Synopsis: Nerds unite!
For the first time ever comes a book that unites two of the best things in the world: nerd culture, and booze. Because if anything is true, it’s that nerds are awesome, and many of us like to throw back an adult beverage or two while re-watching Firefly for the seventeenth time.
The Cocktail Guide to the Galaxy has something for all fans, from Agents of Shield to X-Men. With over a hundred delicious and easy-to-make recipes, this is going to be THE go-to book for anyone who loves nerdy pop culture (and drinking). All of the cocktails are created and field tested by the owner of The Way Station, everyone’s favorite Doctor Who themed bar, so you can be assured that these drinks will quench whatever thirst you’ve got.
Cocktails include: the George R. R. Martini; the Mai Tai Fighter; Blade Rummer; the Felicia Laundry Day; the Flux Incapacitator; Close Encounters of the Third Lime; Cognac the Barbarian; the Sonic Screwdriver; Beer is the Mind Killer; the Shirley Temple of Doom; the Well Wheaton; Klingon Bloodwine; and The Vermouth is Out There.
What We Thought:
With the last names Murray, Maxwell and McAllister, it’s safe to assume we here at The Nerds Templar like to partake in an alcoholic beverage or seven. With a name like The Nerds Templar it’s also safe to assume we like nerd culture. A book about alcoholic beverages and nerd culture, well that’s just a slam dunk for us.
And that’s exactly what The Cocktail Guide to the Galaxy: A Universe of Unique Cocktails from the Celebrated Doctor Who Bar by Andy Heidel is, a book about booze and nerddom! It takes booze and gives it a nerd twist and I ate it up. That should probably say drank it up, but it’s a bit too early for puns.
The author runs a bar in New York and makes drinks pretty much anyone can make and gives them a nerdy name. Whether it’s science fiction, comics, fantasy or more, almost every genre of nerddom gets a drink. What I like most about Heidel’s book is that he simplifies the mixology. Don’t have all the necessary products to make and pour a perfect drink? Screw it, use what ya got! Heidel tells you how to use alternatives you have around your house to make and pour the drink because let’s face it, we don’t all own bars with the proper utensils and serving sizes.
Most of the drinks are pretty easy to make as well. Most are a few ingredients that you can get at a liquor store and grocery store. There are a few complicated ones that involve blenders, but most of those are for frozen drinks and mmmm frozen drinks. I also like that Heidel isn’t a label snob. In most occasions he says whiskey or vodka and not a specific name brand. There are a couple of recipes he names a specific brand, but that’s more for the taste or it’s his personal favorite. Let’s be honest, most of us nerds would rather spend $100 on a mint condition Jean Grey figure than on a bottle of Grey Goose.
The Cocktail Guide to the Galaxy: A Universe of Unique Cocktails from the Celebrated Doctor Who Bar by Andy Heidel is a nice little guide to add flair to your next get together or viewing party. Even if you’ve never made a drink before in your life, you can easily learn to make a Sonic Screwdriver. And if you don’t have enough friends for a party, you have plenty of drinks to learn to make while we wait what for feels like an eternity for the next season of Game of Thrones.
Don’t forget, partake responsibly and don’t drink and try to make the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs.
About the Author – ANDY HEIDEL is the owner of The Way Station, a bar and music venue in Brooklyn, NY. As R. Andrew Heidel he is the author of the short story collection “Desperate Moon” which features an introduction by Harlan Ellison and praise from Ray Bradbury. As a book publicist, he launched the Eos imprint and helped make Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, and Neal Stephenson bestselling authors while with Avon Books and HarperCollins. He turned to bar ownership when he was downsized, and hasn’t looked back since.
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