Local Author Mixes Up Trader Joe’s-Centric Cocktails

Since opening its first three Colorado locations in 2014, popular grocery-store chain Trader Joe’s has established a near-cult following in Denver. That’s thanks largely to its quirky selection of proprietary brands and products — not to mention its shelves of good-quality, bang-for-your-buck spirits.

Count local author Greg McBoat among the faithful. “When I first walked into the bright and vibrant aisles of Trader Joe’s back in the 1990s, I was transfixed by products I had never heard of or only read about that Trader Joe’s curated from across the globe. And it was so affordable! I was sold,” McBoat writes in his new cookbook, The I Love Trader Joe’s Cocktail Book, which is being released by Ulysses Press on November 12.

“Sadly for me,” McBoat continues, “it would be well over a decade before TJ’s would launch in my state of Colorado. Since then, my family has accepted my obsessive trips to Trader Joe’s, where it can take me over an hour to explore the small store and check out everything, despite having looked up all the new products ahead of time.”

McBoat — who is also an accomplished food photographer — is no stranger to cookbooks. He’s collaborated on several, most recently the 2022 tome 50 Things to Bake Before You Die, by author Allyson Reedy. But this is his first book to focus on liquid delicacies.

Across the pages of The I Love Trader Joe’s Cocktail Book, boozy concoctions of every taste and type — one recipe for each week of the year, split into four seasonal sections — are presented. Ever wonder what it might be like to slurp down Trader Joe’s Organic Jalapeño Limeade in the form of a gelatin shot? Or how about alchemically transforming Trader Joe’s Organic Blood Orange Rooibos Herbal Tea Blend into a mezcal milk punch? Well, wonder no more.

McBoat’s personal favorite Trader Joe’s cocktail ingredient, though, is from even further out in left field. “I have to go with the classic Speculoos Cookie Butter. It inspired me to write this book,” he says, citing the store’s beloved jarred product that's basically cinnamon-forward cookies whipped into the form of peanut butter.

As McBoat explains, “The idea of using those warm spices infused into whiskey really worked wonderfully. A close second for me is TJ’s Everything but the Elote seasoning. It ended up adding some great savory umami to a sweet corn milkshake.” Granted, that recipe is for one of the book’s healthy array of mocktails. But we’ll let the lack of intoxicants slide.

Trader Joe's as a company had no direct input in the book, but one of the Denver-area stores assisted him "unofficially," he recalls. "I went to the store on Colorado Boulevard and Eighth, and the staff there took their time to take me through all the liquors and wines they had. I spent over $500 on liquor that day."

Although McBoat is still in the process of putting together a local book-release party, he encourages everyone to use his book to start getting a little practice at home. “I love mixology and entertaining,” he says, “so it has always been a dream of mine to feature fun and unique cocktails.”

Mixology accomplished.