Mike Slater - Lovecraft Cocktails: Elixirs & Libations from the Lore of H. P. Lovecraft

LOVECRAFT COCKTAILS LOVECRAFT COCKTAILS ELIXIRS & LIBATIONS FROM THE LORE
OF H. P. LOVECRAFT MIKE SLATER As the 13 Sacred Bartenders of Leng knew in ancient days now muddled in the depths of thyme it all starts with the drinks. Potions, elixirs, libationswhat are they if not cocktails? What do they do, if not attempt to bring us closer to the Numinous, to thin the Veil, and to tune that exquisite gelationous universe between our ears as we attempt to apprehend this nonsense we refer to as reality? As H. P. Lovecraft himself put it, all our respected forbears indulged in the flowing bowl to such an extent as to make fishes seem land animals by comparison.

The tradition is as long and storied as stories, so, as any mixologist will do, why not combine them and see what happens? Turn-of-last-century horror literature inspired cocktails? Sure, why not? Fans of our first work of dark culinary delights, The Necronomnomnom, are ever-interested in more drinks. The six libations found gracing its pages are never enough. Mere appetizers before the appetizers. When we asked if we should do more drinks, the response was resounding, immediate, and suggestive of insatiable thirst. We shall see, for within the pages of this tome lie more than six dozen cocktails inspired by dreaming cities, sunken citadels, mad prophets, necromancers, wizards, monsters, and titans of literature. This handy (tentacly?) guide is designed to provide the professional and the home party host with an extensive resource for creating a blend (all puns are intendedthe books draw power from your screams and laughter I wont say which they prefer ) of unique and almost-familiar cocktails sure to appeal to both the casual horror aficionado and the lore-steeped cultist, alike.

And for the uninitiated? Oh, you are in for a ride. References abound, should a fragment of text or an image tug at your awareness with unexpected strengthbe not surprised. There is much to explore and many an appropriate beverage to accompany your descent into madness. This work offers a mix (look, I have to keep up the puns or well, lets just leave it at that I have to ) of both simple variants for busy bartenders and complex concoctions for the refined host or exclusive establishment wishing to offer guests and patrons something exquisitely outr to imbibe. Each is designed to have sensual visual appeal (in the right light, vessel, and configuration of celestial bodies) as well as flavor.

Adventurous vendors of victuals and purveyors of liquorous libations will love this book as much as the party host looking to select a few unusual comestibles for discerning guests attending a themed party. Adventurous vendors of victuals and purveyors of liquorous libations will love this book as much as the party host looking to select a few unusual comestibles for discerning guests attending a themed party.

For collectors of Lovecraftiana and fans of The Necronomnomnom, this tome is meant as a comely companion and diabolical denizen for your liquor cabinets or basement bar. Seventy-six cocktails ranging from the seductively simple to the fiendishly fancy grace pages designed to be easy to mix from while the sanity-searing art whets the palette of the intended imbiber. Herein you will find powerful spirits bound in lovely liquids. Do not summon what you cannot put down never carried more import as sage advice. In fact, it was the last thing one of our test sages said before sliding under the table. Surely, wisdom is wasted on the wise at times Each drink is drawn from some work of fiction, prose, film, or even the shadowed corridors of the Web Between Worlds.

Weird tales of the sort H. P. Lovecraft rose from the grave to become a high priest of dominate here (of course)but are accompanied by derivations and complimentary modernities that might not exist were it not for him and his contemporaries. What would he think of this tome so inspired by his work, he who said, Let the graces of wine live in literature? Nothing good. But then, so many of the mans opinions were so deeply wrongwhy should we concern ourselves with them now; and why should his opinion of drink matter in the least? Should you wish to hear it from his desiccated lips, here is an excerpt: With so many other destroying agencies at work, liquor may well be classed as a minor eviland after all, it does not greatly matter whether or not civilisation decaysor at what speed it decays. H. P. P.

Lovecraft to Zealia Brown Reed, February 13, 1928, The Spirit of Revision Perhaps he could have benefited from a relaxing cocktail or seventy? We cannot know, but we can try them, and engage in wild supposition at great length. In fact, a few of these administered in the proper setting might help. Just be prudent, I advise you. Saying, Hit me again, Bartender to something with an uncountable number of night-black tentacles might leave a mark. Enjoy this collection of near-classics and neoclassics as well as the seemingly bonkers ones. Lovecraft refused to be dictated to by the superficial customs of any age [and] place, so why should our beverages be? Explore responsibly.

We want you to return to this plane and these pages with wonder and joy, flavor and fervor. May the speakeasy of things not easily spoken welcome you. May your vessel always be fullMay the hood of your robe conceal allMay you arrive in accordance with prophecyAnd may you sip joyfully from the deepest wells of night Stay thirsty, my fiends.

A bar book, which is what this is, is necessarily designed for bars and restaurants as well as home enthusiasts. For this reason, many of the recipes herein are meant to be interesting and elegant variations that are fairly straightforward and easy to prepare. We had to be mindful of the sanity of countless heretofore uninitiated bartenders and mixologists.

Several were summoned and subjected to our elixirs, and some were contributed by them. That said, we have clairvoyant cultists and intrepid investigators to please first and foremost. The book is written with you consummate connoisseurs, esoteric entertainers, and eldritch experimenters in mind at all times. You will find appropriately fiddly concoctions strewn through these pages as well. While we hope that you might see some of these in fine establishments that cater to crowds or events thirsty for such things, they were created with the home bar (or laboratory) in mind. Most importantly, the aesthetic of