When Jonathan Jones first arrived as a bartender at Wilmington Wine Shop, owners Chrissy and Rick Bonney challenged him to create some new bubbly-based cocktails for their patrons to enjoy.

Before long Jones would become known as Master of Mimosas, hosting the shop’s Mimosa Sundays, where he would serve up not only a variety of mimosas but his latest bubbly-based creations.

“Sundays had been one of the slowest days for the shop,” Jones said. “But after just a few weeks, word started to spread and we began having new regulars each week.”

Now Jones has published "Fifty-Two," a collection of champagne cocktails to be enjoyed throughout the year. None of the recipes contain liquor, just sparkling wines along with syrups and bitters. The book is illustrated by his girlfriend Maura Ryan.

Jones created the cocktails through trial and error, experimentation, and a healthy dose of customer feedback. With a background in both food and wine, he explained that many of the cocktails in the book are based on flavors he enjoys eating.

“The point of the book is to encourage experimentation, to get people to step outside their comfort zones and remove the traditional boundaries between food and drink,” Jones said. “One of my favorite cocktails in the book is called Enthaicement and it is based on a Thai dish that I love.”

In the introduction, he credits the existence of the book to the the Bonneys as well as former co-worker Zak Kilson and Wilmington Wine’s loyal customers.

Jones and Ryan have recently left Wilmington and are headed to Oregon in hopes of opening a dessert and cocktail bar. Prior to that, however, Jones plans to spend some time working in vineyards and gaining more knowledge of the wine industry.

As for Wilmington Wine, they’re sad to see Jones depart but will honor his inspiration and hard work by keeping up the tradition of Mimosa Sundays.

“We're really excited for this next chapter in Jonathan's life as he shares his talent and creativity with the West Coast,” said Chrissy Bonney.  “He'll be greatly missed, but has left us in capable hands with a signed copy of 'Fifty-Two' and crowd of thirsty regulars we won't disappoint!”

Copies of "Fifty-Two" are available at Wilmington Wine Shop as well as Blurb.com.

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