Is the book still in print?
Yes, for a limited time more. As of early September 2018 there are fewer than 100 mint copies left available for sale through various small retailers and Amazon. Once these are gone we will make the small number of new-but-slightly-damaged copies available at a reduced price, and then once those are gone, there is no reprint of the high-quality hardcover planned.
Is a sample chapter available?
Yes. You can read the introduction here on ArtoftheShim.com or check out the sample available from the ebook links on the Buy page (e.g., Amazon's Look Inside on the Kindle version or iTunes sample screenshots for the EPUB version).
How did you choose the recipes?
I've been studying low-alcohol cocktails and collecting recipes since before I coined the term 'shim' in 2008 on my blog Bibulo.us. In preparation for this book I revisited about 500 recipes from 150 years of cocktail books and other sources. I also solicited low-alcohol recipes from bartenders. From this pool, I narrowed down to approximately 200 recipes which were tested with friends. My testing group intentionally included a wide variety of drinkers from lightweights to whiskey snobs, including some who usually do not choose cocktails in preference to beer and wine. Their feedback combined with my curation to create a balanced sampling of the great variety of drinks in the shim category. Once the final 53 recipes were selected, I again contacted bartenders and others in the cocktail world to bring their voices into the book. I also confirmed the history of each recipe with the goal of providing as accurately as possible the origin of these drinks. Where I was able to connect with living drink creators, I included their thoughts on the cocktail. The book was tested with beta readers representing cocktail fans, industry professionals, and those new to the subject.
How can I make the ebook feel more like a book?
For optimal appearance of this (and most) ebooks, turn off Full Justification and Auto-Hyphenation if possible in your ereader.
Are you on Twitter?
Yes!
What's the hashtag, if I want to discuss the book on Twitter?
#ArtoftheShim
Is the book available outside the United States?
Yes. Your local bookstore may be able to order the hardcover for you or you will be able to find the ebook (in English) through iTunes or Google Play in many countries around the world.
Does it have Cataloging in Publication?
Yes, with thanks to Rice Majors.
Sanders, Dinah.The art of the shim : Low-alcohol cocktails to keep you level / by Dinah Sanders; photographs by Kelly Puleio.[192] p.ISBN: 978-0983998044 (hardcover)“More drink. Less Drunk. You deserve a great cocktail—and you don’t have to over-indulge to get it! Shims—serious, low-alcohol cocktails—are where everyone can come together, whether it’s for the one drink of the evening or when this is but the first of many. This book is your invitation to a world of delicious, sophisticated drinks which provide all their pleasures without walloping you over the head with booze. Celebrate two centuries of the cocktail with recipes for every taste, from the sunny cheerfulness of a Ben’s Good Humor to slow sippers like the Bitter Giuseppe. Cheers!” – back cover.1. Cocktails. 2. Alcoholic beverages. 3. Bartending. I. Puleio, Kelly. II. TitleTX951 .S36 2013641.874