Subjects

The bible for every aspiring sommelier and for fans of Italy’s most iconic drink: wine.

A complete handbook, dealing with all aspects from viticulture to oenology, from national and international oenography to tasting, representing the indispensable support for the study of the sommelier profession in Italy and worldwide.

Vaccarini’s volume allows the reader to acquire an all-round technical and cultural background not only on the world of wine, but also on the other drinks that accompany meals. The new sommelier, as interpreted by modern catering, will in fact also have to know and match food with distillates, liqueurs, infusions or mineral waters.

Giuseppe Vaccarini, author and President of ASPI, Associazione Sommellerie Professionale Italiana (Italian Professional Sommelier Association), is the excellence in the Italian wine sector.

How do colours affect the creation of a cocktail and how should they be balanced in a glass? In this book, the “spice master bar-lady” explains the secret colour combinations in contemporary mixology.

Describing a watermelon magenta, a basil green, a lemon yellow, a liquorice black, a strawberry red or a chocolate brown is easy because their names describe the expectations you’ll have when tasting them. However, everyone has their own imagery of a sky blue, therefore the author tries to make it objective by creating a sky-blue cocktail that anyone can recognize.

Here cocktails are conceived between stills, mortars, scales, stoves, ampoules, decorated vases filled with cardamom, nutmeg, ginger and many other elements of unconventional concoctions. In this manual, the author explains how to make a cocktail starting from the colour taken from natural ingredients and food colourings to create a new drink that can stimulate discerning consumers.

99 well-known cocktails are present, which have been reinterpreted by the author, complete with photographs and a technical preparation sheet.

Edited by Federico Mastellari, this edition has been updated to the official IBA 2023 list, with the most well-known, successful, and appreciated cocktails by the International Bartending Association, but also the great drinks left off the list.

The book is divided into three sections: the first two sections collect all the information a bartender should know to mix and make a cocktail (spirits and other ingredients, equipment, glasses, cocktail construction techniques and “homemade” preparations from raw materials).

The third section is the core of the book: a description sheet is given for each cocktail, showing photos of the drink, historical notions, the official IBA 2023 recipe, the recipe with products and balances suggested by the author, the description of the preparation and tips not to be missed, the alcohol content and the flavour.

The photographs have always been edited by Felix Reed, one of the 200 best advertising photographers in the world.

A description of Milanese gastronomy and culinary customs through 160 recipes adorned by the illustrations of Andrea Antinori, winner of the 2023 International Illustration Award at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair.

Collected in just one book there are the history, anecdotes, techniques, products and language of a unique cuisine, which forms an integral part of the life and culture of Milan.

Luigi Veronelli’s historical foreword introduces what has now become a classic of the cuisine of Milan, which now features new images to make this volume more approachable by younger generation readers.

Here is the world of coffee from A to Z for professionals and demanding consumers, with every phase of the production and roasting process up to technical tasting and cupping detailed by a stand-out figure in the industry.

The book is divided into sections packed with photos, illustrations, infographics and focus call-outs, providing plenty of information on the product and the figures involved in the coffee supply chain: producers, traders, roasters, baristas and specialty baristas.

The first part of the book draws on the author’s real-life plantation experiences to detail the journey from the coffee plant seed to the harvest, the coffee’s classification, the journey to the countries where the coffee is consumed and the lesser-known aspects of cultivation. This is the culture of Specialty, or high-traceability coffee.

The second part of the book looks at the more technical aspects of coffee: defect analysis, roasting, tasting techniques and elements of sensory analysis, standard and alternative extraction techniques. Subjects such as latte art and vegetable drinks are also touched upon.

As well as being the cornerstone of Italian mixing, the Americano is also the most popular drink of all times. Here, its mysterious origins are explored, as well as the legends and anecdotes that have made it an icon, along with the twists of famous bartenders.

So many stories and recipes go into one glass of this iconic cocktail. The Americano wins over the most diverse palates thanks to its bittersweet taste coming from a blend of two Italian giants, namely Vermouth and Campari. The Americano has a long and exciting history that the authors have retraced thanks to historical documents and recipes, in order to share it with the world of bartending. When did the Americano really arrive in Italy? De Roberto mentioned it in his 1895 book on love, talking about “a kind of vermouth-bitters-soda water that whets the appetite and sets up digestion.”

This book is the story of the first mixed drink in Italy, which later gave rise to other cocktails such as the Negroni and the Negroni Sbagliato. After an absorbing historical journey, the focus shifts to the basic recipe of this iconic cocktail and then goes into detail with variations by national and international bartenders, making the book a must for cocktail amateurs and professionals alike. Learn everything about this traditional Italian drink – the symbol of the Italian aperitif.

A handbook for ice cream makers who want to learn the tricks of the trade for delicious home-made gelato. Written by an author with decades of experience who has devised an outstanding, tried-and-tested ergonomic approach.

The first part of the book details the history of Italian artisan gelato and describes the most common ingredients. Then all the main gelato-making techniques and their variants (sorbets and semifreddi) are laid out.

The last part of the book is packed with mouth-watering recipes and pictures as well as practical and technological tips and tricks for applying the notions acquired throughout the book.

Discover today’s world of beer and all the different styles, as well as their history, features and recommended pairings.

The book provides a simple yet thorough description of forty different beer styles, recommending an outstanding Italian craft beer for each one as well as the ideal pairings with Italian cuisine.

The book also suggests thirty easy recipes using traditional Italian ingredients. Each recipe comes with mouth-watering pictures of the dish.

At the end of the book you can find a list of the best Italian craft beers and a comprehensive guide to hops, malts and glasses.

The book is suitable for beer newbies and connoisseurs alike. Thanks to its layout you can enjoy it in one go or use it as your go-to touchstone for all your beer queries.

This is a new book about pizza by a leading expert. Learn about the Neapolitan origins of pizza, its recent rise to prominence, some regional variations (Rome, Puglia, Veneto) and pizza around the world. A part of Unesco’s world heritage, pizza has evolved significantly in recent years; it can be found in countless original variations while remaining a popular, universal dish. As well as telling the story of pizza as food, Pignataro also tells the stories of places that share a bond with pizza (Tramonti, the town of pizza makers; Gragnano and pizza by the metre). The last part of the book deals with the more technical aspects: ingredients, baking tips, wine and beer pairings and more, stressing the prominent status achieved by pizza.

This book guides you to the discovery of the main Italian breeds of cows, sheep, pigs and farmyard animals, focussing on cattle raising and butchering. Learn about the different meat cuts and their Italian, regional and international names. The book explains the long process behind the end product: from cattle breeding to transporting, from packaging to disposal. As well as the description and illustration of the various Italian breeds, the book also presents the various cuts, listing their features and providing more useful information. All the technical notions come with cooking tips and delicious recipes.
The book ends with a chapter on knives how to keep them sharp and efficient.