The best books of 2023

This list is part of the best books of 2023.

Join 1,707 readers and share your 3 favorite reads of the year.

My favorite read in 2023

Book cover of A Sense of Place: A journey around Scotland's whisky

Frank Caiafa Why did I love this book?

Not just another whisky-tasting book, A Sense of Place is an enlightening travelogue through Scotland’s picturesque whisky regions, exploring both old and new distilleries, their past and more importantly and uniquely, their present and future.

Investigating from the ground up, Dave Broom takes you on this journey with him as the third wheel behind him and the superb photographer, Christina Kernohan.

Reporting on the expedition as a welcoming diary, it is simultaneously warm and informative with wide-ranging topics covering the archaeology of the Orkney Islands, the role of peat through time and even touching on the politics of the 18th and 19th century that led to the ‘business’ of whisky, while seamlessly connecting them to the current effects of climate change and the sustainable whisky making movement of present-day distillers and their diversity.

I was left with Mr. Broom’s optimism for the future in general and of whisky in this regal locale. This is a book that would please the would-be world traveler as well as the whisky imbiber and one that I will surely revisit.

By Dave Broom,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Sense of Place as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'A Sense of Place blends pin-sharp writing with evocative photography in a book to savour and treasure.' - Ian Rankin

'Mr. Broom, who was born in Glasgow and has been writing about spirits for decades, is the perfect author for this beautiful, evocative book. He knows the whisky territory intimately and the people well, and he has the senses of wonder, empathy and history to tie them altogether, as well as the skill to conjure up the smell of the salt air, the sound of barley shimmering in the wind, the vibrations of hammers shaping copper into stills and the…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of Agave Spirits: The Past, Present, and Future of Mezcals

Frank Caiafa Why did I love this book?

Agave Spirits is an excellent overview of the history and future of Mezcal.

The processes at work both on and off the field with some of the world’s major players in agave are all included within. It also is a modern take on the agave industry that explains everything from the history of its distillation to current marketing and popularity.

I also appreciated the author's proactive guidelines and call to arms regarding the future of biodiversity within the agave species and its sustainability moving forward.

By Gary Paul Nabhan, David Suro Pinera,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Agave Spirits as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The agave plant was never destined to become tasteless, cheap tequila. Follow Gary Nabhan and David Suro Pinera on the trail with archaeologists and botanists to caves where 9,000-year-old remains of agaves have been found, and then fast track to the 1990s, the peak of the "margarita craze," before a deadly cocktail of microbes devastated blue agave plants on Mexican lands.

Culled from decades of fieldwork and interviews with mezcaleros in eight Mexican states, Agave Spirits reveals the stunning innovations emerging today across the mezcal supply chain and offers solutions for improving sustainability and equity. Thousands of years of tradition…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of The Maison Premiere Almanac: Cocktails, Oysters, Absinthe, and Other Essential Nutrients for the Sensualist, Aesthete, and Flaneur: A Cocktail Recipe Book

Frank Caiafa Why did I love this book?

A cocktail book from one of my favorite long-standing neighborhood Brooklyn bars.

Their appreciation of New Orleans and more importantly great food, drinks, and service is now compiled into one concise ‘almanac’ with an extraordinary section on oysters that is a must-read for any lover of these briny bivalves. I also appreciate that a fair amount of the recipes are classic in nature and fairly easy to replicate for the home user, all while explaining the origin stories of the most endearing concoctions.

By Joshua Boissy, Krystof Zizka, Jordan Mackay , William Elliott

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Maison Premiere Almanac as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A delightful, imaginative, and thoroughly original cocktail compendium and bartending manual with 90 drink recipes from the popular and influential Brooklyn bar and restaurant.

A major player in both the craft cocktail revival and the bar and restaurant renaissance, Maison Premiere offers an immersive experience that channels a time when cocktails were not merely a pleasure but an essential part of daily life in late-nineteenth-century New York, New Orleans, and Paris.

As captivating as the bar itself, The Maison Premiere Almanac is both a visual delight—drawing on photography, illustration, and graphic design—and a detailed guide to the rarefied subjects that…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

The Waldorf Astoria Bar Book

By Frank Caiafa,

Book cover of The Waldorf Astoria Bar Book

What is my book about?

ESSENTIAL FOR THE HOME BAR COCKTAIL ENTHUSIAST AND THE PROFESSIONAL BARTENDER ALIKE - From the basics and pro tips to the historical background that will tie it all together, this is a must-own book.

JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION BOOK AWARD NOMINEE: BEVERAGE
SPIRITED AWARD® NOMINEE: BEST NEW COCKTAIL & BARTENDING BOOK

"The textbook for a new generation." --Jeffrey Morgenthaler, author of The Bar Book

"A true classic in its own right . . . that will be used as a reference for the next 100 years and more." --Gary Regan, author of The Joy of Mixology
Frank Caiafa--bar manager of the legendary Peacock Alley bar in the Waldorf Astoria--stirs in recipes, history, and how-to while serving up a heady mix of the world's greatest cocktails. Learn to easily prepare pre-Prohibition classics such as the original Manhattan, or daiquiris just as Hemingway preferred them. Caiafa also introduces his own award-winning creations, including the Cole Porter, an enhanced whiskey sour named for the famous Waldorf resident.
Each recipe features tips and variations along with notes on the drink's history, so you can master the basics, then get adventurous--and impress fellow drinkers with fascinating cocktail trivia. The book also provides advice on setting up your home bar and scaling up your favorite recipe for a party.

Since it first opened in 1893, the Waldorf Astoria New York has been one of the world's most iconic hotels, and Peacock Alley its most iconic bar. Whether you're a novice who's never adventured beyond a gin and tonic or an expert looking to expand your repertoire, The Waldorf Astoria Bar Book is the only cocktail guide you need on your shelf.

Book cover of A Sense of Place: A journey around Scotland's whisky
Book cover of Agave Spirits: The Past, Present, and Future of Mezcals
Book cover of The Maison Premiere Almanac: Cocktails, Oysters, Absinthe, and Other Essential Nutrients for the Sensualist, Aesthete, and Flaneur: A Cocktail Recipe Book

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