Unlike the tape and CD, vinyl never went out of style. That’s because vinyl has and always will sound fantastic. And there’s something wonderful about being able to hold a piece of music in your hands. Spotify is great, but having vinyl is to truly own an album.
Our friends at Toronto’s Cocktail Emporium, who are a one-stop-shop for all things cocktail (and have a massive online offering if you aren’t in T.O!), sent us a copy of Booze and Vinyl: A Spirited Guide to Great Music and Mixed Drinks by André and Tenaya Darlington. They knew we were all about pairing cocktails with specific activities (because that’s what we do!), so they thought this would be right up our alley. And they were of course right.
Booze and Vinyl is a guide to hosting an old school listening party – where friends get together and listen to an album from start to finish. Writers André and Tenaya are brother and sister who grew up flipping their dad’s turntable and have also thrown their share of parties together. Plus, they’re food journalists so they know a thing or two about cocktails. They’ve also got a craft cocktail book under their belt (The New Cocktail Hour) and a book that pairs cocktails with classic films (Turner Classic Movies: Movie Night Menus). They both remembered how much they loved their parents vinyl parties growing up, and thus, their next book was born. Booze and Vinyl is for anyone with an itch to explore timeless music and mixed drinks together. To André and Tenaya we say: you’re speaking our language.
When we cracked Booze and Vinyl and saw that there were 70 albums with cocktail pairings (one for side A, one for side B) to choose from, organized by mood, from Rock to Chill, Dance, and Seduce. The cocktail recipes complement the music’s mood, imagery in the lyrics, or connect the drink to the artist. The hardest part for us was choosing our first session.
Ultimately, we decided on Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon. It’s an album we all love, we had it on vinyl and we were all about André and Tenaya’s suggestion of lighting some candles, setting intentions and passing around some smudge sticks – because positive vibes only. And maybe throw a joint or two in there too (one for side A, one for side B?).
We had an awesome time just sitting there, getting lost in the music and sipping away at two incredibly delicious cocktails.
- Copy of Booze and Vinyl: A Spirited Guide to Great Music and Mixed Drinks by André Darlington and Tenaya Darlington. Grab a copy at Cocktail Emporium here
- Record player
- Vinyl of your choice. The book offers 70 different vinyl and booze pairings from The Ramones to Lady Gaga, so you’ll have no shortage of options. We chose Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon
- Accompanying cocktails. Grab the recipes for The Dark Side of the Moon cocktails: Red Wine Hot Chocolate and Eclipse Cocktail.
André and Tenaya suggested setting the mood for The Dark Side of the Moon by lighting some candles, setting some intentions and making some seasonally inspired snacks (grab some inspiration from our new moon party post). Then, pass around some smudge sticks to clear the air before everyone gets a little loopy from the Dark Side vibes. Next, play the album all the way through, switching up your cocktail when you shift from side A to side B.
If you ain’t got the vinyl copy, then we’ve made a handy Spotify playlist of the album for ya.