Friday Night Cocktails: 52 Drinks to Welcome Your Weekend

Mixologist Dean debuts with an appealing if slight collection of 52 cocktails, one for each Friday night of the year. The recipes are organized by season, from autumn to summer, and range from classic standbys—including a negroni sbagliato for fall and hot toddies for winter—to less familiar offerings, such as the aviation, made with gin and crème de violette, for spring and the absinthe-based necromancer for summer. Home bartenders won’t need to strictly follow Dean’s calendar to get enjoyment from these drinks, but the author does make good use of seasonal flavors with a pumpkin pie cocktail in October, a cranberry mule with “holiday spirit written all over it” in December, and a piña colada for a hot summer night. Each recipe is accompanied by a suggested variation, often featuring more or less alcohol than the original. Despite its brevity, the volume can become repetitive; much of the page count is eaten up by the four types of martinis and the variants listed for each. (Dean is self-aware about this, writing, “Are you getting bored of martini variations yet?”) Still, gorgeous photography, simple instructions, and handy tips throughout—including how to create the perfect egg white foam—make this a valuable companion for anyone looking to expand their cocktail repertoire. (Nov.)