Witchcraft Cocktails starts off as any good witchy cookbook should, by regaling the reader with the history of how these ingredients relate to our craft and the purposes they can serve; in this case, a quick glimpse at the history of ancient witches utilizing spirits in their craft and a short explanation of why alcohol can be such a valuable part of spellwork. It then launches into a chapter of definitions and correlations that I thought were so interesting (such as using rum for neutralizing negativity), so this book really lays down a solid guideline before getting down to the recipes. Also, the tip about using moon water for your ice cubes to imbue lunar magic into your drinks? Brilliant. This is the kind of stuff I'm here for.

Side note: the aforementioned basics chapter also describes many bartending techniques that have nothing to do with magic, such as how to express a peel, double straining, etc. — which leads me to believe even non-witches could learn a lot from this one!

Then, the author moves on to more craft-specific needs, such as attuning drinks to astrological bodies during retrogrades, and even basic information that I think will be especially helpful for new witches — quick notes on astrological phases, sabbats, and more.While this section doesn't attribute strictly to the drink recipes, the author explains that it's good information to know as you can attune specific spellwork types to certain times of year.

Finally, we get to the recipe section of the book, where the author's attention to detail continues by kicking off with recipes for bitters, simple syrups, and more. Most (though not all) of the recipes come with pictures, and each one is absolutely gorgeous! My favorite part, aside from how freaking delicious these drinks sound, is the "advanced magic" section at the bottom of each recipe, where advice is given for a tarot card or crystal pairing.

As far as the drink recipes themselves go, these were right up my alley for the most part. There are a lot of fairly sweet cocktails here, but I think even people who don't enjoy sweet drinks will find plenty to love. As someone who doesn't drink very often, I especially appreciated how many of these drinks could very easily be made alcohol-free (like The Prosperous Pumpkin, which I can't wait to try out this fall).

Overall, I think this is an absolutely fantastic recipe book that will be a great addition to the shelf of any alcohol-drinking witch, and even many non-witches. The recipes are well-crafted (which makes sense after learning the author is a long-practicing bartender!) and unique, the information on magic is informative yet brief and intriguing, and the layout of the whole thing is stunning. I definitely plan on picking up a finished copy for my shelf.

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!