Introduction

I like mixed drinks. I have some favorites, but I like to try new ones as well. At restaurants I will frequently ask the bartender to make me a mixed drink of their choice. A waiter will recommend a dish off the menu, but ask a bartender to recommend a drink and they freeze. Try it sometime.

To expand my repertoire of drinks, I asked for Mix, Shake, Stir for Christmas. And I got it! Like many Williams Sonoma cookbooks, I think this one is more likely to be found on a living room coffee table than on a kitchen counter. I, however, in the interest of expanding my horizons and trying new things am going to make every drink in the book. The drinks start on page 17 and seem to end on 184. Sometimes two to a page, sometimes just a photo. We'll round it to about 170 drinks. Daunting, but I am undeterred. Undeterred by the obscure ingredients from asian markets. Undeterred by the liquors and liqueurs that I'll never use again. Undettered by the make ahead ingredients. I am undeterred!

Okay, after flipping through the book and finding a recipe that calls for 1/4 ounce of St-Germain elderflower liqueur, I am slightly deterred. But let's get started and see where it goes. I'm not going to obsess over getting the brand's that the recipes "prefer", but other than that I'm going to be as faithful as I can be.

Let's go!