Category Is: Cocktails!: Mixed Drinks Inspired by Legendary Drag Performers

Slip on your best heels, beat your face for the gods, and get ready to toast sixty iconic drag queens, kings, and nonbinary performers with cocktails and zero-proof drinks made in their honor.

Category Is: Cocktails! features original recipes for 60 cocktails and zero-proof drinks, alongside beautifully-rendered illustrations and profiles of the personalities who inspired them. The drag legends here run the gamut: designers, dancers, comedians, community activists, contortionists, Emmy winners, and Broadway actors. The book includes drag’s big names, such as stars of reality TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race Kim Chi, Trixie Mattel, and Latrice Royale, to scene stalwarts Divine and Peaches Christ, to international performers like Pabllo Vittar and Pangina Heals--as well as culturally significant figures, like vaudevillian king Annie Hindle and activist Stormé DeLarverie.
While the drinks in most drag bars could easily fuel a transatlantic flight, this collection puts forth a radical thought: drag performers and their fans deserve better. The tipples here are equal parts delicious and quirky, featuring unusual but easily-sourced ingredients. Along with straightforward recipes, the authors cover the basics of preparing, garnishing, and serving mixed drinks. Armed with these brilliant concoctions and some deep-dive diva trivia, this terrific resource will make you the life of your next cocktail party.

David Dodge is a journalist covering LGBTQ+ issues, travel, politics, and culture for outlets including the New York Times, Travel + Leisure, The Advocate, Out, and Newsweek. He is the co-author of Sassy Planet and NYC Storefronts, both published by Prestel. He lives in New York City.

David Orton is a graphic designer and creative director specializing in branding, identity, art direction, and communication design. In his spare time, he DJs under the name DSO, and creates his own cocktails. He lives in New York City.

Cheyne Gallarde is an award-winning illustrator focused on queer and pop culture-related subject matter. His clients include LOGOTV, Penguin Books, True Religion, Johnson & Johnson, and Netflix. He lives in Los Angeles.