UNVARNISHED :: Eric Alperin

A version of this review previously appeared in Shelf Awareness and is republished here with permission.

In Unvarnished, Eric Alperin shares how his life changed when he walked into Milk & Honey, a classic cocktail bar in New York City run by Sasha Petraske, who's credited with inventing modern cocktail culture. Alperin was an actor; after receiving his MFA but having no plan or money, he got his bartending diploma and became a "double threat." He eventually realized he had "every applicable neurosis" for bar work. People think he's a junkie, but he's really just a dyslexic who requires stimulation and organization, which he finds to the extreme behind the bar. The actor found the stage of a lifetime, a play that never stops.

Alperin fell hard, diving into all aspects of the trade. Alperin and Petraske eventually teamed up to open The Varnish in Los Angeles, hoping to create a port in a storm, to comfort and mend, celebrate and serve. A place locals and travelers alike thought of as home, gifted with the "intangible third rail of love."

Part memoir, part bar story and part captivating instructional, Unvarnished is a love story to the cocktail, its culture and those who foster it, Petraske in particular. Alperin's exquisite descriptions of bars, tool setups and mixing will have cocktail enthusiasts salivating. Newcomers will be eager to learn details they never imagined, such as the section on ice (the "bartender's flame," harvested from blocks in techniques dating back to 1800), that shows it's the little things that support a beautiful symphony.

STREET SENSE:  As a novice cocktail nerd and block-carved clear ice maker, any book that discusses cocktail ice carving is ok with me. But the entirety of Alperin's story had me entranced. As a fellow OCD-er, just the descriptions of him setting out his tools gave me chills. So yeah, this was right in my weirdo wheelhouse, but if you are at all interested in cocktails, what it takes to run or open a bar, what makes good service and a good environment, the craft cocktail revolution (not the douchey one), or how one guy makes a success out of the weirdo tools he has, give this one a read. I loved it.

COVER NERD SAYS: So listen. I love a dude in shirtsleeves as much as the next person who is attracted to dudes. And this is a great bar shot. But the bar essential lover in me would have loved a cover concentrating more on the glass, booze, garnish, wood, all that great BAR STUFF. But I can't complain (all prior words to the contrary), this is a great, inviting cover.