Cocktail Wonk's "Minimalist Tiki" Book

Anybody have the new book, "Minimalist Tiki" by Matt Piertrek and Carrie Smith? I just discovered it thanks to a link on the Grogalizer, and I've very intrigued.

Only available in person from the author, or here: https://minimalisttiki.com

[ Edited by: Hamo 2019-07-30 19:28 ]

I don't own it, but I've got a new bottle of Kraken rum that would compliment this book nicely. I might have to order a copy! I seem to collect Tiki-themed recipe books more than I actually use them. However, Minimalist Tiki and my bottle of Kraken seem destined to meet. Thanks for the heads up!

It's wonderful.

My review:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0jjTEIA-9Y/

It’s here, and it’s incredible.

My copy of Minimalist Tiki arrived today and it is no doubt the Tiki Book of the Year (and there have been some fine entries already). This thing is massive - it weighs more than the Smuggler’s Cove book! Authors Matt Pietrek and Carrie Smith definitely come to Tiki from a cocktail sensibility (rather than from an art, music, or cultural side). There is detailed info here about cocktail formulas, ingredients, and (surprise to nobody who reads Matt’s Cocktail Wonk blog) a great deal of detail about rum and spirits. Lots of rum brand recommendations and importantly for someone starting out this is current 2019 latest info.

Then there are recipes after recipes after recipes from the authors as well as a murderers row of accomplished bartenders, such as Jason Alexander, Chad Austin, Doc Parks, Marie King, Kevin Beary, and many more!

And, finally, there it is. On page 175! The recipe for my “white whale” of a cocktail - the Disco Banana. Thank you to Jeannie Grant for publishing this. Now I just need to get a few more ingredients and see if I can make these at home as good as they are from Zombie Village. Want the recipe? Buy the book!

This book will take a lot of time to read. Such an inspiration to see all the wonderful cocktails.

Just ordered mine. Been following Matt's Insta and blog for a while now and can't wait to take a deep dive into this one.

Cool. I will start budgeting for the book, and figure out how to make space on the shelf for it.

It just might be getting added to the Grogalizer so all the nerds can share their experiences with the recipes...

Oh! You're "UlitmateMaiTai" Kevin? Heh. The more you know...

I received my copy last week. So far, I like it! I'm pretty eager to dig into the rum distillation chapters, but have only read the intro and browsed the recipes and rum categories.

We get thirty classic tiki recipes and a bunch of new ones from different bars/mixologists. It's a bit of a departure from most of the current tiki mixologist books which combine core subject matter with a smattering of memorabilia. This one seems to be all about the booze. So it appears to be aptly titled!

Hey all! Thanks for the very kind words. The book really was a labor of love for Carrie and I.

Also, a bit more about the book: Short of running the printing presses, Carrie and I, with help from a very small team did everything ourselves over a very short period - Nov. 2018 to April of 2019.

So far, sales have been really great. Besides our own site, a few bars and other sites are purchasing entire cases to resell. we love this!

Our initial print run was 1500 copies, which cost us over five figures to do. It was a big financial risk! However, looking at our sales, we decided last week to double down and order another 1500 copies. It's another huge risk, but we believe the Tiki community is good-hearted and wants to suppport grass-roots efforts like ours.

As such, every reference to the book, every share, everybody you tell about it helps us out. We don't have a big publisher or a big PR firm promoting it. We're counting on very large and friendly Tiki community to help spread the word.

Cheers, and Mahalo!

Matt & Carrie

[ Edited by: cocktailwonk 2019-08-25 20:23 ]

Welcome to TC cocktailwonk!

Welcome to TC, Matt! I just ordered my copy, and I'm really looking forward to digging into it.

[ Edited by: Hamo 2019-08-26 23:18 ]

Got my copy from the post office today and have already skimmed through it, read the first few chapters, and made a couple of drinks. This book is even better than I imagined it was. The design and photography is beautiful; the emphasis on starting with minimally necessary ingredients to create classic tiki drinks will be helpful for anyone just starting out (I for one wish I'd had this as a resource years ago); and the spotlight on "new wave" tiki bartenders and bars--and their recipes--adds to the historical record.

Plus, there's another great shout out to TC:

It definitely belongs on the shelf right next to Smuggler's Cove and the Bum's books, and if you don't have it yet, don't dally any longer.

Thanks for the kind words, Hamo. Do you mind if I add your take to my Minimalist Tiki web site, in the "reviews" section?

By all means; I’d be honored. And thanks for inadvertently reminding me to pick up the book again and finish reading it....

I'm subscribed to Cocktail Wonk's RSS feed and eagerly read all of his new posts but have been holding off on buying his book. All the praise has convinced me to get the book!

Thank you Matt for supporting Apple Pay on your site.

Minimalist Tiki arrived today. It's a heavy book! Much heavier than the "minimalist" title would leave me to believe.

On 2019-11-08 17:14, Scott McGerik wrote:
Minimalist Tiki arrived today. It's a heavy book! Much heavier than the "minimalist" title would leave me to believe.

For "Minimal" it's a great big beefy read.

So worth the price of admission.

I wish I had received this book 10 years ago.

Ten years ago, I was still enamored with making Tiki cocktails at home.

Today, not in the least.

Tiki cocktails are overly complex, require esoteric and hard-to-find ingredients, and are sugar bombs ( I have Type 1 diabetes ).

The above said, had I read Matt's book 10 years ago, I would have come to a mutual understanding and appreciation of Tiki cocktails. But now, it is a martini I desire.

Just wanted to say Thanks to Swanky for adding these to Grogalizer! I really enjoy all the drinks from the different bars around the world and used Grogalizer and Minimallist Tiki over NYE!