Book Review: Puncheons & Flagons: The Official Dungeons & Dragons Cocktail Book

Puncheons & Flagons: The Official Dungeons & Dragons Cocktail Book
Hardcover | Kindle
By Andrew Wheeler (author) and Ashley Stoyanov (recipes)
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Release Date: August 27, 2024

I am sure you’ve discovered something you never knew you needed, but now you probably would prefer not to live without it. Welcome to Puncheons & Flagons: The Official Dungeons & Dragons Cocktail Book, the adult cocktail and mocktail book you will not want to forget to take on your next adventure. I have thoroughly enjoyed replicating food from the two Heroes’ Feast books from Ten Speed Press, so I was not at all surprised when this one came along. Let me tell you, friends, this is better than you might have hoped for in your wildest dreams. So many new experiences await!

I will preface this with the point that there are a lot of ingredients needed that I do not keep on hand, so you might find yourself taking a few trips to the market. No matter your preferences in beverages, be they alcoholic or not, there is something in here for you. The book is a fairly small, almost bartender-style tome. Barely larger than 7 inches by 9 inches, it is a packed 192 pages of beautiful photos and text. In fact, I was surprised at how heavy the book was, but the paper is a heavier bond than most others, speaking directly to the quality of the release. There are ten pseudo-chapters here, nine are broken up by type of booze and the tenth is for the nonalcoholic refreshments. Covered here are gin, whiskey, vodka, rum (yummy, my fave), tequila (my wife’s choice), brandy, exquisite rarities (think sake, cachaca, and the like), wine, beer/mead/cider, and the nonalcoholic (teas, fruits, and such). The spin here is that each section is assigned an area of origination, like vodka in Waterdeep or wine in Neverwinter. I will not go through all of them, but suffice to say, it also ties them to specific inns and taverns as well.

I only made a few of these, so I cannot speak to each section deeply but the Dwarven “Celebration Brew” was SPECTACULAR. I will admit, I may have added Shiner Bock for the lager ingredient so it was almost guaranteed to be amazing. As far as other rum drinks I want to try, the
Chultwater” sounds scrumptious. The “Lady Ophala” is a wine, vermouth, and ice cream combo that was not only refreshing but also very dessert-like! Think adult float and you are not far off. I am told the “Moonrise” is a tasty little tequila drink, but as it contains coconut liqueur, I passed and will take the word of others for it. It is gorgeous, though, with separated colors like a tequila sunrise. My next up will be the vodka loaded “Cheap Seat” as it contains chocolate and peanut butter, so I am going to call it a protein drink, so it must be healthy, right?

There are a total of 75 unique drinks in this wonderful book, many that I will be trying as time goes on. If this sounds even remotely interesting to you, I encourage you to give it a try and see which ones you enjoy. I love that the world of Dungeons & Dragons has expanded out so much that we are getting these peripheral books like this that, while not necessary for the game, will definitely make many people find one more reason to enjoy playing. Obviously, this includes me, as I will be incorporating the recipes in the future. A quick note before I close: there are several of these drinks that are made in bulk so this is definitely a party favor. Get it? Party? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this review as much as I did. This was a blast to research!

Complement any game night with 75 deliciously clever Dungeons & Dragons-themed cocktails and bar bites to sustain any group of players for any time of day.

“This book is all around beautiful! The photos are gorgeous, the recipes are well written and easy to follow, plus the lore behind each item puts me directly into the D&D universe.”—Chef Mike Haracz, host of Heroes’ Feast

Entertain fabulously while you adventure in your next D&D campaign! Puncheons & Flagons is a delightful and fun-filled cocktail and snacks book filled with fare that would be served up at your character’s favorite tavern, inn, or market along the Sword Coast. All seventy-five dishes, created by a professional recipe developer, are easy to prepare and provide everything you need for hosting and entertaining with D&D flair.

Dishes are organized by in-world drinking establishment and by base ingredient with options for every occasion—especially game nights!—including:

• Adventurous cocktails such as Necromancer and Hand of Vecna
• Batch cocktails such as Candlekeep Tea and Faerie Fire
• Nonalcoholic concoctions such as Mourning Cup and Baldurian Tonic
• Tasty morsels such as Luiric Rarebit and High Sun Florentines

Drink up!