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Christine Sismondo’s Mondo Cocktail puts the thinkin’ back into drinkin’
By Andrea Ledwell

It is a truth universally acknowledged, or maybe just in my own head, that, in preparation for that great North American moral hangover called January, all calorie-counting and “healthy lifestyle choices” are officially suspended throughout the weeks, or months, that lead up to it.

This annual celebration of depravity, typically justified through a series of religious and calendar-shifting ceremonies, commences near the end of November and culminates in the high-holy event/completely avoidable amateur fest (depending on your viewpoint) of debauchery on December 31.

If you plan on having alcohol during this holiday season, and I know that you are, consider stepping up the quality of the experience by delving into Christine Sismondo’s book Mondo Cocktail: A Shaken And Stirred History.

Like a friend filling you in on all the behind-the-scenes action of  - I don’t know – the goings on of the Toronto City Council or something like that - Sismondo cleverly dishes out the dirt on who drank what and where and why they did it.

I know you like to be in the know. And if you take the time to read even a couple of chapters of the book before heading out to partyland, I promise that you will have interesting tidbits to use in even the dullest social settings. It also makes for a wonderful gift – both useful and entertaining.

Don't be daunted by the cover, which suggests, with its gem-toned high balls and Eurostyle font, more late-90s Cosmopolitans than the rich cultural history of some of the world’s smartest drunks. These are stories of Hemingway not Carrie Bradshaw. (It’s a shame that the publishers missed out on a good marketing opportunity in its cover art with this otherwise neatly designed book.)

I can go on at length about it. The stories. The bars. The history. You will want to drink. You will want to travel to drink. You will want to wear fancy clothes and mingle with interesting people while you drink. And you will never want to touch bar mix again in your life.

Especially for this season, as much for festivities as that cold and flu you are fighting, I highly, healthfully and hung-overly recommend the Sidecar. With its mixture of medicinal brandy, Cointreau < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cointreau > digestif and fresh squeezed lemon juice, there cannot be anything more perfect for a winter's evening. And I am pretty sure its much better for you than those packets of NeoCitran you've been mainlining for the past couple of weeks.

THE SIDECAR

1 oz brandy (Christine suggests Hennessy’s – I’m sure any brand will do)
1 oz Cointreau (there is no substitute for Cointreau)
1 oz lemon (must be freshly squeezed!)

Fill contents into a shaker of ice and voila! Enjoy.

Mondo Cocktail: A Shaken And Stirred History by Christine Sismondo is published by McArthur & Company and should be available in the food/drink sections of most bookstores in the city.

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