Beach Cocktails: Your Ticket to Year-Round Tropical Vibes (Even from Your Kitchen!), a Review

 

There's so much to love about Beach Cocktails, the fresh new book from Gibbs Smith edited by Allyson Reedy (with beautiful photography by Lauren McDuffie). First off, it's perfectly compact—roughly 5" x 8" and just 144 pages—so it slips effortlessly into a beach bag, tote, or even your kitchen drawer. The sturdy hardcover means it can handle a little sand, sunscreen smudges, or poolside splashes without falling apart. Practical perfection! 

But let's be real: the real magic is inside. I've flipped through countless cocktail books over the years, yet this one had me discovering drinks I'd never even heard of. Picture these gems: Octopus Oasis, Pink Sand Citrus Sunset, Poolside Dragon Fruit Margarita—you get the tropical drift. The recipes are clear, concise, and approachable, with stunning photos that make you want to mix one immediately.

What sets it apart even more? It doesn't stop at drinks. There's a solid lineup of snacks to pair perfectly—think Spicy Baked Plantain Chips, Area 31 Hummus, Jerk-Spiked Chicken Wings, and more. Plus, you'll find essential how-tos for homemade syrups, infusions, and sourcing those hard-to-find tropical ingredients. Frozen libations get their own spotlight (Ninja slushie experiments incoming!), and there's a thoughtful selection of mocktails that feel just as fun and creative—no booze required.

The recipes come straight from top mixologists, bartenders, and iconic spots worldwide—Death & Co, Four Seasons resorts, legendary tiki bars, and beyond. It's like a global vacation in cocktail form, all without leaving home. Classics like Mai Tais, Margaritas, Rum Punch, and Painkillers are here too, elevated with pro tips on techniques, equipment, and infused rums to level up your game.

With a publication date of April 7th, it landed just in time for Mother's Day gifting, summer vibes, or as the ultimate hostess/host present for anyone who loves a good drink (or a great non-alcoholic sip). I'm diving in this afternoon—five o'clock somewhere, right?

If you're craving that umbrella-drink escape, this is your new go-to. Highly recommend!

 

Order your copy here. 

 Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

50 Things to Bake Before You Die, a Review

I think that we are all familiar with the “bucket list” books. You know what I’m talking about, books with titles that start with “1000 Things to…Before You Die.” There are books on things to do, places to go, things to see, restaurants to visit, there are similar books for nearly every state and major city in the country. Sure, a lot of those things are doable, and many of them are fun, but 1000? Really? Isn’t that a bit much? Here’s a book that doesn’t overwhelm you with the numbers, features things you can do from home, and ways to please and delight friends and family in the doing.

50 Things to Bake Before You Die by Allyson Reedy features 50 recipes for cakes, pies, brownies, cookies, and other sweet treats. One recipe looks better than the other, all of them look totally doable even for the inexperienced baker, and each recipe is well worth trying. Lest you think Reedy to be a “morbid chick” as she puts it, with her juxtaposition of baking and death, she wants to assure her reader that, because we’re all on a clock, we should bake, eat, and enjoy. She further admonishes would-be bakers to not beat themselves up if the end results don’t look picture perfect. It’s all about the taste.

Both professionals and the author herself took the photos that appear in this book. Notes from the creator precede each recipe. It’s important to mention, I think, that these favorite recipes of Reedy’s are from some of the greatest bakers and chefs, from small town cafés to fancy restaurants to TV show hosts. In doing so, the author provides a wide range of favorites, as well as for varied tastes and techniques.

Having purchased, given away, and re-purchased a Madeleine pan. I chose to make the Madeleines from chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud. Because I am a lover of lemon, I changed his recipe slightly by adding a little bit of lemon oil to increase the taste. They were delicious! Next up, I tried the brown sugar peach cobbler. I am a nut for peach cobbler, and wasn’t about to wait until July when fresh peaches became available, so I made do with frozen; again, really delicious.Strawberry Hand Pies, from Tracy Wilk of #BakeItForward called to me because Wilk described herself as a pie hater. I often describe myself in the same way, once referring to pies as “the liver of desserts.” She clarifies by saying that she is a “bad pie hater.” I don’t need that type of clarification; I’m not a fan in general. Still, her refreshing and honest attitude had me making these pies (shortening the process by replacing her crust with puff pastry), and they were fun to make and delicious as an afternoon treat.

The book is divided into five chapters: Cookies, Cakes, Pies & Tarts, Things You Eat with Your Hands, and Things You Probably Shouldn’t Eat with Your Hands. It is refreshing, honest, offers up a variety of thoughts and opinions, features desserts from all categories, some more difficult than others, and provides the baker with some tasty goals while he or she is here on planet earth. If it is lacking anywhere, it is in failing to provide a much-needed index, something I have noticed lacking in many modern cookbooks. If you can live with that, then you will certainly enjoy this book.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

 ​Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of 50 Things to Bake Before You Die from Ulysses Press in exchange for an honest review.