His subject here offers plenty of room for both practical instruction and the pleasures of a good story.

We’re drawn to the small ceremony of it all. Choosing a glass. Setting out a bowl of something salty. Taking a little trouble for a friend who’s coming over, even when dinner is decidedly informal. There is something generous about making an ordinary evening feel considered.

The book itself has considerable presence: an olive-green cover, bold black lettering, and a beautifully spare martini illustration. It would look quite at home on a drinks trolley, though we’d hope it spends some time open on the table, too.

For the husband, father, brother, or friend who enjoys tending the bar, this is a thoughtful addition to the gift list. We’d pair it with a handsome glass or a set of cocktail napkins—or simply wrap the book and let the recipient choose the first recipe.

A good gift should feel as though you noticed something about the person receiving it. This one says, quite pleasantly, “We know your interests.”

Shop The Cocktail Hour →