How much better would life be if we celebrated more? Sure, we make a big deal out of holidays and birthdays, but what if we also celebrated making it to Friday after a difficult week, paying off the car, finding the perfect boots on sale, successfully making the perfect pie crust from scratch, or avoiding a traffic jam? Wine expert and master mixologist Olly Smith is here to share all his best ideas for turning every day into a bubbly celebration.
Fizz is filled with 80 recipes for cocktails and mocktails made with only a handful of ingredients but packed with flavor, freshness, and fun. He starts us out easy, with simple classics like a Gin and Tonic, Classic Champagne Cocktail, Cider Mimosa, Virgin Bellini, or a Black Velvet (basically, Guinness with a splash of champagne—did you know this was a thing, because I did not, and I’m so much happier now that I do!).
Next, he raises the bar just a little, to the Apero, or a drink to get your taste buds ready for a meal. These are packed with interesting twists, like the Port and Pineapple, Sherbet Fizz, Orange Sake, Sham-pagne, or what has to become my signature drink. A Little Thyme in Italy (bergamot liqueur with lemon juice, thyme, and prosecco? Yes, please, and keep those coming!)
Fizz has recommendations for drinks to go with dinner: Almonds and Cream, Nothing but a Butter Beer, Highland Goose, Coco Cabana Spritz, or Englishman in Kentucky, for example. Then Smith helps us get the party started with an English Summer Highball, Sparkling Rum Punch, Napoleon’s Sangria, or Water into Wine. And then he helps us celebrate holidays with a Fruit Bonanza, Guava Glow, Whizz Paloma Fizz, or Singapore Sparkle.
You can paint the town red with a night of dancing and a Sloe and Low Fizz, Light Show, MiNOsa, San Fran Sparkler, or the gorgeous bluer than blue Discotizer. A quiet day in the garden celebrates the floral flavors of the Bees Crumble, Rum and Rhubarb Collins, Fruity Rooty, Strawberry and Basil Alfonso, or the Honey and Ginger Julep. And you can celebrate all of life’s biggest moments with the Christmas Spice, Cheers to You, Say Yes, The New Addition, Champagne Birthday Punch, or the English Sparkle.
The drinks featured in Fizz are as gorgeous as they are delicious, begging to be photographed and posted online as well as to be savored with family and friends. There are some quick tips to bring out the mixologist in you as well as as several recipes for simple syrups you can use in these recipes or simply experiment with as you add more bubbles to your life.
Fizz is a small book that won’t take up much space in your kitchen, but it will demand a space in your heart. If you need more smiles in your life, more celebrations in your days, more excuses to get together with friends and drink fabulous, flavorful cocktails, then this is the cookbook you need to elevate your bubbles. And it makes an amazing gift as well!
I’ve received a free copy of Fizz from Clarkson Potter in exchange for a free and and unbiased review, with many thanks.
