Modernist Cocktails

A bewitching collection of boundary-pushing cocktails that intertwine art, science, and mixology.

From Frankie Solarik—the visionary behind New York and Toronto’s critically acclaimed BarChef bars, and judge on Netflix’s Drink Masters—comes a book to challenge any preconceived notions of what a cocktail can be.

Dubbed a “legendary Toronto experimentalist” by The New York Times, Frankie is revered around the world for his modernist cocktails. His famed cocktails are all-encompassing culinary experiences that combine top-of-the-line spirits, molecular gastronomy, and edible components. With Modernist Cocktails, professional and home mixologists alike can try their hand at his multisensory creations. Inside these pages you’ll find:

• Masterpiece cocktails: Assembled by season, Frankie’s landmark recipes translate nature’s narratives into spectacular drinks served within evocative set pieces—taking inspiration from winter’s thaw into spring, a summer sunset’s glow, or the colorful turning of autumn’s leaves.
• Inspired sips: For every modernist cocktail recipe, there are three additional simple sip recipes drawing inspiration from similar ingredients but with a much simpler presentation—these are quick-assembly drinks to return to night after night.
• Leading-edge techniques: Learn molecular methods like spherification, cryogenics, how to craft flavored airs and foams, and more.
• Home-crafted essentials: Elevate your bar with homemade bitters, infusions, and syrups—must-haves when building cocktails of all levels.

This design-forward book with atmospheric photography situates you right at Frankie’s bar, both serving and savoring these stunning drinks. Whether you shake and stir or sit back and sip, Modernist Cocktails is an enchanting welcome to a cocktail enthusiast’s wonderland.“I love Frankie Solarik for his exploration of nature, artful technique, and modern approach to the classic cocktail. This is the most interesting cocktail book out there.”
—CHEF DANIEL BOULUD

“Frankie Solarik has done it again with Modernist Cocktails, an immersive atlas of avant-garde drinks, where each composition is designed as an ‘auditorium of perspective’ that engages every sense to create transportive, emotional experiences. Rooted in BarChef’s pioneering drinks, it is a must-have for professionals and enthusiasts interested in turning cocktails into art.”
—GRANT ACHATZ, chef and co-owner of the Alinea Group

“Modernist Cocktails will revolutionize the way you think about cocktail making. Frankie's innovative techniques transforms cocktails into stunning liquid works of art that inspire thought-provoking experiences. This book empowers the curious bartender to experiment and play, making every cocktail an expressive canvas.”
—JULIE REINER

“Creative, inventive, and relentlessly focused, Modernist Cocktails leads from the front. Each cocktail pushes boundaries with precision and purpose. Frankie challenges convention, honoring the craft while continuing to set new standards for what modern mixology can and should be.”
—CHEF CURTIS DUFFY, owner of the Ever Restaurant GroupFrankie Solarik is the owner of the popular cocktail bar BarChef in New York and Toronto (which Food & Wine magazine named one of the “top new and innovative bars in the world”), author of the bestselling cocktail book The Bar Chef: A Modern Approach to Cocktails, and a judge on Netflix’s popular Drink Masters. He is a pioneer of the experiential, progressive, and contemporary approach to cocktails internationally, having hosted masterclasses and tastings in Paris, Berlin, and Hong Kong.My approach has always been to incorporate emotion; through cocktails, I’m inspired to create art that is truly special, truly evocative. As well as through top-of-the-line tools and ingredients, the visceral experience comes together through visuals that accentuate a cocktail’s flavors and aromas: textures, depth, gradient color, even techniques like illuminating the service piece from below can have an immense effect.

So, for my second book, I wanted to shine the spotlight on my modernist compositions and create a book meant to inspire thought, ideas, and a new sense of perspective. As professional mixologists and ambitious home mixologists, we must challenge the creative expressions of the past and create experiences for guests—whether at our place of work or home. These experiences tap into nostalgia and leave these people we care about with a new and lasting memory. And how better to do that than through complexly beautiful modernist cocktails?

The recipes in this book are divided into chapters that follow the seasons, emphasizing the beauty of nature, colors, inspiration, and emotion. Crafting these compositions will send you on a fascinating journey of modern mixology: you’ll learn the ingredients, tools, and glassware with which to stock your bar, then, in addition to using multiple modern culinary applications (such as stabilization techniques that use cryo components like liquid nitrogen and dry ice, and gelification that uses agar and gellan gum), you will be guided through plating the service pieces for every cocktail, defining your own creative process all the way through execution. When I first created these recipes, I was often inspired by the unique plateware I was able to find; if you can’t source the same piece, I encourage you to use dishes that inspire you!

Each modernist cocktail includes sub-recipes for its components—set yourself some time ahead of serving to prepare these. (The modernist cocktail’s ingredients list is given in the order that each component is called for when plating, but be sure to read each component’s own recipe to see whether it can be prepared ahead of time or whether it must be used immediately after making it.) These are then followed by “Inspired Sips”: three simpler recipes that are a perfect way to enjoy these components and the syrups, bitters, and infusions you’ll have stocked up on (see pages 000 to 000) while unwinding for the night. If you’re new to creating modernist cocktails, Pastels of Violet is a nice one to start with.

It’s an amazing time to be a mixologist. With multiple means of access to information and references (like online tutorials and blogs, a variety of cocktail books, shows like Drink Masters, worldwide competitions, and mixologist takeovers at bars across the world so that guests can try different styles without needing to travel), the community and creativity in our industry have never been stronger. We have mixologists collaborating on ideas, and with the sum much greater than the value of its individual parts, we now see the fruits from years of this approach.

I write this book as my contribution to the community, with the intention of sharing my years and years of obsession with creating the ultimate transportive experiences for my guests, and inspiring the next generation of mixologists and chefs to carry on and challenge convention. After all, although this medium is about self-expression, in the end we must do what we do for others. So, I say to you what famous Argentine celebrity chef Francis Mallmann would say in these times of inspiration: “Keep the light lit!”