Author Sarah Becan laughed as she rattled off some of the cocktail stories that surprised her.
One of the first cocktails created in the United Kingdom after tequila’s arrival in the 1930s was a drink called the matador. It’s a pineapple-forward, tropical little thing, at odds with the rainy shores of London.
And there’s a deeply contested history of the negroni. One family vehemently insists that their ancestor created the drink. A historian Becan talked to flatly disagreed.
Becan has spent months researching not only the cocktail recipes themselves, but also their origins. In her illustrated graphic novel “Let’s Make Cocktails!”, she’s collected dozens of standouts for everyone to enjoy.
On Monday, April 20, Becan met with readers at Big Grove Brewery to promote her new book, the fourth in the “Let’s Make” series.
“Hands down, the best part of making these books is seeing when people make recipes from the book and show it to me, knowing that I was part of making that bowl of ramen possible or I was part of making that drink possible,” Becan said.
Who is author Sarah Becan?
Becan began illustrating food because she was thinking about how food and self-worth tied together, she wrote on her website. She got her start creating an autobiographical webcomic titled “I Think You’re Sauceome,” and would draw meals she and her partner would have in restaurants around Chicago.
Becan said restaurants started noticing her drawings and approached her to make art for commercial work. That eventually led to Becan becoming the illustrator for “The Adventures of Fat Rice” in 2016.
From there, the publisher kept in touch with Becan, later asking her to create a full-length comic book for ramen recipes. That’s how the “Let’s Make” series was born, with spotlights on ramen, dumplings, bread and now cocktails.
Becan has been nominated twice for the Ignatz Award, a prestigious honor that recognizes outstanding comics and cartooning.
She also has a Des Moines connection through her partner: He spent some of his childhood in Des Moines, and his parents and sister have been living in the city for four years.
How did Sarah Becan write and illustrate ‘Let’s Make Cocktails!’?
“‘Let’s Make Cocktails!’ is the first one of these that I have written and illustrated on my own without a chef partner, without someone to collaborate with,” Becan said. “But I feel like working with professional chefs prepared me for the level of rigor, in terms of research and study, in order to present the content in a responsible way.”
She’s loved being able to see the modern craft cocktail renaissance open up, especially as people begin digging up old recipes.
After consulting with various historians and bartenders, Becan wrote and illustrated more than a hundred pages dedicated to explaining cocktails for a person just beginning to get their feet wet.
What is Sarah Becan’s next book about?
Becan is partnering with “Great British Bake Off” star Kim-Joy to create “Let’s Make Cookies!” Further details will be announced.
Where to get ‘Let’s Make Cocktails!’
Beaverdale Books hosted Becan’s presentation and has copies of the book for sale. West Des Moines’ Reading In Public also reported having copies in stock.
“Let’s Make Cocktails!” is also available for order on Amazon as a paperback or Kindle edition.
Lucia Cheng is a service and trending reporter at the Des Moines Register. Contact her at lcheng@gannett.com or 515-284-8132.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Comic book cookbook with an Iowa connection lets you explore cocktails
Reporting by Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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