Thank you to Titan Books for sending me a copy of Star Trek Cocktails: A Stellar Compendium in exchange for an honest review.
Even (or perhaps especially) when exploring the final frontier, humanity loves to sip on a cocktail. Whether you’re having a nightcap or throwing a time-looped rager, Star Trek Cocktails: A Stellar Compendium is filled with a multitude of drink recipes to wet your whistle. The title is written by Glenn Dakin, with art by Adrian Salmon, photographs by David Burton & Jess Esposito, and Simon Pellet and Adrian Calderbank consulting on mixology. For Trekkies who enjoy the occasionally adult beverage (or two), Star Trek Cocktails won’t disappoint.
Second Contact
But first things first: you may already have this book on your shelf. That’s because Star Trek Cocktails is a Titan Books re-release of a title previously published by Eaglemoss. There are no updates to the text for the re-release (aside from a slight realignment of the page numbers). In fact, the difference between the two publications is more or less cover deep.
Namely, the Eaglemoss release had a fabric cover. Meanwhile, the Titan release has a glossier cover. The difference here is only cosmetic and will probably come down to personal preference. However, I imagine the new release will repel spilled liquid more effectively. This might be preferable; my original edition looks a bit like the transporter console Bradward and Rutherford spilled their drinks on in Star Trek: Lower Decks’ “Fully Dilated.”
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Both covers have embossed silver text and images (although the Titan Books release does have non-embossed text for the book description). The logos for the different publishers appear on their respective releases. The endpapers in the Titan Books release are printed on slightly glossier paper than the ones in the Eaglemoss release. Otherwise, the content of both releases (and the helpful placeholder ribbon) are essentially identical.
So, if you do have the original Eaglemoss release, you will probably want to pass on the Titan Books version of Star Trek Cocktails. That is unless your copy has gone the way of the USS Enterprise-D in Star Trek: Generations. But if you haven’t had a chance to pick up Star Trek Cocktails already, here’s why you should consider doing so now.
From “The Cage” Through DISCO (or So)
After an introduction, Star Trek Cocktails is divided into eight chapters. Each of these chapters contains a different category of cocktail. These include titles such as “First Contact (Aperitifs),” “Holodeck Honeymoon (Romantic),” “Neelix’s Celebration Cocktails (Party Time!)” and “From Vic Fontaine With Love (Lonely Nights).”
As you might imagine, each of the drinks has a Franchise-themed name. Some of these are more general (“Set Chasers to Stun”), while some are dedicated to specific characters (“Worf’s Smooth Move,” which naturally contains prune juice). Each of the 40 drink recipes is accompanied by an illustration (in various styles) or a photograph. And between the drinks are pages with drink-related dialogue and imagery from the Star Trek shows (up to Star Trek: Picard).
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When it comes to the drinks themselves, I have yet to be disappointed by any of the recipes I have tried. I have particularly enjoyed the tasty “Spock’s Slipper.” Composed of tequila, Midori, and lime juice and garnished with a maraschino cherry, it is (as suggested by the accompanying text) perfect for “a warm spring or summer day — on a Class-M planet.” Another memorable drink is the “Uhura’s ‘Distress Call’ Dawa.” Let’s just say this vodka-based beverage earns its inclusion in the “Emergency Medical Cocktails (Relax and Recover)” chapter of the book.
For the most part, the equipment required for the recipes is standard for a drink-making kitchen: mainly a shaker, shot glasses, or, in a few instances, a blender. However, some of the garnishes and ingredients might require a specialty store. Each drink comes with a recommended style of glass. However, if you don’t happen to have a parfait glass or cocktail glass on hand, the beverages taste just as good out of whatever you might have in your cabinet.
Star Trek Cocktails: A Stellar Compendium
My only complaint? It’s a little disappointing to see a new release of the book without at least a few more recipes. Who wouldn’t want to try some of the drinks from Star Trek: Section 31’s hotspot, the Baraam? Lower Decks, in particular, could easily support its own chapter. Maybe we’ll get a cocktail section in the Cali class cookbook we so richly deserve.
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But aside from that, Star Trek Cocktails is a worthy addition to your cookbook shelf. Hey, I hear those micheladas are pretty messy, anyway.
Star Trek Cocktails: A Stellar Companion is available now at a local bookstore and/or public library near you.
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