ThirstyforKnowledge

An encyclopedia of drinks — mixed, poured, brewed and whisked

Contents

How-to guides

The techniques behind the recipes, from the cellar to the tea bowl. Every figure is taken from a named source, listed at the foot of each guide.

Beer

  1. 1.How to pull the perfect pintCask ale through a handpump, keg beer from the tap and stout's two-part pour: clean glasses, the right temperature and a proper head.
  2. 2.How to pour bottled and canned beerTilt, pour, straighten: how to pour a bottle or can for a good head, what to do with yeast sediment, and the German wheat beer pour.
  3. 3.A guide to beer stylesMild, bitter, pale ale, IPA, stout, porter, lager and wheat beer: what each style tastes like, based on CAMRA's style notes.

Cider & perry

  1. 4.Cider and perry explainedWhat cider and perry are, CAMRA's definition of 'real' cider, and the main British styles from tannic Western cider to keeved and Eastern counties styles.

Cocktail craft

  1. 5.Cocktail techniques: shake, stir, build and moreWhen to shake and when to stir, plus building, muddling, double straining, layering, blending, rinsing and working with egg white.
  2. 6.Ice: the most important cocktail ingredientCubes, large blocks, cracked and crushed ice: which to use for which drink, how to make crushed ice at home, and keeping ice fresh.
  3. 7.Garnishes: twists, wheels, rims and moreHow to cut a citrus twist and express its oils, salt and sugar rims, herbs, spices and the classic garnishes in IBA specifications.

Bar basics

  1. 8.Home bar basics: kit, measures, syrups and bottlesThe essential tools, UK spirit measures, how to make sugar and honey syrups, fresh citrus, and a sensible starter set of bottles.

Glassware

  1. 9.Glassware: which glass for which drinkCoupes, martini glasses, rocks, highballs and flutes; nonic pints, tulips and weizen glasses; Irish coffee glasses, and how to look after them.

Tea

  1. 10.How to make a proper cup of teaFresh water, the right temperature, enough time and milk at the right moment: tea-making advice from Yorkshire Tea and the UK Tea & Infusions Association.
  2. 11.Types of tea: black, green, oolong, white and moreAll 'real' tea comes from one plant. How black, green, oolong, white and compressed teas are made, well-known varieties, and why herbal 'teas' aren't tea.

Matcha

  1. 12.Matcha: usucha, koicha and how to whiskWhat matcha is, the difference between thin usucha and thick koicha, the tools you need, and Ippodo's quantities and temperatures.

Coffee

  1. 13.Coffee basics: grind, ratio, temperature and timeThe four things that control how coffee tastes, with brew ratios and times for espresso, cafetière, pour-over, AeroPress and cold brew.

Drinking responsibly

  1. 14.Drinking responsibly: the UK guidelinesThe UK Chief Medical Officers' low-risk drinking guidelines, what a unit is, alcohol and young people, and where to get help.