Book Club Bar

The plot thickens. So does the drinks menu.

You’ve chosen the book, marked the passages and prepared a perfectly reasonable argument about the ending. Now for the refreshments. Book Club Bar brings more than 50 easy-to-make cocktails, mocktails and cosy drinks to the reading table, with literary inspiration ranging from Jane Austen and James Baldwin to Ruth Ware and Sarah J. Maas.

Written by the founders of New York City’s part-bookstore, part-bar gathering place, this photographed collection pairs recipes with the stories behind them. Try an It Ends with Citrus, a Murder on the Orient Espresso Martini or a Picture of Dorian Earl Grey, then explore author spotlights, book-club advice and 100 suggested reads. The discussion may wander. At least the drinks will be on theme.

Details

• By Nat Esten and Erin Neary, founders of New York City’s Book Club Bar, established in 2019
• Hardback, published August 2026
• More than 50 easy-to-make recipes for literary cocktails, mocktails and cosy drinks
• Photographed recipes with explanations of their bookish inspiration
• Author spotlights and tips for making cocktails and mocktails
• Advice for starting a book club, plus suggested themes and genres
• A list of 100 favourite titles for book-club reading

Perfect for

• Book-club hosts who take the refreshments as seriously as the reading
• Literary pun enthusiasts with a cocktail shaker or a well-stocked tea shelf
• Readers building a community around good books and long conversations