Elena Makansi – illustratör

With at least 60 recipes, this wide-ranging drinks book is ideal for anyone building their bar library—tongue-in-cheek with humorous anecdotes and thoughtful illustrations, it will also appeal to those who appreciate light-hearted memoir and travel reading.   Long before the term “social distancing” entered the lexicon, introverts were thriving. But let’s clear one thing up right away: Being introverts doesn’t mean we’re all a bunch of hermits. Introverts like going out as much as the next person—as long as it’s a manageable, crowd-less situation with comfortable places to sit! The emptier the bar, the better. The less likely to be bothered by—GASP—other people, even more ideal.   As a professional drinks writer and editor who travels solo a great deal for a living, the author has learned a thing or two about drinking alone. For instance, seclusion is key. Look for a bar that offers numerous opportunities to sequester yourself. Avoid the communal tables, sit as close to the end of the bar as possible (a corner two-top in a darkened room is best-case-scenario), and don’t skimp on the beverage: Order something with complexity that makes you quietly contemplate what’s in your glass, how it got there, and how your surroundings are accentuating the drinking experience. Tiki bars are among the most conducive to that vibe, as everything from the ingredients, to the décor, to the music is designed for just soaking it all in without distraction, but never discount the daytime dive bar either.  Imbibing for Introverts combines the social survival tactics taught in guides like The Introvert’s Way with the appreciation for thoughtful drinking found in travelogues like Around the World in 80 Cocktails. From Frankie’s Tiki Room in Las Vegas, to New York’s Dead Rabbit cocktail bar, to San Francisco’s Chinatown dive bar Li Po, Imbibing for Introverts helps solo drinkers confidently pull up a seat at every genre and subgenre of drinking establishment. The book begins in readers’ most comfortable setting—their own homes—before taking them out on the town, to bars across the country and, finally, overseas. There are more than a dozen chapters divided by bar type, along with an introduction (“Introvert’s Manifesto”) and epilogue (“Quarantine Confessions”). Each chapter features drink recommendations and cocktail recipes that relate to the particular setting, so if desired, you could also partake without the annoyance and sometimes anxiety-ridden task of leaving the house.