An old-fashioned is bedecked with a requisite strip of bacon, to make it a complete meal. It’s one of the many classic cocktails with a twist covered in Julia Harting-Black’s new book Remixology./Courtesy photo

Another round

Local author follows up ‘Cocktails at Dinner’ with ‘Remixology’

by Joy Martin

A a couple dozen voices filled the cozy space of The Bookcase & The Barber last week as cocktail glasses clinked in merriment and local author Julia Hastings-Black made the rounds among non-teetotalers. There for the release party of her widely popular cocktail-central cookbook, people anxiously awaiting the chef-writer to sign copies of her latest book, ReMixology – which incidental was the topseller at  Maria’s Bookshop that week.

Revelers savored stuffed figs with prosciutto and other tasty bites prepared by Hastings-Black herself (when not writing books, she’s the sous chef at Nature’s Oasis) while poised and bubbling with enthusiasm, she introduced the gorgeous photos and intoxicating stories found between the covers of ReMixology. With a degree in literature from Cornell and a passion for literary characters, the Washington, D.C., native and her newest tome were in their element at the old bookstore-turned-speakeasy. 

“I love to party and I love books,” laughed Hastings-Black as she thanked The B&B, Maria’s Bookshop, Nature’s Oasis, and 25 or so sippers and imbibers for supporting the sold-out event.

“She’s the only local author to ever sell all of her books in one sitting,” says Roger Cottingham, Community Relations Manager for Maria’s Bookshop. According to him, last fall – at a speed-dating-esque local authors fair – Hastings-Black’s first book, Cocktails at Dinner, flew off the table in less than five minutes, a feat that’s never been done before.

To further add to her cred, Hasting-Black’s great-great-grand- mother, pen name Madame St-Ange, was a food writer as well. A Parisian, she wrote La Bonne Cuisine in 1927, and she and her husband started one of the world’s first food magazines (she even has her own Wikipedia page.)

Nevertheless, Hasting-Black’s coquettish smile and sparkling brown eyes sure don’t discourage patrons from purchasing the thirst-quenching novelty, not to mention the classic nature of the book itself, destined to become any curious, cavalier bartender’s (or stay-at-home mom’s) new best friend.

Celebrating 10 iconic cocktails and the evolution of their buzz-inducing formulas into creative, irresistible spin-offs, ReMixology is the beautiful younger sister to Cocktails at Dinner, which is ideal for the host or hostess who’s ever fretted over how to pair a Sarsaparilla Old Fashioned with Yak Meatloaf. Both were written with Hastings-Black’s East Coast-based co-author, Michael Turback. 

From the Manhattan to the Green Mary (a tomatillo bloody Mary), ReMixology takes readers on a page-turning journey that follows the progression of cocktail culture through decades of taste-testing and concocting from, we can only imagine, some of history’s most stalwart boozers.

Each section of the book introduces a standard cocktail, replete with totally sober insights about its lively genealogy, and then garnishes is with over a dozen adaptations gathered from both vintage and modern-day cocktail magicians. Easy recipes invite you to kick back in the comfort of your home bar and give these scintillating beverages a whirl. 

“Grounded in history and elevated by fresh ingredients and a sense of fun,” Hastings-Black read from the glossy pages of ReMixology at the start of last Wednesday evening’s soiree, which was such a wild success that it might be followed up with another round.

If you can’t wait to see what possibilities might arise from mixing one of these stout potions, then hurry to Maria’s Bookshop for your very own copy of ReMixology. Speakeasy password not required.