Book: The Periodic Table of Cocktails

Special occasion? Get a signed copy.

Looking for the perfect present? How about a signed copy of my book, made out to the cocktail lover in your life? £10 inc P&P (UK only, worldwide postage available at an extra fee), with personalised messages! Email your details to emma@ginmonkey.co.uk to arrange postage and payment. Apparently if you can find an unsigned copy they’re worth a fortune…

Stockists

Pick up a copy through the online retailers listed below. The UK version’s cover is silver, whereas the US version has a black/grey background with coloured boxes. UK copies come with a poster of the table as a fold out in the back cover, whereas the US version has it printed across two pages at the front.

The concept

The idea behind the book is to take the concept and principles behind the periodic table (that orders all of the known elements that make up the world by atomic number and therefore chemical properties and behaviour), and apply them to the topic of cocktails. The book is therefore structured around the table that sits at the front of the book (and at the back in a fold out colour poster), and the cocktail recipes within are ordered as such.

There are over 100 cocktails included in the book, each with a short background/history before a recipe and method are included. As well as classic cocktails everyone will recognise, and those deemed ‘modern classics’ I’ve also chosen some that have appeared on bar menus and from bartenders over the last couple of years. The hope is that the book therefore includes recipes for everyone, from the beginner to the more well seasoned cocktail aficionado.

The book is targeted predominantly at the home bartender, therefore all of the drinks can be made fairly easily. That being said, I have included a couple that involve slightly more complex ingredients (bacon bourbon, cardamom syrup), as the resulting cocktails are fantastic and in my mind were essential inclusions. Where this is the case, full instructions are included.

The table

The table is arranged in a way that each ‘element’ in the table is a distinctive cocktail. They are then grouped into styles of cocktails across the columns, and by predominant base alcohol across the rows (the periods). Beginning with Martini style cocktails in the first column, the cocktails get longer as you progress across the table. You’ll therefore find sours, daisies and other citrus-based cocktails in the middle of the table, before the cocktails get a tropical and fruity twist before carbonated cocktails get a look in. The final two columns are concerned with snappers (containing tomato juice) and cream/coconut/egg based drinks (like the Pina Colada, Flips and White Russians)

The rows (periods) are themed by spirit, which get ‘darker’ or ‘heavier’ as you progress down the table. So you’ll find vodka and gin at the top, and bourbon and whisky towards the bottom. The rare earth metal equivalent area of the cocktail table features drinks that contain absinthe, beer or overproof spirits. Particularly in terms of the beer and overproof spirit rows, these are more unusual cocktails you may not have come across before.

The idea behind the structure of the table is that if you are familiar with one cocktail, you will recognise similar elements/features in the cocktails surrounding it. The aim is that the table therefore becomes the basis for cocktail consumers to explore different cocktails with the confidence of knowing the kind of flavour profile the drink will have.

More information on the book can be found on my blog post.

Press

See what the world has to say…(in date order – newest to oldest):

US VERSION

The Periodic Table of Cocktails – That Dope

“The Periodic Table of Cocktails is a new fun book, a concise compendium of cocktails with foolproof recipes. The appealingly geeky book organizes the drinks by their predominant alcohol base (vodka, gin, tequila, etc.) and by cocktail styles. Instead of Helium, Hydrogen or Carbon, the elements in this periodic table are Negronis, Moscow Mules, and Mai Tais. The book also offers the background history and make-it-yourself recipe for each of the more than 100 cocktails featured, making this book educational, practical, and dangerously delicious.”

“The Periodic Table of Cocktails is a new fun book, a concise compendium of cocktails with foolproof recipes. The appealingly geeky book organizes the drinks by their predominant alcohol base (vodka, gin, tequila, etc.) and by cocktail styles. Instead of Helium, Hydrogen or Carbon, the elements in this periodic table are Negronis, Moscow Mules, and Mai Tais. The book also offers the background history and make-it-yourself recipe for each of the more than 100 cocktails featured, making this book educational, practical, and dangerously delicious.” The Periodic Table of Cocktails – Gear Hungry

“The periodic table of elements organizes chemical elements by several properties. Emma Stokes’ The Periodic Table of Cocktails aims to do the same for cocktails. While organizing drinks isn’t as simple as counting protons and studying electron configurations the book’s table lays them out by one base alcohol per row and groups them close to other cocktails with similar flavor profiles.”

“The periodic table of elements organizes chemical elements by several properties. Emma Stokes’ The Periodic Table of Cocktails aims to do the same for cocktails. While organizing drinks isn’t as simple as counting protons and studying electron configurations the book’s table lays them out by one base alcohol per row and groups them close to other cocktails with similar flavor profiles.” The Periodic Table of Cocktails – Dude I Want That

“Here’s some cocktail chemistry for those of us who aren’t so interested in performing the cocktail chemistry. The Periodic Table of Cocktails lets mixed drink lovers geek out on the science behind and relationships between their favorites without lifting a shaker.”

“Here’s some cocktail chemistry for those of us who aren’t so interested in performing the cocktail chemistry. The Periodic Table of Cocktails lets mixed drink lovers geek out on the science behind and relationships between their favorites without lifting a shaker.” The Periodic Table of Cocktails – The Awesomer

“Emma Stokes’ book of cocktail recipes organizes the drinks by their chemical composition – or at least what their primary liquor component is. Perfect for science geeks who like their booze.”

UK VERSION