Book Review: Forbidden Cocktails: Libations Inspired By The World Of Pre-Code Hollywood

Title: Forbidden Cocktails: Libations Inspired By The World Of Pre-Code Hollywood

By: Andre Darlington

Publisher: Running Press – Turner Classic Movies

ISBN: 978-0-7624-8520-8 (hardcover)

ISBN: 978-0-7624-8521-5 (ebook)

If you like cocktails, you’ll like this book. If you like pre-Code films, you’ll like this book. If you like cocktails and pre-Code films, you’ll love this book!

Andre Darlington has put together a unique collection of cocktail recipes based on some of the most famous pre-Code films from The Divorce (1930) to The Thin Man (1934).

The cocktails may be the hook, but there’s a lot of great information on the pre-Codes featured. I realized that I haven’t seen all the “classic” pre-Codes highlighted including Anybody’s Woman (1930) starring Ruth Chatterton and Paul Lukas, directed by Dorothy Arzner. Chatterton’s film career was at its peak during the pre-Code era.

The book is filled with beautiful photographs of classic movie stars, posters, and cocktails. Put this book on your coffee table and I bet it will generate some great conversation and maybe a bit of cocktail sampling!

The cocktail Passage to Paradise is based on the weepy One Way Passage (1932) starring William Powell and Kay Francis.

Here’s the recipe:

• 2 ounces London Dry gin
• 1 ounce dry vermouth
• 1 bar spoon kirschwasser
• 1 dash orange bitters
• Orange peel, for garnish
• Cocktail olive, for garnish

Stir gin, dry vermouth, kirschwasser, and bitters with ice. Stain into a cocktail glass and garnish with an orange peel and an olive.