An acclaimed Oakland chef talks about his Afro-Latino craft cocktail cookbook

When it comes to culinary names in the East Bay, Chef Nelson German is among the biggest. But when the chef-owner of Oakland’s Afro-Latino and Dominican restaurants alaMar and Sobre Mesa decided to write his first cookbook, he took an unusual path.

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Instead of sharing recipes from the kitchens where he’s been a chef for nearly 30 years, he decided to build the book around a collection of his craft Caribbean cocktails — despite stepping behind the bar for the first time just eight years ago.

We chatted with him recently to learn more about his newfound appreciation for the art of the cocktail and his new cookbook, “Caribbean Cocktails: Drinks and Bites From the Afro-Latino Diaspora” (Ten Speed Press, $24).

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Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Q: This is your first book! Tell me more about the inspiration behind it.

A: At first, I was working on a cookbook, but when we pitched the book out, the team knew that I do cocktails and asked what I thought about doing a cocktail book. It was an amazing opportunity —  I love cocktails. I was forced to do it one time at my business, and it became one of my biggest passions. [The book] has the culture and still has some storytelling in there,  but it does something that’s fun and really celebrates not just my roots but a lot of underrepresented people. Caribbean culture is getting highlighted a lot right now, especially Afro-Latinos like Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Cubans — all sorts of different people — and it was the right timing for something really cool and different.

Q: It seems like you did a ton of research for this book. What was that process like, and how did it inform the recipes you developed?

A: Things really started in 2018 during a First Friday in Oakland. I’ve probably been a chef for about 29 years — it’s the love of my life. But as a restaurant owner, you’ve got to do it all. You’ve got to be a plumber, an electrician, and sometimes a bartender. It was a time when I had to make a decision. I put myself behind the bar, and I fell in love with it. It was like cooking, but it was nerve-wracking, because I was in front of people. It was so invigorating for me. From then on, after that night, I told myself I wanted to do it more and put myself behind the bar for almost a year learning the craft, researching through books and the Internet, and talking to peers in the industry — people who had been bartending for years, especially bartenders of color.

Hearing these stories made me realize how much respect I have for bartenders and people who are at the bar. It made me realize how important they are — they’re like chefs. They’re creators. They’re telling these beautiful stories, and that first drink that hits the table sets a precedent for the whole experience.

Q: How did your culinary background shape your approach to cocktail development?

A: That’s why it became so fun for me, because I realized how intertwined they are. With making cocktails, you are cooking but using liquids, and there’s the science behind everything, the amount that you’re putting in and the flavors that you’re putting together — it’s very culinary.

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Q: What were a couple of your favorite recipes that you developed?

A: One of them is To Die Dreaming, which is a riff on morir soñando, a popular Dominican drink. Being Dominican, it sets me back home and reminds me of times with my mom, walking the streets of Washington Heights — it’s kind of like an orange creamsicle smoothie. Wherever Dominicans are, you see morir soñando everywhere. We created a cocktail like that at alaMar.

Another one was the Chan Chan, a rhum agricole daiquiri with banana, lime juice and a beautiful spiced honey.

Q: What are some of the elements that make a cocktail specifically Caribbean?

A: The tropical fruits. Flavors like passionfruit and mango really take you back there. One thing we talk about in the book is distillery justice. The people who’ve been doing the work for so many years who aren’t really talked about or given credit for things — we really honor them in this book. We want to make it positive, but there’s a real conversation starter to how this all started and the people behind it, and how to bring it back to people in the community.

Tropical cocktails are not just about tiki culture. What honors the Caribbean the most is definitely showcasing these flavors, these combinations, but also the stories behind the people who make this happen and create these beautiful rums and spirits out there — families who have created these rums for generations and aren’t the owners anymore. Rum is one of the oldest spirits in the world. People drank it not just to get drunk, but also for medicine, for good times and, when they were away from their families, to remember and be happy.

The first time I had rum with my family, it was something my dad would pass to me and my uncle, and tell me, “When you have your own son, you’ll drink it with him.” It’s like a passing of the torch. It’s not taking shots; it’s a ritual. It’s something special for the people — not just profit and to be made by machine. There are real hands that go behind this, and people who have shed blood to harvest these things, so they deserve all the credit in the world.

One cocktail we do at alaMar is called the Last Conocado, which translates to “the last chocolatier.” Cacao has been harvested and exported from the Dominican Republic for years, but no one talks about Dominican chocolate. Chocolate is grown in Caribbean countries and Africa, but it’s only certain countries, like Europe-centric ones, that are known as the best chocolate in the world.

So the book has conversation starters, but it also shows how to throw your own Caribbean cocktail party and live your life to the fullest.

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Recipes from Nelson German’s “Caribbean Cocktails”

• Lake Breeze: A cocktail to serve at Lake Merritt Juneteenth festivities
• Tropical Noir: An Afro-Caribbean take on a classic New Orleans cocktail
• To Die Dreaming: A creamy citrus-kissed cocktail that’s a Dominican staple