welcome to my bookbar!

explore the menu

click on the drink name below to view the recipe!
(quarantine substitution tips included πŸ˜‰)
all recipes are listed in order of newest to oldest

September 2021

🍸dream of green
mezcal, cucumber, mint, lime, jasmine tea, honey chili fish sauce syrup
(πŸ“–Dear Diaspora, by Susan Nguyen)

June 2021

🍸the color for girls
coconut rum, coconut milk, pineapple, coconut syrup,lime, blood orange, nutmeg
(πŸ“–Milk Blood Heat, by Dantiel W. Moniz)

May 2021
celebrating Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month

🍸POG juice
passionfruit, orange, guava
(πŸ“–Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls, by T Kira Madden)

🍸summer sake sangria
sake, simple syrup, lemon, grapefruit, nectarine, club soda
(πŸ“–No-No Boy, by John Okada)

🍸the remedy
cognac, ginger honey syrup, lemon
(πŸ“–The Committed, by Viet Thanh Nguyen)

🍸the bayou
black spiced rum, light rum, passionfruit, blood orange, lime, ginger syrup, Thai basil
(πŸ“–Things We Lost to the Water, by Eric Nguyen)

April 2021

🍸klara’s sunset
mezcal, pineapple, grapefruit, lime, grenadine, ginger
(πŸ“–Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro)

🍸sleepless in Shanghai
whiskey, green tea, ginger syrup, lemon, seltzer water
(πŸ“–Love and Other Moods, by Crystal Z. Lee)

March 2021

🍸hy vọng
mezcal, mango, ginger syrup, lime, tumeric, salt, cayenne pepper, peppercorn
(πŸ“–Mango and Peppercorns, by Tung Nguyen, Katherine Manning, Lyn Nguyen, with Elisa Ung)

February 2021

🍸lychee margarita-tini
golden tequila, riesling, lemon, lychee, black lava salt
(πŸ“– Interior Chinatown, by Charles Yu)

🍸little saigon
vodka, lychee, ginger, thai basil, lime, ginger syrup, club soda
(πŸ“– A Pho Love Story, by Loan Le)

🍸the carer
black spiced rum, pineapple, cream of coconut, orange, nutmeg
(πŸ“– Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro)

🍸two figures by a fountain
gin, lime, simple syrup, matcha
(πŸ“– Atonement, by Ian McEwan)

January 2021

🍸good intentions
oolong tea infused vodka, grapefruit, honey, lemon
(πŸ“– The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan)

🍸dear ma
vodka, lychee liqueur, Cocchi Americano, lemon, ginger syrup, rose water
(πŸ“– On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, by Ocean Vuong)

December 2020
Best of 2020
(books that were published in 2020 and other books that I’ve read and enjoyed in 2020)

🍸holiday talk
champagne, pomegranate juice, triple sec
(πŸ“– Good Talk, by Mira Jacob)

🍸grandma’s guava
coconut rum, guava, lemon, winter spice syrup, angostura bitters, ground nutmeg, Vietnamese cinnamon, Thai basil
(πŸ“– The Mountains Sing, by Nguyα»…n Phan QuαΊΏ Mai)

🍸twin sister
gin, tonic, lime
(πŸ“– The Vanishing Half, by Brit Bennett)

🍸gold grass
bourbon, lemon, honey
(πŸ“– How Much of These Hills is Gold, by C Pam Zhang)

🍸clarity
vodka, dry vermouth, orange bitters, lemon
(πŸ“– Leave the World Behind, by Rumaan Alam)

🍸beauty wisdom abundance
rye, campari, dry vermouth, orange peel
(πŸ“– The Fire Next Time, by James Baldwin)
(πŸ“– Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates)
(πŸ“– Heavy, by Kiese Laymon)

November 2020
Native American Heritage Month, Thanksgiving & #NonfictionNovember

🍸ward 8
rye whiskey, pomegranate grenadine, lemon, orange
(πŸ“– Big Friendship, by Aminatou Sow & Ann Friedman)

🍸bubble jacket
black spiced rum, black tea, milk, brown sugar, boba pearls
(πŸ“– Friday Black, by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah)

🍸apple pomegranate autumn punch
bourbon, apple cider, pomegranate juice, ginger beer, autumn syrup
(πŸ“– There There, by Tommy Orange)
(πŸ“– Winter Counts, by David Heska Wanbli Weiden)

October 2020
celebrating Latinx Heritage Month (9/15-10/15),
Filipino American History Month,
and Halloween!

