Epicurious - The Best Cookbooks of 2023

“With every new cookbook I feel more like Lexi Featherson. The Sex and the City character featured in the 2004 episode “Splat” famously cries “No one’s fun anymore! Whatever happened to fun?” before falling to her death after declaring “I’m so bored I could die.” But deBary’s new cocktail book, filled with wacky animations, punny recipe names, and pop culture references, reminds me that cookbooks can be fun. DeBary’s deep knowledge of ’90s culture and interest in toeing the boundaries of what others consider “good taste” has yielded a hilarious and lovable cookbook that can’t help but make you smile. He swaps serious headnotes for rib-tickling ruminations on frosted tips, standard food photography for campy illustrations of anthropomorphic cocktails, and everyday drink recipes for a Technicolored array of kooky combinations. But don’t let deBary’s style and sense of humor fool you: The cookbook is filled with inventive, creative, and easy to make cocktails that have been developed by a master of the craft. Pairing unexpected ingredients like Yoo-Hoo and absinthe and infusing smoky Lapsang Souchong tea into watermelon juice are just some of the techniques you’ll find within this new culinary camp classic. —Jesse Szewczyk