Eddie Muller's Noir Bar: Cocktails Inspired by the World of Film Noir

Eddie Muller's Noir Bar: Cocktails Inspired by the World of Film Noir is a rather unusual book. After all, it takes a look at 50 different classic noirs and matches them with appropriate cocktails. And while Eddie Muller's Noir Bar: Cocktails Inspired by the World of Film Noir is somewhat unique, in some ways it is surprising that a book of its sort had not been published years ago. It is no secret that drinking figures heavily in film noir. Bars, nightclubs, and seedy backrooms are tropes of the film style. And while many film noir protagonists took their liquor straight up, cocktails do appear frequently in film noir.  There is a good reason many film noir fans are also cocktail connoisseurs.

Of course, Eddie Muller would be the ideal person to write a book that combines film noir with cocktails. Mr. Muller is familiar to Turner Classic Movies fans as the "Czar of Noir" and host of the programming block Noir Alley. He is founder and president of the Film Noir Foundation, the non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, exhibiting, and educating people about noir. He has written multiple books on film noir and other aspects of cinema, and has provided commentary on many DVDs. What many might not know about Eddie Muller is that he also trained to be a professional bartender and worked as one earlier in his life. Eddie Muller is not only an expert on film noir, but an expert when it comes to tending bar and mixing drinks as well. He definitely know both subjects well.

It is because of Eddie Muller's expertise that Eddie Muller's Noir Bar: Cocktails Inspired by the World of Film Noir serves well as an introduction to both film noir and making cocktails. The first part of the book deals with stocking an at-home bar, the tools one needs to properly make cocktails and the glassware one needs as well, and the basics in making a drink. Not only do these chapters serve as a good primer for those new to the art of making cocktails, but Mr. Muller has many useful tips and suggestions for those with a bit more experience. Having read Eddie Muller's Noir Bar: Cocktails Inspired by the World of Film Noir, I now have more confidence in making cocktails than I had previously.

When it comes to Eddie Muller's Noir Bar: Cocktails Inspired by the World of Film Noir, I expect most noiristas are looking forward to the pairings of classic film noirs with cocktails, and Eddie Muller does not disappoint. Among the movies covered are such classics as The Asphalt Jungle (1950), The Big Sleep (1946), Gilda (1946), Nightmare Alley (1947), and Sweet Smell of Success (1957). As to the cocktails featured in the book, they are a wide variety. Eddie Muller includes such classic cocktails as the gimlet, the mai tai, the bloody Mary, and the martini. There are also more recently developed cocktails, such as the Left Hand. Finally, Eddie Muller includes some cocktails of his own creation, such as the Crimson Kimono and Sailor Beware. In most cases Eddie Muler not only provides us with the recipes for cocktails, but also some of their backgrounds as well. 

As a matter of full disclosure, I must admit that I have not yet tried some of the cocktails featured in  Eddie Muller's Noir Bar: Cocktails Inspired by the World of Film Noir, so I cannot speak to how some of them taste. I do plan to try every single one of the cocktails I have not yet had, except for the boilermaker. I have an allergy to hops, so I cannot drink beer (and I really don't like beer's flavour anyway).

Eddie Muller's Noir Bar: Cocktails Inspired by the World of Film Noir is parts a primer for making drinks, film history, cocktail history, and a recipe book for cocktails. For those who like watching their film noir with a drink on the side, it is definitely a must read.