“How to Drink Like a Mobster” by Albert W. A. Schmid: A Review–Quick, drink the evidence!

Hardcover, 128 pages
Published September 1st 2018 by Red Lightning Books
ISBN: 1684350492 (ISBN13: 9781684350490)
Edition Language: English

Goodreads blurb:

From John Dillinger’s Gin Fizz to Al Capone’s Templeton Rye, mobsters loved their liquor―as well as the millions that bootlegging and speakeasies made them during the Prohibition. In a time when any giggle juice could land you in the hoosegow, mobsters had their own ways of making sure the gin mill never ran dry and the drinks kept flowing. And big screen blockbusters like The Godfather, GoodFellas, and Scarface and small screen hits like The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire ensure that our obsession with mobsters won’t run dry, either.
Mixology expert Albert W. A. Schmid shows how you can recreate the allure of the gangster bar life with step-by-step instructions on how to set up the best Prohibition-style bar and pour the drinks to match. Recipes include mob favorites like the Machete, the Paralyzer, Greyhound (Salty Dog), Say Hello to My Little Friend, and Angel Face, as well as classics like the Gimlet, Kamikaze, and Bee’s Knees. How to Drink Like a Mobster also includes profiles of the most notorious mobsters’ connections to the booze business, along with tips to stay under the radar in any speakeasy: always have at least one or more aliases ready, pay with cash, don’t draw attention to yourself, and in the case of a raid, drink the evidence as fast as you can!

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Clear-cut and quick, How to Drink Like a Mobster is glimpse into the often overly glamourized life of the “American Mobster”. With dozens of easy to follow recipes for cocktails and other “Prohibition Era” drinks, along with anecdotes about how each peculiar beverage got its name, or just a small factoid that goes along with it (Corpse Reviver anybody?).

Nonfiction isn’t generally my genre but by and large, this reads more like a cookbook/drink book than it does like a piece of serious history. A short overview of famous mobsters and a handy lexicon of “traditional” mafioso jargon and then pages of drinks of all kinds and the differences between them make this book a handy thing to keep around next time you entertain.

I’m definitely looking forward to attempting to be a bartender, or just something new to try next time I go out for drinks with a friend.

3.5 Stars, rounded up to a Goodreads 4.
I got an ARC copy from a Goodreads giveaway (thanks so much), and then insert usual disclaimer here.