The Cocktail Hour : A Drinker's Companion - Tim Hayward

The Cocktail Hour : A Drinker's Companion - Tim Hayward

Tim Hayward

£20.00

Available to order

Not on our shelves today. We’ll order it in and post it out — with you in 2–3 working days.

  • Pages · 288 pages, Full-colour photography throughout
  • Publication Date · 17/09/2026
  • Genre · General cookery & recipes
Collect in store Pick it up free from the shop in Oxford's Covered Market, usually quicker than the post.
Delivery Standard tracked £1.99, free on orders over £20. Express tracked £2.99.
Book Lovers' Happy Hour Three cocktails matched to your taste, three books chosen for you, an hour and a half at the bar. £60 per person. Book a place →
It's 6 o'clock: clear your mind of the cares of the day. Relax and fix yourself a drink. It's The Cocktail Hour. 'A wonderful writer in his absolute element' Nigella LawsonThe moment Tim Hayward started mixing himself an 'attitude adjuster' at the end of the day, his life changed. He realised he was falling in love - with the taste, the image, the ritual and legend, of the cocktail. The Cocktail Hour celebrates not just the recipes but the stories, feelings and nostalgia that a drink can evoke. You will learn how to make 50 classic and modern drinks carefully, with good ingredients and the right equipment. But more importantly, from Gimlet to Gibson, Manhattan to Margarita, you will be equipped to immerse yourself fully and appreciatively in the ritual. Achieve inner peace and equilibrium, take pleasure in the glorious moment of that first sip, and join the innumerable artists, writers, statesmen, actors and intellectual titans who, across the centuries, have discovered the profound joy of The Cocktail Hour.

Only at Gulp Fiction

Book Lovers' Happy Hour

An hour and a half at the bar, with three cocktails matched to your taste and three books chosen for you. Tell us what you like when you book, and we'll have them waiting when you arrive.

  • 1½ hours
  • £60 per person
  • 3 cocktails, 3 books
Book Happy Hour

Up to four of you can come — book a place each and choose the same time slot, then tell us who you're with. For larger groups, email gulpfictionbooks@gmail.com and we'll arrange it.

Three customers at the window table in Gulp Fiction, cocktails in hand beside a stack of books, with Oxford's Covered Market visible through the glass

Collect in store

Order online and pick it up from the shop. It's free, and usually quicker than the post.

Find us

Units 28–29, Covered Market, Oxford OX1 3DU. Mon–Wed 10–5, Thu–Sat 10–10, Sun 11–4.

Book a table

The bar is open late Thursday to Saturday. Reserve a table for a drink among the books.