🍸mayday
blood orange shandy, ginger beer, pomegranate, orange
(πŸ“– The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood)

🍸hello city
mezcal, triple sec, calamansi, lime, agave syrup
(πŸ“– The Son of Good Fortune, by Lysley Tenorio)

🍸the green ribbon
mezcal, triple sec, matcha, lime, simple syrup, black lava salt
(πŸ“– Her Body and Other Parties, by Carmen Maria Machado)

🍸strawberry girl
rum, strawberry, lime, mint, cane sugar, soda water
(πŸ“– The Taste of Sugar, by Marisel Vera)

🍸coffee farmer
rum, whiskey, coffee, cane sugar, coconut milk
(πŸ“– The Taste of Sugar, by Marisel Vera)

🍸the salty fruit
black rum, Campari, pineapple, lime, simple syrup, salt
(πŸ“– Fruit of the Drunken Tree, by Ingrid Rojas Contreras)

September 2020
some of my favorites &
celebrating Latinx Heritage Month (9/15-10/15)

🍸home in the heart
bourbon, Campari, mango, lime, cayenne
(πŸ“– The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros)

🍸silver bolt
vodka, lychee liqueur, grapefruit, champagne, simple syrup
(πŸ“– The Woman Warrior, by Maxine Hong Kingston)

🍸the city
bourbon, dry vermouth, orange bitters, lemon
(πŸ“– Severance, by Ling Ma)

August 2020
some of my favorites

🍸man of two minds
black spiced rum, ginger beer, lime, jalapeno pepper
(πŸ“– The Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen)

🍸 flaxen
bourbon, lemon, triple sec, Americano wine, ginger syrup
(πŸ“– Edinburgh, by Alexander Chee)

July 2020
celebrating Black literature

🍸 here comes the sun
bourbon, ginger syrup, lemon, summer shandy
(πŸ“– Here Comes the Sun, by Nicole Dennis-Benn)

🍸 royal
dark spiced rum, pineapple juice, lime, cinnamon, jalapeno
(πŸ“– Queenie, by Candice Carty-Williams)

🍸 dancing friend
gin, sauvignon blanc, triple sec, lemon, simple syrup, star anise
(πŸ“– Swing Time, by Zadie Smith)

June 2020
celebrating Pride Month, featuring Black LGBTQ+ stories

🍸sangria in spain
red wine, brandy, maple syrup, fresh summer fruits
(πŸ“– How We Fight for Our Lives, by Saeed Jones)

🍸fourteen
white wine, elderflower liqueur, club soda, lemon
(πŸ“– Go Tell It on the Mountain, James Baldwin)

🍸mermaid
rum, coconut cream, vanilla, ginger caramel
(πŸ“– How to Love a Jamaican, Alexia Arthurs)

May 2020
celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month

🍸priscilla’s gold
rum, passionfruit, lime, ginger and lemongrass infused demerara syrup
(πŸ“– Sightseeing, Rattawut Lapcharoensap)

🍸squid mother
rum, coconut water, lime, jalapeno infused simple syrup
(πŸ“– Monstress, Lysley Tenorio)

🍸rewind, reverse
tequila, grapefruit, lime, maraschino liqueur, seltzer, salt, thai chili peppers
(πŸ“– The Best We Could Do, Thi Bui)

🍸living things
whiskey, English breakfast tea, lemon, maple syrup, ginger, lemongrass
(πŸ“– The Coffin Tree, Wendy Law-Yone)

April 2020
crossing boundaries

🍸at home
gold tequila, triple sec, lime, lemongrass ginger syrup, smoked sea salt, club soda
(πŸ“– The Refugees, Viet Thanh Nguyen)

🍸olanna
spiced gold rum, elderflower liqueur, Suze, orange, lemon, lime, seltzer water
(πŸ“– Half of a Yellow Sun, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)

🍸after the rain
vodka, Suze, green tea infused simple syrup, lemon, cucumber
(πŸ“– The Lowland, Jhumpa Lahiri)

🍸open door
mezcal, Italicus, limeade, butterfly pea flower infused simple syrup
(πŸ“– Exit West, Mohsin Hamid)

🍸crabapple mash
mulled bourbon with apple & spices, Campari, dry vermouth, mashed apple simple syrup, orange bitters
(πŸ“– East of the West, Miroslav Penkov)

March 2020
celebrating Women’s History Month

🍸EivΓΈr’s ice
vodka, ginger beer, blue curaΓ§ao, lime, ginger-infused simple syrup
(πŸ“– Red Clocks, Leni Zumas)

🍸glass heart
mezcal, blood orange, dragonfruit, lime, thai chili peppers, black lava salt, cayenne
(πŸ“– Difficult Women, Roxane Gay)